Although the Covid-19 pandemic has posed grave challenges to the world’s economy and uncertainty in everyone’s daily lives, it has also been a strong driver of creativity and innovation. The lockdown has no doubt unlocked a passage for creative expression across various levels; be it individual or organizational.
It is also during crucial times like these that agencies are put to test to help sustain their brands, by putting their most creative foot forward for effective storytelling. It is the creative team’s responsibility to ensure that a brand’s communication projected; especially in such crucial times, is in no way provoking bitterness, discrimination or insensitivity among its audience. It is essential that every piece of content be sensitized based on the situation, also being inventive and experimental at the same time. With the daily dose of fresh news and social issues being addressed, a creative person’s thought process is undergoing a re-analyzing process with regards to the uncertainty of life and human behaviour. This gives birth to a change in perspective in their thinking and a creative change in their ideation and execution process.
With more time on their hands, people are now spending longer hours on their phones, browsing through social platforms looking to consume and share creative yet relatable content. Brands cannot stick to their pre-Covid content approach anymore by showcasing exaggerated sets or ultra-glamorous models; when their audience are sitting at home with a shirt on the top half and pyjamas on the bottom. Content needs to be innovative yet real and relatable.
The “Moment Marketing” wave has vigorously taken over the internet and is forming an instant connect with the audience. Brands have leveraged on this big-time to produce some out-of-the-box concepts, boosting their content marketing. Let’s look at some stand-out creative marketing campaigns adopted by brands during this Covid era:
Durex has always been known for its witty and quirky ads. But especially during the lockdown, it has exceeded all expectations by coming out with brilliant topical campaigns with simple yet beautifully executed pieces of relatable content. Their campaign #StayingInIsEffingGood creatively captures the personal precautions one needs to take during the lockdown with witty brand related wordplay. Their topical content covers everything from popular show Paatal Lok to Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Another brand that has come up with note-worthy content during the lockdown is Zomato. With their warm and friendly approach, they have definitely proved that if the copy is strong and relatable, one doesn’t need a graphical representation to support it. From sharing creative content ranging from “baking a cake” to “bartan sounds” these Zomato ads bring joy and form an instant connect effortlessly.
Brands like these prove that we don’t need an elaborate office setup or production facilities to come up with invincible ideas. To bring out our creativity in these times of crisis, all we need to do is strongly leverage on facts, social subjects, news and trending topics to curate original, relatable and effective content that brings brands closer to its audience.
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