How to create meaningful brand experiences?

Divanshi Gupta, Director, The Marcom Avenue, provides several brand activities undertaken during the current times to mengle, curate and maintain a healthy relationship with their target audience, whilst ensuring that their TG does not lose hope against the fight against the pandemic.

In this time of crisis, if you look and analyse the communication being shared around us, you’ll notice that there is only one narrative that gazillion brands are realigning with, Coronavirus outbreak and the measures to contain it. It is not just limited to the top-tier brands like Ola, Nike, Swiggy, Coco-Cola or McDonald’s, but also to the native brands; who feel that the safety of the people of the world is above and beyond anything. Thus, coming forth in participating, standing in solidarity and changing the narrative to support the measures being taken by the governments across the world in the struggle to fight the pandemic.

Most of us have never lived during a pandemic, let alone personally experienced one. While we all are in a state of panic, these brands (top-notch or native) also understand that there is a need of uplifting the overall attitude as coronavirus situation is creating a negative impact on the population – not just on their physical health, but also mental. We humans have never been captured in our houses for this long, not even during a house-arrest as teenagers, so what do we need now? We need each other, we need relationships, and we need meaningful experiences to make it through this. And brands are right on it, hitting the spotby building trust and creating value.

Customers love brands, especially when they are made to feel special, like when brands engage with them, or interact with them, or acknowledge them for their efforts in engaging with them. Studies suggest that even when peopleare busy going about in their life feel so humbled to be part of the brand’s journey, imagine, how will they feel when they are at home with more time on their hands to intermingle with you? While some brands choose to directly interact with its audience using tools like Go Live, Contests, ‘Ask me something’, some choose to communicate their message par excellence even without interacting virtually, leaving their readers in awe.

Meanwhile, that we have inspired you to create content and meaningful experiences to build and maintain relationships with your target audience during Coronavirus, here are some brands who have already taken over the world with their creative content strategy using different marketing tools to spread positivity and cheer.

Social Media Marketing:

McDonald’s India: People must take some time off from panicking all day and spend that time on reminiscing old games from their childhood like Antakshri to feel fresh and alive, and to make sure that it happens; McDonald’s played the digital version of the game, known as Instakshri on Instagram.

OLA: While the world is going crazy inside their homes, OLA is going quirky to uplift the mood. The brand has very seamlessly married their brand with human thoughts during Coronavirus lockdown. Here to show you some:

Newspaper Ads/Print Media:

Lifebuoy Ad: Keeping aside the market competition, Lifebuoy stepped up in the game by choosing to be selfless and sharing a service message that encouraged people to wash their hands with soap (any soap). This is an experience that people are not used to and this makes people believe in communal positivity.

Email Marketing:

Flipkart: While the whole world is going on about Coronavirus, Flipkart is keeping people engaged within their homes by suggesting a daily activity/challenge/task to them. One of the #Stayin21Days Activity:

Swiggy: is always concerned about the safety of its customers and there is nothing more reinsuring than to hear it from the brand itself. Swiggy ensures with its emails that people are aware of the measures they are taking:

Public Relations: Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are an enormous part of public relations, and brands are being called as heroes in this time of crisis because of their participation and contribution towards the fight against the pandemic.

Facebook & Apple: Upon the outbreak, one of the most essential measures to keep safe while people are in contact with others in public is to wear a mask. Facebook, Apple and other organizations had bought and distributed Face-masks to their employees, distributor networks, healthcare workers and more, in the USA and Europe to provide protection. This can be interpreted as steps taken to ensure safety and health hygiene which adds to good publicity, and also engages its audience in a positive outlook towards the brand.   

Today, brands are not limited to marketing on television, on OOH or radio, but so many other digital platforms, and people engage with them no matter wherever they are. This is how brands are leveraging marketing tools to create meaningful experiences during the Coronavirus outbreak, they are mingling, curating and maintaining a healthy relationship with their target audience whilst ensuring that their TG does not lose hope against the fight.