Adapting to the current situation, isn’t that what we are all trying to do just now, but does anyone have a book, or maybe even just a one-page flyer, on ‘Digital Advertising During a Pandemic’? Should we as digital advertisers be more socially sensitive and steer away from ads showing groups of happy people having fun outdoors or should we continue with our energetic retargeting campaigns, people do after all resort to social media to escape the world and digital ads perform so well for businesses, something the overall economy needs right now.
In this week’s blog, we’ll consider whether it’s time for a more harmonious approach to digital advertising, one that’s more socially sensitive and less intrusive yet still drives sales.
Today’s reality is that consumers are anxious, distracted and out of their normal routine and habits. In less than a week the audience’s focus has turned to food, household supplies, personal care, medical/healthcare products and news. Second to that is entertainment such as crafts, books and streaming classes. What this creates is a supply and demand issue.
But how do we continue to be relevant and mindful of consumers’ needs and worries in the current landscape?
1- Analyze your message. Marketing campaigns are designed months in advance, and sometimes the message is not relevant by the time it’s time to air. How can you pivot? Analyze your nurturing plan, are you sending emails designed in October? Are you asking consumers to take actions that are no longer valid, do your asks come out as tone-deaf? Evaluate the tone & the offer in every email communication that comes out.
2- Evaluate your social media advertising It was only a couple of weeks ago that we wrote about the fight for social media ad space during an election year (link here). Now we are also competing against a new wave of inventory issues and it won’t surprise you to learn that according to Facebook Ad Library Report (link here) The Clorox Company is near the top of that list as is Doctors without Borders, Hulu and the endless amount of homeschooling apps. Social media ad space just got even smaller and this will have a huge impact on bidding. Ask yourself, is social media the place for your brand right now? If not, should you divert budget to other channels?
3- Consider Google Ads, When people search they have an intention in mind. They are consciously looking for information about a certain topic. In a way, they are knocking at your door instead of you knocking on theirs, so it can be seen as a less intrusive form of advertising, particularly valuable at a time when we should all be more socially sensitive.
4- Consider imagery sensitivity They are hugely important when it comes to social media ads but how easy will it be to have photographers start shooting for summer campaigns now that social distancing is in effect? For the foreseeable future, businesses may have to look at stock images, not necessarily a good option for those businesses that pride themselves on being authentic and real. With Google Text Search Ads there are no images, helping to overcome that problem.
There are obviously many unknowns about the current situation and we’ve only just scratched the surface of how we might need to adapt, what is clear is that changes will need to be made and perhaps Google Text Ads are a short-term fix for a very complex situation. This can be a time of reflection and understanding, where we learn to make ads less intrusive, less annoying and more relevant, essentially becoming more socially sensitive and aware.
If you are transitioning some budget from traditional advertising or events to digital marketing and need help, let us know, we are here to help.