As lockdown eases and businesses reopen, consumers are still expressing a real level of anxiety in terms of socialising, shopping and travel.
Chris Daly, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK, highlighted this recently saying:
“Every business is having to think extremely carefully about how it uses its marketing budget in the coming weeks and months; balancing efforts to promote sales and footfall, with keeping customers safe and well informed.”
Some brands have already begun this tricky tight-rope walk in their communication. Clayton Hotels’ latest radio execution talks both of value and the security of a safe, spacious environment. Internationally Hilton Hotels have partnered with Mayo Clinic and Lysol to form the ‘Hilton CleanStay Program’. This highlights the rigorous cleaning standards they are providing for their customers.
The airline industry is also desperate to reopen with the DAA reportedly losing one million euro a day since lockdown. In order to drive demand they’ll need to show a secure and safe path for travellers and clearly communicate this. Aer Lingus have announced new safety measures with enhanced cleaning and state of the art air filtration on board, but with many destinations still experiencing high levels of cases, there will be a need for more reassurance to build confidence.
For other industries, COVID-19 has the potential silver lining of removing outdated models and accelerating change. A good example is estate agents who have moved to virtual viewings during lockdown, a better way to househunt than spending a weekend shortlisting properties on foot.
As Ireland prepares to bounce back, a quote from Anselmo Ramos, CCO of creative agency DAVID provides good advice. He states “it’s a pandemic not a brief” and brands need to remember that when creating their communication strategies.
If you would like a more in depth analysis of these points or we can help with your advertising needs please contact us on hello@urbanmedia.ie.
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Source: Deloitte State of the Consumer Tracker, Irish Hotel Federation, Ryanair
