The Coronavirus has turned all of our lives upside down these last few weeks (although it seems like a lifetime ago.) Many people are getting sick and unfortunately, people are dying. The government is telling you to stay indoors, closing schools, forcing pubs, restaurants, gyms and other social gathering places to close temporarily. This pandemic has affected every single person within the UK and beyond. The virus has taken its toll on businesses, the leisure and tourism sectors especially, with some companies, unfortunately, having to make people redundant.
As people start to panic-buy because they are concerned about possible lockdowns, not being able to purchase everyday goods or fearing for their jobs and deciding to stock up. Some businesses have seen a considerable upturn in sales such as toilet paper companies, hand sanitiser manufacturers and general grocery stores. This economy also, unfortunately, creates opportunists who buy up large amounts and price gauge. These are mostly single individuals who resell items on platforms like eBay and Amazon.
Not only is this immoral, but it’s also just plain wrong. But this leads me on to an issue, that you as a marketer have probably already thought. How do you market your business without exploiting the situation? We are all doing our bit to help combat the Coronavirus, and the message we send or don’t send out to the general public can help the mood of the nation.
What to do and not to do
Cadbury was running a very wholesome TV advert that showed a grandad hiding Easter eggs for his grandson. His son and grandson come round and hug him. In this current climate, they chose to pull the advert as it goes directly against the government guidelines. These guidelines include staying at home, social distancing and self-isolation.
Niel Patel has reported that organic SEO traffic to most sectors is down. Except for industries like media, food, energy, finance. People are concerned about basic provisions and finances and are Googling these things more than holidays and cruises. What does this mean for your marketing strategies and campaigns?
Online marketing may increase as more and more people are at home, it makes sense that more people are online and pushing more of your budget there, is a good idea. But as more people are home, offline marketing methods such as direct mail and partially addressed mail are also seeing a lot more traction.
Emotions
We are emotional beings, and direct mail and other such offline marketing methods can tap directly into our hearts. The act of opening an envelope, for example, can conjure anticipation. Reading a perfectly crafted piece of content can inspire hope or bring us to tears.
People are looking for engaging content to take their mind off the pandemic we find ourselves living through. Marketers are content providers (even if you are not writing the content you are providing it to your customers). As content providers, we have a responsibility at this time to provide support to our customers through our messaging and branding. Positive messaging is going to boost peoples spirits and bring a little joy to their lives.
Safety and health messages are going to get a lot of interaction as consumers find new ways of keeping fit both physically and mentally while being confined to their houses. Themes around community spirit and not being alone are also great messages to lead with. We are all in this together, and together we will get through it are other excellent messages to be promoting
Content that focuses on the future, the fact that we will get through these tumultuous times, and there is light at the end of the tunnel is also amazing mood-lifting messages.
What marketing are other companies doing?
Some fantastic examples of brands lifting the nation’s mood are
- Brew Dog: They started to produce hand sanitiser and sent some to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s Intensive Care unit for free as they had run out.
- Bud Light is putting on streaming concerts to get people at home dancing
Direct mail is a perfect way to deliver your message. It is getting directly into peoples homes where consumers are and, at the moment, spending most of their time. As it is tangible, and because it’s not just a message on a screen, the message is stronger and more powerful.
Royal Mail is an essential service provider. Providing critical communications and acting as a crucial national infrastructure across the whole country. So are the suppliers who are printing your marketing materials. We are in constant talks with our suppliers, and all are open as usual with added safety measures, such as non-essential production staff are working from home, social distancing on the production floors where at all possible amongst others.
We will get through this….. Together
PSE has also taken all relevant measures to ensure the health and well being of our staff while remaining open for business as usual. All of our team are now working remotely from home, and the infrastructure we have in place ensures the continuation of our high standards of service.
All these measures ensure the smooth production and fulfilment of your marketing media. So go on create an uplifting message, advertise your brand and just maybe put a smile on someones face today. Speak to us today on 01905 795 700 to see how we can help you lift the mood of the nation or offer advice on content that walks the line of not profiteering from peoples suffering and protecting your brand.
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