Using Digital Marketing to Rebound from COVID-19
Cautious optimism surrounding the recent approval of the coronavirus vaccine may have us hoping for the best, but as the virus continues to rage, it’s still not business as usual. Maybe it never will be. We’ve had to pivot, to flex our agile muscles, to embrace digital marketing as never before.
Digital marketing offers substantial benefits, especially when it seems much of the world is exclusively operating digitally. It eliminates the need for face-to-face interaction (a key to stemming the virus’s spread), but it’s also measurable and easily adjustable. Analytics enables you to see your return on investment and quickly change anything that’s not working.
Digital Marketing Strategies and Tactics to Rebound from COVID-19
While many brands have opted to play it safe for fear of tarnishing their reputation—marketing experts suggest that now is not the time to sit back and hope for the best. Brands and marketers need to focus on offering short-term communication and innovation to secure long-term success in this unpredictable period. It’s a time to reinvent, inspire, and provide a viable solution to a very pressing problem.
Here are some examples of successful digital marketing campaigns to get you inspired:
Guinness Beer: St. Patrick’s Day Video
Guinness created a unique St. Patrick’s day video focused on a message that brings people together, offered a clear value, and let their consumers know that they were there for them in a campaign that will serve them well into the future.
The video uses an uplifting, inspirational tone coupled with a theme of communal care and solidarity to striking an emotional chord while demonstrating value and humanizing the brand in uncertain times.
Guinness yielded excellent results from its Covid-19 marketing campaign, which was original, relevant, and on-brand. The spot performed well above the US norm for brand favourability (49 percent).
Many people wanted to share the ad to be part of the Zeitgeist, with 21percent saying they would share it because the content defined the spirit and mood of the time.
Getty Museum: Creative Social Media
The pandemic closed museums, but the Getty Museum jumped at the opportunity to promote its brand through social media. Launching the ‘Getty Museum Challenge,’ the museum issued a challenge asking social media users to recreate their favorite artwork using just three objects found around the house.
It was an instant hit, generating tens of thousands of responses across social media platforms and providing well-deserved engagement for the Getty Museum.
Dunkin’: Making the Coffee Break Virtual
Dunkin’ tapped into the growing gratitude people expressed during the pandemic for front-line workers with a way for Americans to help and to show support without having to leave home. It created the DunkinCoffeeBreak.com eCommerce site to give customers a way to show appreciation by sending a virtual coffee break in the form of a Dunkin’ e-gift card. Dunkin’ donated $1 (up to $100,000) for every card purchased at the site to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation emergency funds, specifically for non-profits helping families affected by COVID-19.
The site is driving incremental digital gift card sales and has generated a 300 percent increase in year-over-year gift card sales for specific events.
Chipotle Mexican Grill: Zoom Lunch Sessions
One of the first brands to act once the pandemic began upending daily life, Chipotle Mexican Grill launched Chipotle Together, a series of daily sessions on Zoom. First, bringing 3,000 fans and celebrity guests together over lunch, when they may usually have lunch at a Chipotle restaurant under different circumstances, and later offering it at various times throughout the day.
In just two weeks, the campaign generated 500 million impressions and 100 earned media stories. The strategy demonstrated an excellent way to deliver community to consumers hungry for connection in the early days of the lockdowns.
There is no doubt that this is an unprecedented situation, and it’s a real challenge right now for businesses to know how to adapt their creative strategies. The pandemic has challenged everyone, but it also provides businesses opportunities to grow and thrive like all challenges. Taking advantage of digital marketing is an option that can guide you safely into the future.
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