Marketing In The Time Of Coronavirus

19 Mar Marketing In The Time Of Coronavirus

Things haven’t yet fell apart, the centre still holds

And mere anarchy is not yet loosed upon the world.

You don’t have to be a WB Yeats fan to get the hint of hysteria that is sweeping the world like wildfire. By now, every second sentence that you utter probably has a coronavirus connotation. But as my inaccurate rendering of The Second Coming indicates, I’m here to argue that maybe, we can be cautious without being an alarmist. Especially the marketers across the planet on whose shoulders the reputation of the entire capitalist system lies.

Light At The End Of The Sales Funnel

Globally, media spend is falling faster than people’s faith in governments. But don’t abandon hope, all ye who enter here because amidst the chaos and social distancing some new information has come to light.

Isolation & No Play Makes Jack An Internet Enthusiast

E-commerce platforms are reporting a huge surge in online ordering that led to Amazon hiring 100,000 new distribution workers in the US. YouTube has reported an increase in online streaming activity and in Italy, first-time installs of Netflix app is up by 57%. Therefore, it is safe to assume that these trends of quarantine induced increased online activity will be replicated anywhere in the world where self-quarantine and social isolation has been put in effect. So at least one path looks clear for the advertisers and marketers.

Digital Marketing Will Lead The Way

Digital media will play a pivotal role in the coming months and its utility in delivering brand messages will be paramount in your brand strategy. If you have an online business, this is the time to bolster your social media presence using all the tools that technology has to offer. For e-commerce enterprises it’s imperative to improve your back-end programming to remove any existing bugs while ensuring your supply-chain is functioning. 

While both Facebook and Indian Government have pledged to check the ads that indiscriminately use the pandemic to sell their products or make misleading claims, what needs to be done is mindful social messaging with a brand focus. As Hemaang Gandhi, Founder of Rioconn Interactive Pvt. Ltd suggests,“Instead of ROI driven campaigns, one should look at purpose-driven brand campaigns. In the time of calamity, it is essential to create a humane connection between the brand and the clients.” Further elucidating the idea he adds, “You must ensure that your brand becomes a messenger of hope and promotes precaution.”

It’s not certain how long the pandemic will last, but like all things, we’ll ride it out together. If there is one admirable thing among our species, then it’s our persistence to prevail amongst all odds.

Blog written by:-

Hemaang Gandhi  – Founder & CEO, Rioconn Interactive , Mar, 2020

An astute marketing & communication professional, Entrepreneur, StoryTeller and Mentor  with over 18 years of experience, hemaang loves writing & expressing his opinion on various topics. Apart from writing some of his hobbies include reading, running marathons and driving long distances and meeting new people.