Despite maintaining quarantine in India, COVID-19 cases are increasing at an alarming rate. The entire world is under turmoil! US is locked down, UK has an economic tsunami and nobody is unaware of the condition in china & other fellow countries.
Investors are worried about the situation more than ever. Stocks in Finance & Marketing sector are declining, rapidly. The sale of automobile industry has declined by 64% and as of the time we speak, the rupee is trading at 76.42.
This pandemic situation may give an unpredictable future to countries & their economies. The government is planning all ways possible to fight the recession due to the quarantine. The Finance Ministry has already announced a $23 billion package to cushion the disruption. On the other hand, RBI has eased bank lending terms to infuse liquidity into the market.
Not only government but also renowned business giants are helping to win the fight through quarantine – Ratan Tata, a great businessman, and philanthropist, donated 500Cr to help fight the COVID-19, Founder and CEO of Airbnb announced to have 100% cut in his salary for the rest of the 2020 Year.
Top economists are claiming that situation can be more catastrophic than the global financial crisis of 2008. However, mega brands have not given up yet, neither they will! They are trying an innovative marketing strategy to keep customers in the loop despite zero sales figures.
We have listed top marketing case studies that are worth reading for their marketing techniques. Learn how they are maintaining their brand equity and creating opportunities under the pandemic situation which compelled quarantine –
So, How mega minds are doing it?
Let’s put popular brands under the microscope.
Ola:
The Bangalore based cab startup, Ola styled as OLΛ was a game-changer in the Indian transport industry. They have been continuously innovating and improving on their product & customer services and marketing strategy. One of the worth quoting marketing campaigns is “Drive Home A Cause”.
The mega mind behind this brand, Bhavish Aggarwal faced business hindrance in this quarantine and revenue dropped massively due to the suspension of commercial transportation for common people by the government. However, marketing is still on!
The entrepreneur agreed to offer 500 vehicles for procuring essential medical commodities and emergencies in Karnataka. What’s more? Its driver-partners have been supplied with masks and sanitizers. The message is clear – The brand is very much concerned to fight this epidemic.
Takeaway:
- Play off-beat to use your resources to remain in the game
- Promote government messages through your action (use of gloves and sanitizers by drivers)
Zomato:
Another business, established in 2008 as Foodiebay is renamed to Zomato in 2010.
Amidst of this pandemic when restaurants were closed & people quarantined themselves, this Foodtech unicorn smelled the opportunity in grocery delivery service. It launched Zomato Market for delivering groceries to doorstep across Delhi, Punjab, and Kerala. The number of orders has increased by 70-80% in the last two weeks. The company has also started Feed the daily wager and #SupportYourServer support fund campaign to support restaurant housekeepers.
Now here is the catch- the official line reads,
“All revenue from the Zomato Gold subscriptions we sell in April will go into the Zomato Gold Support Fund. All proceeds to the fund will go towards restaurant housekeepers, cooks, and servers in these uncertain times. Recipients of these funds will not be required to pay us back.”
So, it’s not difficult to guess how tactfully Zomato is planning strategies.
Takeaway:
- Consider what to prioritize the most
- Create employee-concerned initiatives.
Swiggy:
Swiggy, the competitor who was the opportunity little, lately. Jumped into the food delivery market in 2014 and become another giant of the industry. The reason for featuring Swiggy is to show how to play differently than your competitors (Zomato), though being the follower of the business model.
Unlike Zomato, it has no essential delivery channel. So, it decided to help the community simply by acting as a fundraiser. In association with Milaap, it has targeted to collect Rs 20,00,00,000 by 14th April. Its marketing email is gaining immediate attention from readers. The subject line reads “Now Delivering: Hope” and the captivating brochure looks like this.
Creativity in marketing is the key to gain your place in the hearts of your prospective customers. Click here to get how creative can brands go in their marketing game.
Takeaways:
- Always formulate different strategies than your competitor
- Create a timeline themed campaign (Can we do X in Y days?)
Make My Trip:
The travel website is well known to everyone. The travel domain will face the worst hit of the COVID19 pandemic. But, MakeMyTrip has an innovative approach to keep customers in the loop. It has started Blog series themed “Surprise Me.” Under it, you can find blogs meant to stir the inner traveling instinct of readers. There are blogs describing the beauty of various national and international tourist places. The interesting headlines are enough to draw anyone’s attention.
The website is also offering big discounts for booking flights after 14th April. However, like a sincere businessman, it has put important travel advisory below.
Takeaways:
- “Dream now visit later “ policy
- Acting as an honest and concerned businessman
OYO
This Indian hotel chain also wants to join the elite list of contributors. It has started accommodating Covid19 war heroes (Police and doctors) and trapped tourists at different embassies in the country with its “Atithi Devo Bhava” initiative. You can see their tweeter messages featuring the same from time to time.
They are also using email marketing channel to keep subscribers informed about their good deeds.
However, that does not mean there is nothing for their regular customers. Have a look at their homepage section:
See? It’s all there but is not under the marketing spotlight.
Takeaways:
- Business who draws affection performs better
- Emotional marketing targets heart overhead
Now here are some important lessons to follow under such situations:
- Pause unnecessary product marketing
- Create employee-generated content
- Add COVID-19 advisory notice to social media pages and website
- Combating COVID-19 misinformation on social media
Corona will pass and so will the opportunity
Rather focusing on the revenue utilize this time to build your brand equity. Learn, experiment, and see which marketing strategy fits the best. Brace your business with the quarantine! Well planned & smartly executed marketing strategy will help you to sail over it and fish profits at the same time.
Refrain your company from product selling and focus on making your business as a brand. Show the act of humane and speaking attractively on the virtual public place(social media channel & internet).
Be careful not to spread any misinformation as it may destroy your brand image forever. Hit the core message, tell the customer your NAME. The strong brand acts smartly and faces a challenging time as a brave hero.
We have to stay safe and act for social profit. With all global business communities together, we can restore the economy with ease like many smart brands did in the past. Do let us know, if you agree (or do not agree) with us. Your opinion matters to us and our society.