RITSON: MARKETING IN THE MEANTIME

The world is on standstill right now. But marketing shouldn’t stop. That’s what Mark Ritson says, anyway. Since everyone loves a free web-talk, we tuned in to marketing veteran, Professor Mark Ritson, in a special webinar hosted by the NZ Marketing Association.

It was a birds eye view of the current crisis: the dos and don’ts of marketing right now. And here’s our takeaways on why we should keep moving while the world is standing still.

The new landscape.

As demonstrated by a couple of technical hiccups within the livestream, we’re all getting used to new ways of working. And brands should be adapting too. But first, it’s important to assess the new terrain.

Panic buying, events cancelled, a level four lockdown – we’ve been in crisis mode for three months now and let’s be honest the end isn’t round the corner.

But, gross as it sounds, the current state of the economy presents a tactical opportunity for some businesses to grow. Like New World and Countdown. It also freezes industries, like travel. And then there’s businesses that have a chance to keep the wheels turning by adapting their model – like all those on-demand exercise classes every gym’s been churning out.

So despite all the mayhem and uncertainty, there’s still a chance for businesses to thrive, rather than just survive.

Playing it safe. Or playing it stupid.

Right now, knowing how to play it is key. We’ve seen a plethora of generic company care emails coming through from CEOs, overstating their role to their customers. Cute. But in Ritson’s words, “pointless” – reminding us that despite our self-importance, in the grand scheme of things, brands are actually very small players in the lives of consumers.

Equally as “distasteful” in Ritson’s opinion, are the brands adding social distancing to familiar logos. Personally, we don’t mind it – it’s a simple show of solidarity and Ritson might just have a bee in his bonnet.

Ritson’s rather dour take is that communicating in the playful way we’re used to in advertising might not be appropriate. Meh. But April Fools was definitely not the right place to invest. Ad Age summed that up perfectly with their April Fool’s article.

Ritson also commended Corona (the internationally adored beer, not the virus) for their smooth approach to the crisis. What have they done that’s so impressive? Almost nothing. That doesn’t mean they’re staying completely silent, they’re still posting other content. But none of it is centred around the current situation. Because frankly, they’re a beer company. And it’s just not their place.

On the other hand, Uber Eats in overseas markets responded tactfully. Rather than separating ‘Uber’ and ‘Eats’ in their logo, they changed how they do what they do. They introduced a camera feature to their app, allowing drivers to send a photo of orders being delivered – removing unnecessary physical interaction between the driver and the customer, reducing the overall health risk.

Make the most of less noise.

Companies have been pulling ads left right and centre as they reassess where they’re at and the best way forwards. But despite the natural instinct to ‘play it safe’ and scale back on ad investment, historically, that doesn’t pay off.

Brands who increase or maintain their ad investment during a crisis are often more likely to come out the other side better off than those who don’t. It’s the best way to instil brand confidence in consumers, projecting stability in uncertain times.

With competitors cutting back on ad expenditure, the ‘noise level’ of the market drops. And with less of a fight for attention, businesses who increase or maintain ad spend can get a bigger share of voice – which according to Ritson, typically leads to a larger share of market when the dust clears.

There’s a bit of teething going on right now as everyone gets their marketing strategies up to speed and tests out these new waters. Ritson reckons that pandemic aside, we can’t stop advertising if we want to survive. It’s just about looking for tactful opportunities to adapt. Who knows? You could even end up better off.