A Blessing and A Curse to Brach’s Marketing
The name Brach’s Candy brings memories and thoughts of some of the sweetest confectionery that one has ever had. Established in 1904, Brach’s Candy has maintained an exceptional confectionery company providing a mix of different candy treats and seasonal items for Valentines, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. The company has been making huge sales over the years, especially during the holidays. However, the onset of COVID-19 and the accompanying measures have brought about changes that the company has been forced to adapt to.
Digital Marketing Adjustments of Brach’s
Experiential marketing was Brach’s primary marketing approach that is used to bring the company products to life. The fun and exciting approach created a high sense of intrigue and fun among customers since they could sample a wide variety of candy at the store. The huge success of in-store sales led to minimal incorporation of digital marketing techniques. Primarily, Brach focused on marketing its products through its website, which offered clients an opportunity to interact with the company in the digital world. Nonetheless, the social distancing and quarantine rules that followed after the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in its marketing approaches. Brach became more proactive on different digital platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest.
The use of colorful candy pictures accompanied by different recipes across the different platforms increased the marketing of its products. It also incorporated a means of ensuring its customers interacted with the company through the different platforms. Brach even developed a video game, “Haunted Candy Hunt” where gamers could stand a chance to win different prices if they completed the hunts. Brach’s final digital marketing adjustment involved extending the marketing periods for major holidays. It encouraged its customers to extend the holiday period by marketing its products several weeks before and after major holidays. The approach was fruitful since Brach shipped more direct-to-customer purchases than usual. Therefore, the cautionary digital marketing adjustments have enabled Brach to stay afloat amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reaction as I Expected
Brach’s digital marketing reaction to the coronavirus pandemic was expected. The company had to adopt measures to ensure it still made significant profits as the pandemic rules were being integrated. The decision to extend the holiday marketing period was a smart approach that increased its sales. Additionally, Brach made a significant move to increase its online presence across different social media platforms. Notably, social media marketing is the new and one of the most effective marketing approaches due to the influx of social media users in the twenty-first century. However, Brach is not maximizing its online presence. It does not post regularly. It has also failed to identify interesting ways to interact with its customers. Therefore, an improvement in its social media marketing approach and presence would increase its product sales.
Long-term Effect
The coronavirus pandemic will transform how brands communicate with their customer. Pre-COVID-19, the marketing perspective of most companies started with the opportunity that they created. However, the significant changes after the pandemic involve how the businesses can help. Customers are seeking a more genuine relationship with brands that acknowledge the wider effects of the changing environment. Shoppers have witnessed closely how different brands have responded to the changed situation. Their purchasing behavior is heavily influenced by the brands’ behaviors. Brands are expected to lead with resolute and positive communication approaches with a clear and genuine intent to change their behavior. Therefore, the communication approach of brands post-COVID-19 is set to change.
