Advertisers pull the emergency brake and campaigns are cancelled or postponed. But is this always wisdom? Or can you continue your campaign (modified) despite the crisis surrounding Corona? It makes sense that there is no point in getting people excited about your product if Corona prevents you from delivering it. In many other cases, advertising is sensitive because there is a fear that advertising in now would not be appropriate.
We investigated when, as an advertiser, it is indeed better to stay out of the picture for a while and when it is better to make yourself heard.
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If you have a campaign that at its core goes against the precepts as they are now because of the coronavirus then you better consider putting your campaign on-hold. This is because you are promoting a lifestyle that can no longer be done. Then we are talking about campaigns with a YOLO core message of: "live your life the way you want and don't care about anyone else."
Campaigns featuring a partying group or people hugging each other can also produce skewed faces at this time. On the other hand, people generally understand that these are fictional advertisements that have nothing to do with reality. Besides, in these times, people can use some distraction in the form of entertaining advertising. As is often the case with ethical issues, this is a fine line that quickly makes one wonder what is acceptable?
If you, adjust your campaign, it is also important that you don't overreact in doing so. Try to avoid making it seem like you want to take advantage of this. But if you have a product or service that is in high demand right now that can help people make the situation a little more pleasant, such as a streaming service or home sports app advertising now can actually be a godsend. The same, of course, applies to companies that can answer questions about changing financial situations or your health.
After all, in times of uncertainty, people need solutions and hope. If you can provide that, then you can build a strong relationship with consumers. Chances are that this relationship will last beyond the crisis, because you were there as a brand when they needed you.
Advertising in times of crisis pays off
Then in addition to this ethical side, there is of course the economic side of this crisis. Many economists predict that there will be a recession after Corona. This then quickly becomes a reason to cut marketing budgets. The question, however, is whether this is wise. Admittedly, it is difficult to say anything about this particular crisis now because we have never experienced a situation like this before. However, previous times of economic crisis show, according to several studies,1 that brands that continued to advertise recovered sooner after the crisis than companies that did not.
This is because these brands were able to stay top of mind with consumers with campaigns. This is important so that once consumers are in-market again, they think of you. In doing so, however, it is advisable not to drive too much direct purchase if we are really in a recession or if your product is not available or difficult to supply.
But it is a good time to build your brand in order to stay top-of-mind. For webshops with enough stock of products that people need now, it is not at all crazy to continue to use performance campaigns.
So how best to set up your online campaign set up?
So for almost every advertiser, in these times of Corona, they can do well to build their brand. In the now sometimes rapidly changing situation, it can be exciting to commit budgets with publishers for an awareness campaign. Using programmatic allows you to deploy an awareness campaign in a relatively flexible way. This allows you to scale quickly if the situation suddenly changes drastically.
A small risk is that you have no guarantees about the amount of visibility, because you depend on the available inventory and prevailing market price. Although it is not inconceivable that if other advertisers do pull out, this will be lower. Your message then stands out better than during busy times when many advertisers are active. An important advantage of online advertising is that you can properly target audiences that are likely to be open to your message based on interest, customer data or in-market data.
Despite Corona, if your products are plentiful, there is no reason to put a performance campaign on the back burner. As long as you are relevant to consumers, they will appreciate it. Since it's especially important to be there when consumers need you, it's good to make sure your products are easily findable on marketplaces like Bol.com or Amazon if you sell there.
In addition, make sure you are visible in search engines on relevant keywords. It never hurts to invest in this with an SEA campaign. So that you are found by consumers at relevant times. These are often also efficient media dollars with a high return on ad spend and a low irritation factor. This is because consumers show interest of their own accord, through their search behavior, or are even in-market. In fact, consumers are happy that you offer what they are looking for.
Sources: Adformatie and Kantar