Marketing Insights to Navigate the Coronavirus Pandemic – Weekly Recap of News You Can Use

Week of May 4, 2020

Greetings from the home office.

Little by little, the tide is beginning to shift. States across the country are beginning to ease lockdowns and lift stay-at-home orders. Businesses are reopening, and brands are starting to shift their messaging to reflect the improving consumer sentiment. Despite many unknowns in a sea of challenges, advertisers are cautiously navigating into the next phase. Some brands are restarting their advertising efforts. Those that aren’t are most certainly thinking ahead to develop their strategic media plans and consider their messaging approach for the next several months. Now is the time to maximize your brand’s positioning and take proactive rather than reactive actions.

This week’s content roundup reflects this evolution towards a glimmer of optimism.

A survey conducted by Mitto found that 41 percent of consumers are tired of COVID-19 related ads and are ready to hear non-pandemic related messaging from brands. The key for marketers will be targeting messaging appropriately based on the differing restrictions in each market area. Learn more.

After weeks of somber advertising messages showing solidarity with the quarantined public, brands are beginning to shift messaging to a lighter approach. While it’s certainly difficult to predict what life will be like after months of isolation, brands are preparing for an improved Q3 and incorporating humor to help us all feel hopeful about a return to normalcy. Learn more.

Marketers are now focusing on making their communications relevant in uncertain times and are overly cautious about sending the wrong message. Here’s another look at how some brands are using humor and levity to provide a much-needed break from the sad news of the pandemic. Learn more.

The initial panic is subsiding, and advertisers are beginning to take a proactive approach to their marketing. With so much of the future still uncertain, brands remain cautious of spending but are resuming search campaigns and planning for multiple future scenarios, most notably in the travel industry. Agencies, as well as CMOs, are optimistic about the remainder of 2020. Learn more.

Source:  Twitter

Although there are must-do actions every brand must take during this time, focusing solely on the short-term could mean “winning the battle but losing the war.” Now is the time for strategic planning to prepare for the rebound. Here are six rules for brand revitalization in the post-coronavirus future. Learn more.

Here’s a look from Ad Age at the latest marketing efforts by some of the biggest brands in the marketplace, updated daily. From Chick-fil-A encouraging kids to #BandTogether on musical projects to Zappos’ Customer Service for Anything, marketing creativity is blooming. Learn more.

Although every industry vertical has been impacted differently, the path to navigating the pandemic can be broken down into three stages – respond, rebuild, recover. Priorities evolve as a business moves through each stage. Google has created a guide to help marketers stay ahead of the changing landscape and proactively shift digital marketing strategies to align with consumer needs at each stage. Learn more.

Source:  Google

We hope you’ve found our compilation insightful. Stay safe and if you haven’t already, subscribe to our blog to get next week’s roundup delivered straight to your inbox.