One of the greatest things at We Are All Marketing is the variety of disciplines, expertise and experiences from our network of freelancers.
As we all go off and work on separate projects, and then come together to collaborate on projects under the brand, it means that our insight, experiences and learnings are never stale.
We avoid received knowledge or ‘because it’s always been that way’.
What’s always really interesting is when we do regroup to engage on a project, the differences in our experience take the outcome for the client into the best possible creative execution or innovation.
Commonly too, the routes, challenges and questions we’ve experienced to get there are remarkably similar.
So, we asked:
“What have been your top takeaways from the past few months?”
And here’s what they had to say:
Media
Many OOH plans shifted out from Q2 to Q4 of this year, with many avails in November pretty much sold out by April.
TV advertising was available at some really competitive rates and for some, a good opportunity to make a leap into it for the first time.
One particular client identified they could secure prime advertising positions at reduced rates in national Sunday supplements, a good fit for their 40+ demographic.
With many concerns about the ethics and transparency within major ad platforms like Facebook and Instagram, big advertisers like P&G hit the headlines by saying they would stop or pull budget out of these channels, however we have seen many smaller players continue, and as a result fluctuations in costs have been all over the place. Brand build campaigns generally performed better than direct response, with the customer intent in some niches declining in purchase behaviour, but increases in engagement.
Paid search volumes have been hugely fluctuating over the past few months, with government initiatives and announcements hugely impacting search volumes in particular niches, looking back at 2020 on Google Trends in years to come will be an odd one!
TikTok’s huge growth in users means it’s now worth considering for more brands than previously, however with questions over it’s security, and the US market in the air, as well as, ultimately a completely different strategy for many brands, means it’s something that needs serious thought before you dive in with the gloss of a whole new channel.
Brand Agility
For retailers with physical and ecom stores, the shift has inevitably moved to digital only activity while stores, branches and showrooms were closed.
Activity, resources and budgets shifted to supporting online retail. Clients requested impactful digital communications to build their brand online, both through DTC and retail channel partners. With a move to more freedom in terms of ‘shelf space’ online, creating highly engaging digital POS and interactive touchpoints became very important - something we think will be here to stay.
Those that embraced replicating their in-store service at home did well to build brand reach, engagement and loyalty throughout the lockdown period, and the shift to this new delivery method looks set to stay put. Services like at-home hair colouring and online skincare consultations, exercise classes, high end restaurants pivoting to meal delivery packs and more created added value for existing consumers to ensure they remained loyal and engaged, whether or not the ‘service’ was paid for, or not.
Driving engagement, waiting lists for reopening, introduction to a brand new audience and more will see these brands continue well into the future.
Brands that ceased marketing communications have unsurprisingly appeared to lose brand voice and authority.
What’s really clear is how agile brands are willing to be when they need to. Modern brands recognise the need to adapt their offerings and seize the right moment for marketing. In the case of home care brands for example, who have relaunched existing products with a tweak in the naming - to be more Hygiene focussed in the wake of COVID.
Messaging and Creative
Self-care and positive mental health were able to maintain a dialogue with existing and new consumers by tapping into the new comfort economy.
Those brands that did not have such relevant values, started to look inwardly to create these and create a more empathetic consumer connection.
Brands that took an authentic voice to the market, but also retained some creativity have performed well. Consumers got pretty tired, pretty quickly of the ‘Our Brand Cares About You’ narrative that emerged at the start of the pandemic.
Insight and Strategy
Taking the time needed to review new touchpoints - and in some cases, altered brand demographics, shifting social reach and new market opportunities led to a shift in strategic thinking with some clients.
Taking time to gain insights from your followers, prospects or current customers through surveys, polls and even creating a panel of superusers can help you with a general check-in, reset your current beliefs about your customers, or even help you to find new opportunities to grow.
We’re keen to hear what you’d like to know more about, and how our network can help your business.
