At the height of the pandemic, Russian marketing found itself in a difficult situation. Businesses reduce their advertising budgets and trying to regain their positions through online. Proekta learned how the ad market has changed in the quarantine.
The coronavirus epidemic has sent Russian businesses online. Educational projects conduct distance learning, conferences receive "guests" remotely, and even fitness clubs have switched to training through Internet. During the pandemic, almost any offline activity became meaningless. And marketing is not an exception.
Before / after: how have advertising campaigns changed?
The situation with the coronavirus has clearly shown how important marketing is as a tool to help win an audience. What are Russian companies doing to not only stay afloat, but also improve their positions? We compared the actions of major brands before and during the pandemic:
• Helping medicine. If earlier Russian companies donated funds to charity, sports and cultural heritage, today they are concentrating on other tasks. Most of the donations are allocated to help clinics and medical centers. Someone starts to produce medical equipment, medical supplies. Bank Tochka opened a fund to help entrepreneurs during a pandemic, to which haas been transferred over 10 million rubles.
• Work in new conditions. Brands actively inform customers that they are ready to work in a “new way”. Food services and public catering are launching contactless delivery ("Dodo Pizza"), fitness clubs launched remote workouts. Delivery Club and Yandex Food actively cooperate with cafes and restaurants.
• Go online. Now the entire B2B sector hosts meetings on Zoom and Skype, and yoga studios are broadcasting on Instagram. Audience of such marketplaces as Ozon, Wildberries and Beru has grown several times.
Social networks as a source of new customers
Quarantine pushed Russian entrepreneurs towards digitalization. Targeted advertising in social networks remains a popular tool for attracting customers. It is regularly used by more than 80% of companies; every second company intends to implement targeting in their campaigns.
Social networks are one of the trends that not only got away from the powerful blow of the crisis, but also found points for growth. In the new reality, social networks have a chance to become a main source of customers.
Learn new things. Online lessons as a marketing tool
Staying at homes consumers have more time and demand for educational sites has grown. Entrepreneurs who offer a “tasty” educational novelty will benefit. This is a great opportunity to remind about your business and draw more attention to the product. Don't forget that people buy goods from people! The closer your brand is to people during pandemic, the more likely it is to gain ground.
Where to go next?
In a difficult period for business, many questions has come:
• Is it worth presenting the product or postponing the presentation until better times?
• Should the business keep doing as before?
• How much money allocate for advertising?
Stay calm, no panic. Exhale, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and think about how to communicate during a pandemic. To emerge from the crisis with a strong, vibrant brand, follow this simple advice from Proekta. Don't make customers feel anxious. World is changing rapidly, and most of all people afraid of uncertainty. But everything will work out! Support your audience with a solid leverage and a clear marketing strategy. Remember that a crisis is a time to look for new opportunities and ways for development.