Stamping Your Presence In the Digital Realm

Rule The Digital Realm

Companies across the globe are slowly coming to terms with the volatile business environment that we are surrounded with due to COVID-19 pandemic. Some companies have temporarily frozen their operations, and some have decided to implement a digital-driven working system, and how you approach it should be a primary focus in these worrying times ahead- in case it is not already.

We do not know for how long this shall last, but you need to understand that the internet is the only place that is not quarantined for quarantined customers, and sooner the brands realise this the better, you also need to explore the realms of it. If you are in a business that requires you to go out and meet potential customers face-to-face, adapting may mean exploring web or social media platforms.

Now that we are talking about digital transformation, there is an upside to COVID-19, which is the consumer behaviour change. People from the age bracket of 35 to 44, increased their internet consumption by 11% whereas for millennials it went by 5-7% and some of the prominent platforms being Facebook (+18%), Instagram (+20%), and Whatsapp (+17%) have all witnessed rises in the number of sessions per week per user as per the research done by Nielsen Report on COVID-19’s impact on the changing landscape in media.

Keeping the aforementioned in mind the brands should really start targeting these platforms and being said that, and they should also make sure that you spend your budget wisely in order to attain the positive ROI and take advantage of the lower acquisition costs due to less competition. And, the content that you plan on posting make sure that it is ‘infotaining’- contextually informative, relevant and entertaining. Last but not least, don’t forget to target outranking shares, it is a portfolio bid strategy which will help your ads outrank ads from other domains.

Evolving trends for emails

• Witness a lift of 5-10% in the open rate by disseminating messages on Mondays.

To a lot of people, the general consensus is that you should avoid sending emails on Mondays. Why? That is because people are bummed out about the end of the weekend, and they march into work flooded with emails that they have collected over the past few days. And what is the first thing they do? Delete those messages. And, that is your time to shine. Hence, you witness the lift of 5-10% in the open rate.

• Emails with up to 300 words get a CTR of 2.5% now, so plan the message accordingly.

To begin with, the open rate is the percentage of people who open your email, and the click-through rate is the percentage of people who click the link that is present in your email. And, out of the two, the click-through rate is the most important metric for lead generation. Hence, to make it a success, it should have up to 300 words, and you can even include audio, video, image. 

• Subtle urgency words like free, WFH jobs/career, now perform better and increase the open rate for B2B (28%) and B2C (32%) messages.

Pre-pandemic words like urgent, alert, hurry, serious and other buzzwords worked well. However, post-pandemic, words like WFH, jobs/career, and you/your are the go-to words to create a stir for B2B, whereas for B2C, the top subtle urgency words are free, mom, % off, you/your, delivery, WFH, and just for – in that order.

Tricks for clicks

• Research for new keywords is essential now as Google released a new core algorithm update.

This has become such a trend due to the uncertainty that has been caused after the rollout of each update. Google is known for rolling out hundreds of core algorithms each passing year followed by search engines announcing a few that have a far-reaching impact on the SERP.

• Encourage clicks with relevant value propositions but don’t use anxiety or fear around the pandemic to sell.

Content is king, and it will continue to be in the future as well. Publish content that is catered to your target audience and is also relevant. But refrain from using the feeling of anxiety or fear to sell your product/idea/service. People are already feeling cynical about things; brands making them realise the same sentiment is unnecessary.

• Judge the negative keywords right. You may set COVID-19 related terms as negative, but 78% of people don’t mind general ads near coronavirus content.

The advertising industry is no stranger to the concept of disruption and turmoil. They have successfully overcome economic pressures, political tensions and even natural disasters, but most of these episodes are short-lived. Coronavirus is another battle that the industry is currently facing, and keeping the stats in mind brands should play around it a bit and see where it takes them.

The show must go on

• Eva Longoria recently shot a L’Oreal ad herself at home on her iPhone, making it more relatable to the audience than ever.

Since the onset of the pandemic along with self-isolation, demand for at-home hair colour has also peaked, heavily driven by an expansion of eCommerce transactions bringing back the users into the at-home hair colour category. 

L’oreal Paris saw the opportunity and grabbed it. They unveiled their debut commercial which was created at home, directed and starring by L’Oréal Paris spokesperson Eva Longoria, with support from McCann Paris and New York. The message behind the ad was to prove that staying at home is no barrier to bring out the best in your hair.

• Honda releases the first car commercial that is written, directed, edited and to be watched at home.

An array of companies have been promoting awareness regarding social distancing, work from home or just simply staying at home. Some carmakers have even changed their logos temporarily to support this. However, Honda took it to the other level by coming up with a commercial in which they are trying to emphasise on the significance of staying at home during this pandemic. The Honda UAE hired an advertising agency and shot the commercial with a scale model of the Honda Civic sedan. The commercial was shot entirely indoors.

• Porta takes a hilarious turn on the increase in birth rates during global emergencies with its #StayAtHomeBabies campaign.

One thing that we all have learnt from the past curfews is that when couples are forced to stay at home for longer periods of time, the number of births peak roughly nine months later. Keeping that in mind, German furniture retailer, Porta, used this statistic and created a cheeky film with an equally cheeky offer: Buy a bed now, and with the #StayAtHomeBabies campaign, you can get a free crib nine months later.

Lead through the crisis

by Ritesh Singh, Co-Founder & MD, #ARM Worldwide

• Observe the effect of the crisis on the economy & analyse the new-age macro norms
• Orientation of organisational activities to minimise the impact of the current changes.
• Decisions should be tested and their flaws, if any, identified.
• Act upon your decisions to see the output and feasibility of your planning.
• The Loop will help you evaluate your observation, orientation, decisions and actions.

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