No other topic has dominated world events over the past year and a half as much as corona. Words such as incidence, mutations and 3G have long since entered the general vocabulary - as have fear, uncertainty and numerous controversies. But are there also positive changes due to corona? We have looked at the situation from a different angle and want to highlight the positive changes in online marketing.
Crisis as an opportunity for growth
Throughout human history, crises and uncertainty have always served to stimulate innovation and change priorities. Did you know, for example, that the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918 greatly increased the popularity of the telephone? During the Cold War, the proliferation of televisions in homes had a direct impact on public perception of the Vietnam conflict, which was the first war to be televised. More recently, issues of climate change and gender equality have come to the fore, and people have started to make more demands on companies.
And right now, with the massive spread of the COVID-19 virus, we have had to find new ways of interacting as social distancing has quickly become the norm. Companies have had to change the way they do business at a moment's notice to enable employees to do their jobs effectively and safely. Familiar day-to-day activities such as grocery shopping, eating out, studying and accessing medical services have changed significantly.
Complete digitization
The coronavirus crisis has greatly accelerated the existing trend towards digitalized work processes. For example, we can now fill out applications to the authorities digitally, hold consultations at the bank via video conference and do our work from home. The crisis has shown that shared experiences and communication are also possible entirely digitally.
Statistics show that during the lockdown period in April 2020, online retail sales increased by a staggering 84% compared to the same month last year. This trend continued in the following months, albeit at a slower pace.
Creative and technical advances
Creative teams around the world have developed virtual solutions at record speed to ensure the move to working from home and a new way of working with few obstacles.
Innovative technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality or 3D make it easy to organize training courses, virtual events or remote support.
When almost all face-to-face meetings were canceled in 2020, new innovative formats were needed: virtual reality events. At trade fairs, congresses, concerts and exhibitions, participants move around in virtual spaces like avatars - and often don't even need virtual reality goggles. The following video shows how far the technology has come in this respect:
Content marketing against the coronavirus
Many companies have defied the odds and invested in strengthening their brand position. Switching to content marketing strategies was a good decision for small and large companies, because: those who have reduced content (e.g. to save costs) will later notice the effects on the declining interest of the target group.
YouTube statistics during the pandemic provide a fitting example of the impact on content demand. The rapid increase in viewer interest is easy to explain: When millions of people around the world are "locked down" at home, they need something to entertain them. Many video bloggers and companies immediately recognized this trend and reacted accordingly.What happens next?
Although 2020 has taught us not to forecast for such turbulent times, the trends of 2021 will most likely also gain momentum. Consulting firm Deloitte has published a report on some global marketing trends. We have filtered out the most important key trends for gaining brand loyalty:
- Goals:
Organizations that know why and for whom they work have an advantage over their competitors. - Flexibility:
It's time to use digital tools and make agile marketing a reality. Experience: - Trust:
To build trust in turbulent times, brands need to engage with people's values. It is also worth making sure to make promises to customers that can be kept. This requires clear and consistent communication. Commitment: - Synthesis:
Organizations can improve relationships with people by creating innovative experiences through cross-industry partnerships. - Talent:
The marketing landscape is changing very quickly. Marketers need to foster talent development to keep up with the pace of change. For example, build an internal marketing team that can respond quickly to customer needs. Also, build internal training programs to develop the necessary knowledge and skills, and use AI technology to get rid of routine tasks.
Brands need to move away from the mindset of speed to market and efficiency. It's better to focus on building human relationships.
Marketers can stay ahead of the competition by developing strategies that deeply engage the buyer. For example, consumers can participate in the development of new products, speak at conferences or forums and act as brand ambassadors.
Conclusion
Corona is driving the biggest change in the history of marketing - the digital transformation. This applies not only to the digitalization of channels in exchange with the audience, but also to internal processes. Companies that did not yet have a digital offering at the start of 2020 had to adapt both external and internal processes and train their employees.
Of course, the coronavirus crisis has not transformed everything, but it has accelerated many trends, especially in the area of marketing. Consumers have changed their expectations and behavior. The key for companies is to act quickly and be mobile!
