What a dramatic change this Covid19 has brought to our lives, whether it is the business or for us human beings. India went for a complete lockdown beginning March to fight the pandemic. Undoubtedly, all business establishments irrespective of their strength and type of industry have been affected by the recent outbreak of COVID-19 to a great extent.
Businesses, jobs, saw great upheavals, the world also saw a tectonic shift in the way we communicated. The Indian Advertising all through this crisis/ lockdown has been on their feet by innovating new methods of communication for their brands to reach out to their consumers. Brand communication was more empathetic, keeping in mind the sentiments and moods of the consumer in general.
Medianews4u in their series ‘Back to Business’ have spoken to 70+ brands on how they are effectively changing their communication strategies. We are now talking to the Advertising Agencies who are the brand custodians on what will be their strategy for their clients in the new normal.
Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India outlines the agency’s strategy in the new normal
The lockdown is slowly easing out. As an Agency what would be your priorities toward your brands?
Our priorities for our brands are based on these seven fluid principles of impactful brand communications.
It is how we help brands stay relevant in these changing times:
- Content is king. But context is King Kong
- Empathy is universal currency
- Not just insights, it’s how you incite
- Emotion eats logic for breakfast
- A Point Of View matters more than a Point of Differentiation.
- Create acts, not ads
- Think inside the box (always connect to the category)
Brands in the new normal are now seeing new buying habits, as a brand custodian what will be the new strategies and advertising message?
There are changing dynamics in the home. Everything is happening there. Home is the country we live in these days. We are all equalised by our anxieties and dreams. It is important to understand our mixed emotions more deeply. It is the time for emotional data, not just big data.
How will you rebuild brand loyalty for certain brands which fell off the radar during this lockdown?
It is not about the brands, it is about the category. Categories can be classified into zones. A green zone, orange zone, red zone, containment zones. Like the localities we live in, categories are also going through different phases of lockdown. Eventually they will all come out and get back to business. Rebuilding brand loyalty will mean picking up the relevant pieces and running with it purposefully. Nothing ever falls off if you believe in something. You just have to wait it out. Patience and belief is a great antidote to the virus.
As GEC’s are back with fresh content, are you seeing a spike in spends?
I cannot comment about spends. But I am definitely seeing a huge spike in optimism, brand activity and ambitious new work.
As Brand custodian what would be the most effective communication in this ongoing crisis?
The crisis is asking us to be more mindful, more empathetic, and know that we are all connected. Effective communication is one that listens to the crisis and responds from the heart with action, not words. Acts, not ads!
