Marketing agencies, brands and creatives may have been deprived of their usual resources, but this has not stopped their ability to create and recreate. Here is a look at 7 creative marketing trends in COVID times.
1. Logo spacing & social media campaigns
Well-known brands have creatively demonstrated social distancing and stay at home encouragement with tweaks to their brand logos. These include McDonald’s (Brazil) separating the Golden Arches, Coca-Cola’s billboard in New York’s Times Square displaying each letter of its name separated by an extra space and with the slogan ‘Staying apart is the best way to stay united’. Audi separated their four rings in a short video they shared on social media with the slogan “Keep Distance”. Volkswagen separated the V and W with the message “Thanks for keeping your social distance”.
Nike did not tweet its logo but creatively launched a big ad campaign whereby the ad was posted on social media accounts of world-class athletes including golfer Tiger Woods and NBA player LeBron James. The ad reads “If you have ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, Now is your chance. Play inside, play for the world.”
Interesting enough, a Slovenian graphic designer Jure Tovrljan had redesigned the logos of famous brands including Nike and others such as the Olympics, Starbucks, Mastercard and LinkedIn as ideas to show how logos should like in these difficult times. View Jure Tovrljan’s Coronavirus Logos here.
2. User-Generated Content
With people staying at home, it seems that everyone is getting more creative and taking more time to enjoy hobbies and newfound interests from cooking, baking, gardening, gaming, drawing, painting, playing an instrument, Doing some DIY, repairing an old car and so on. With all this, millions of people have been turning to smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Home or via their smartphones, computers, or iPads etc. Typically, anything electronic that connects them to the Internet enabling them to access recipes, stream movies, create games, watch online tutorials, attend a virtual conference. etc.
In the process of these self-assigned creative duties and the usage of tech and social media, many people are producing user-generated content i.e. creating posts, montages and stories displaying their work or work of others, showing great purchases they have made online or boasting about their achievements from their activities with mentions and tags to credit the brands that helped or inspired them. With all the above mentioned, online users have helped specific brands to nurture or grow in a time of crisis.
3. Repurposing old content
Typically, marketing agencies, brands and creatives repurpose old content on a regular basis as part of an evolving content strategy. However, it seems that repurposing old content has become more frequent in COVID times. Brand messages have more potential to stand out as consumers are already familiar with the content.
4. Solo photography and videography
Many amateur and professional photographers and videographers who own their own equipment have found a ‘solo opportunity’ to comply with social distancing rules and capture great footage of ‘real moments’ places, and landmarks in 2020, the year that will be remembered primarily for the pandemic followed by other impactful events such as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests. The footage that they create and edit helps elevate awareness through their work, helps them grow their own brand portfolios online and build their own professional networks and fanbase connections.
5. Zoom virtual backgrounds
With people in lockdown and working from home to save lives, Zoom has been a fun virtual hit for face-to-face meetings, conferences, presentations, and general hangouts. And although some will love the interaction, they may also value their personal space and privacy, so Zoom offers virtual backgrounds by default and allows users to customise their background appearance further via free Zoom downloads. It has been very handy for people who have wanted to hide their messy, cluttered, or half decorated room.
6. Downloadable content and print outs
In general, marketing agencies, brands and creatives are particularly good at producing and publishing content that will provide value for users. In COVID times it seems that downloadable content and printouts have become a trend with bored at home users, providing them with something useful to do. This has included crosswords, colouring in sheets (IKEA designed a free, downloadable colouring book for children), instructions and manuals, interior design brochures and the list goes on.
7. Utilizing Hashtags
The lockdown has isolated us but COVID times has united us and the current digital environment that we all share keeps us connected. Marketing agencies, brands and creatives have been able to utilize and benefit from trending hashtags, these include: #InThisTogether #StayHomeSaveLives #WashYourHands #SocialDistancing #QuarantineandChill #Covidiots #FlattenTheCurve #WorkFromHome
