How Different Industries Coped With The Pandemic. And What You Can Learn From Them

Who would’ve imagined wearing a mask in public and having to stay at home for an entire year, right?

By Maria Shaheen, Admin Assistant and Chief GIF Researcher

Nobody was prepared for a pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak is a sharp reminder that catastrophic occurrences like these have happened in the past. And will continue to happen. People had to find a new normal. So did businesses.

Companies should expect sudden changes- in the world, the economy, within their own organization. And when the situation comes, they have to take swift action to adapt to it. They have two choices- to either be on top of their game or get stampeded.

The pandemic changed many of our old unhealthy habits for good. The world was moving towards a digital world. But at a slow pace. The pandemic accelerated that growth and forced us to shift towards a completely digital world. From WFH and Zoom meetings to online shopping and digital payments. Our way of living has changed drastically.

Earlier, businesses used social media and digital marketing but still relied heavily on traditional marketing. Now businesses had to find new ways to be creative and create engaging content on digital platforms. Consumer behaviour changed. And with it, so must brand behaviour.

TikTok Trends

People are spending more time than ever on social media platforms. To kill boredom created from staying home, people became more creative on Tiktok. Tiktok became the new trendsetter and businesses had to take advantage of it. Businesses that were already on the platform benefitted. Others jumped on the bandwagon immediately. Jacqeumas and Balmain started to create engaging content on TikTok and even started new trends.

Luxury Fashion Connected With People

The luxury fashion industry was hit hard due to the pandemic. They believed in doing things the traditional way to maintain their standards. But alas, old habits have to die. Designers and fashion brands got creative with technology to communicate with their audience.

More than the frequency of posts to maintain online presence, engaging content is a must. Bottega Veneta did a great job with their cultural project titled “Residency”. They used the pandemic as an opportunity to connect with their audience online. In these hard times, they provided support to their audience through digital platforms. They created a community on Instagram, YouTube, Weibo, Spotify and many more. Influential voices for the brand were invited to talk about their greatest inspiration. Recipes were posted every Saturday for people to try at home. This goes to prove that in today’s time, marketing is all about connecting with people where they are.

The Healthcare Industry Made Marketing a Priority

The healthcare industry also had to make significant changes to spread awareness. They had to be more digitally active than ever. Hospitals and clinics had to learn to be creative with their messaging and engage with people on digital platforms. A change in the social media strategy was not the only marketing change the industry witnessed. They explored other digital media. Businesses started creating apps to become more accessible. Who would’ve thought of buying medicines online a year ago?

Events Changed Completely

Events are an integral part of marketing. Product launches, fashion shows, press conferences. They help with brand recognition. They help to maintain good relationships with customers, shareholders and employees. So how did the event management industry cope with the pandemic?

By going digital. Companies started hosting online events to bond with their employees and help them through the situation. Events like award ceremonies and product launches were held online. With the help of the latest tech and graphics, the look and feel of an actual event was created. Online events weren’t a tried and tested experience, so companies had to wing it for the most part. And yet most of them were successful in connecting with their audience online.

Things you can do to connect with your audience:

• Be active on every social media platform where your audience is.

• Tiktok is the new Instagram. So get creative and churn out trendy transition videos!

• Do more videos on Instagram. The Instagram algorithm favours videos.
• Content is everything! Be it absurd, informational or entertaining. Make sure your content is of the best quality.
• Build relationships with your customers. Show your support in hard situations.
• Start making a shift towards the digital world.
• Adapt to the situation at hand using creativity.

Subsequently all industries had to overcome marketing obstacles of their own during the pandemic. Companies that understood the change in consumer behavior and altered their strategies to best meet their consumer needs, could resurface and gain their market positions again. It’s all about taking swift action and adapting to the situation instead of becoming obsolete.