Bill Gates described in a 2015 TED Talk what the next major crisis would be, he said it wouldn’t be missiles but microbes. COVID-19 has become our World War III. Our children will forever remember this time. Spending countless hours in the home, isolated from others, getting family time and online time. We are only a few weeks into being “quarantined”, while it’s not an official one yet, restaurants are only serving take-out or delivery, fitness centers are closed and now you can’t even get a haircut, or your nails done.
This also means digital is more important than ever. Your websites, Facebook pages, Instagram Accounts, Tik Tok, Pinterest, you name it, are fighting for the many hours the world is now spending in their homes in front of their TV’s, on their devices, and on their computers.
The question is, as a brand, what are you doing to take advantage of this? I see many companies offering free content, or free online services to capture brand awareness and help communities. We as companies should take this time to re-find our brand, re-establish our purpose. I read this great article on NPR.org about a list of free things that weren’t free before the Corona Virus. Things like music, Broadway shows, fitness programs, classic sports streaming and much more.
Many gym chains across the country have shuttered but are offering online classes for free.
– NPR.org
Many online brands like Sehpora and Ulta shutter stores and shift resources to online.(link) Ulta with shutting down its 1,254 retail stores until at least March 31 and also eliminating their in store pickup are pushing customers to their online stores.
Stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Kate Spade are giving big savings and discounts like 75% off and free ground shipping to its online customers. (link) A very large list of savings and coupons can be found in this NY Post article.
in the wake of the coronavirus, over 46% of consumers are more likely to buy clothing online, and nearly 65% are more likely to head to the internet to buy personal care products
– according to recent data from Red Points – link
Amazon announced on Monday it is hiring 100,000 temporary workers to keep up with what SVP of worldwide operations Dave Clark called “a significant increase in demand”.(link) This clearly shows the demand for online is a big one.
Delivering an amazing digital experience is only a piece of this. Deliverying a service that helps humanity in this crisis is the much bigger picture. How are you going to tell others about your brand in this environment? Are you making any changes to the way you deliver your digital campaigns across social media?
