How Businesses Are Reconsidering Marketing Strategies In The New Normal

The show must go on, with the number of cases rising each day businesses are in the hunt to find innovative ways and restructure the way business is being done and adjust itself to the new normal. The world is changing and there are very few sectors left in human lives as well as business which are untouched and unaffected by the pandemic. Everything other than that needs a new touch and marketers need to keep themselves strong towards the upcoming changes at such vulnerable times. Its high time when marketers need to reshape their businesses, keeping the conventional methods in place and at the same time incorporating techniques to face the new normal. But there is always a question coming up as to what exactly is changing? 

The pandemic has made the world realize the need for changes which although were in pipeline, would have taken some time to be a reality. The lessening of advertisements avenues in conventional /traditional media platforms is one of the major changes the world has witnessed so far. The event industry including the travel and hospitality had to pull down its shutters bringing a close to physical event marketing. The pandemic has made people restrict their travel plans and other outdoor activities which have created a great impact on various ad spaces. People not indulging in outdoor activities have made advertisements on hoardings, billboards, and banners catch less of people’s attention. 

As per the reports released, it gives a picture that television which used to be favorite among advertisers got its bookings reduced to half in the month of April, halt in production can also be a reason behind this. However, the scenario is different for public channels such as Doordarshan which actually caught good attention of their viewers instead of the lowering trend experienced by the private players. Now as the country steps towards unlocking, ad space in print media still stands towards an unknown future, dealing with uncertain times, although there is still a hope that it would recover with the nationwide unlock. Things are expected to come back to normalcy with conventional ad spaces gaining back its popularity in the second half of the year. 

During such hard times, digital space is showing some good signs of growth. Brands are opting for digital space and platforms to market their products. 

The statistical data shows, that 59% of the world population which is around 4.57 billion people worldwide were using the Internet in April 2020. Statistics relating to India bring out somewhat similar figures with 34% of Indians using the Internet,  which equals to roughly 480 million users. The trend is going up with 47% in the world in the first quarter of 2020 using the internet. So it is obvious for brands to market their products and find their audience in this digital universe.

With physical distancing and social hygiene in place, the world is better with Digital mediums. The impact of the pandemic has been tremendous and has touched all the sectors such as online classes, work from home, etc. Under such a situation, Digital Marketing has proved itself as a boon for the marketers and they have reached a large set of the population effectively. 

Not only B2C, but the marketing landscape of B2B has also experienced the change, which can be rightly understood with virtual training programs, meetings, webinars, online conferences, virtual events, media, and audience engagements, activities, and competitions that have taken place in the past few months. Brands are exploring all the possibilities to connect with their stakeholders and increase brand support highlighting the core values of the brand. This in return helps brands to fill any gaps that might be prevailing and also at the same time bring out solutions for the existing problems.

Communication plays a key role at such times when the right message can create an impact, a wrong message on the contrary would bring down the brand image and have unexpected outcomes. Brands need to focus on the right messages for their stakeholders and bring the brand in the world platform as an epitome of positivity. Every message delivered by the brand should highlight hope, encouragement, and belief during such times of crisis. It is the prevailing crisis that makes the brand deliver the values and the right marketing message. #YehPuccaHai campaign by JK Super Cement is a right example of it, focussing on the positivity and very skilfully showing the brand values which efficiently connect with the stakeholders. Brands must keep in mind to bring out the essence and importance of empathy in their talks and messages and build a connection with their stakeholders by not only talking about themselves but also focussing on other aspects of the society. The most important of all is that the brand creates a sense of resonance with stakeholders and society at a large with messages of unity and the feeling of being one. 

With the digital platforms gaining its popularity in the COVID-19 era, brands are looking forward to a range of marketing channels to promote themselves. Brands are looking forward to digital mediums and opting towards stronger targets. Brands are considering a number of platforms like messaging apps, social media sites, advertisement and search engine tools, to take marketing to the next level. Digital technology comes with a list of potentials when it comes to creativity and innovation in messaging and communication formats. The list displays some unique ways such as using a matrix of videos, online games, competitions and virtual challenges, user-driven activity, leveraging audio capabilities such as creating a ringtone, leveraging animation and graphic such as gifs, cartoons, stories, conducting surveys, but finally ends with utilizing the myriad of social media platforms and channels. Though changes are taking place in the industry, the basics would remain the same leaving the way of communication amidst this crisis changed.

Also, Read: JK Super Cement’s Recent Campaign

https://mediastory.in/campaign/jk-super-cement-honours-construction-workers-with-yehpuccahai-campaign/