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  • Branding and Marketing Digital and Social Media
  • Oct 17
  • 4 mins read

Creative brand efforts during COVID-19

Creative brand efforts during COVID-19

Creative brand efforts during COVID-19

The unprecedented effects of COVID-19 have severely affected marketing efforts. As the world was forced to a standstill, businesses endeavoured to find ways to get the word out while being sensitive to the times. Here are some creative brand efforts during COVID-19 that have become the gold standard for crisis marketing.

Taking its cue from pop culture. To cushion the blow, many brands turned to pop culture for inspiration to rev up their marketing efforts. From utilising memes to tapping into the power of influencers, heartfelt mass accessibility became the lifeline for most businesses. Here are some of the best pop culture-inspired brand efforts during COVID-19.

Social media. As the pandemic started to rear its ugly head in the first quarter of 2020, many turned to social media as their marketing tool of choice. Leading the charge was KFC as it debuted its Mother’s Day marketing campaign via Facebook Messenger. This included personalised invitations, digital and video chat stickers, and event reminders. KFC’s pivot to virtual marketing was a blatant sign of things to come.

Photo credit: KFC Uganda

Music and Augmented Reality. Doritos went all out with Super Bowl Ad. They went pop-culture heavy with Rapper Lil Nas X and Sam Elliot, recreating the former’s top hit “Old Town Road” at the Cool Ranch. The folks from Doritos did not stop there. They collaborated with the Sway: Magic Dance app which transposes a mobile phone user’s image over a video of a professional dancer via artificial intelligence. Now that’s a pop culture-derived one-two punch only expert marketers can cook up!

Photo credit: NJ Advance Media

Empathy and inspiration. As thousands of people around the world have had to deal with tragic losses of loved ones, jobs, businesses, many brands have taken the route of empathy and inspiration, a veritable way of raising each other. This was the key message of Ireland-based Guinness & Co. Brewery in honour of St. Patrick’s Day. 

Photo credit: Guinness Beer

In the video, the company shares: “While we know this year things feel different, we’ve learned over time that we’re pretty tough when we stick together. So what do you need for some Saint Paddy’s Day cheer? A pint? Sure. We’ll take one. Some corn beef? Yeah. If you’re offering. Irish music? We’ll sing along. A big parade? Don’t worry; we’ll march again.” 

Another example closer to home, Ikea who came up with a particular video, titled Making Home Count, to thank and encourage the community for staying at home. This heartfelt video by Ikea tells the audience to make moments at home special and spend the time well with their families. Also, this video was a home-made film from all over Singapore which makes it feel more real and touched many hearts of the community. Such simple and short videos can create a significant impact and send the brand across as well!

Photo Credit: Ikea 

Fun and humour. In the face of such widespread doom and gloom, we need a little fun and humour. This is where the marketing campaign of an American restaurant chain, Denny’s, kicks in. Witty, light-hearted, and relatable, their hilarious Twitter posts are just what the doctor ordered.

Photo credit: Denny’s

Kindness and generosity. One proof that things have already gone awry was a group of people fighting over toilet paper. Cottonelle, one of the world’s largest toilet paper producers, addressed the issue head-on. Their “Stock Up on Generosity” campaign sought to discourage panic buying while their #ShareASquare social media efforts raised a million US dollars for the United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. What a way to change the narrative!

Photo‌ ‌Credit:‌‌ ‌‌United‌ ‌Way‌ 
Influencer‌ ‌marketing.‌ ‌‌The‌ ‌power‌ ‌of‌ ‌influencers‌ ‌continues‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌a‌ ‌force‌ ‌to‌ ‌reckon‌ ‌with‌ ‌despite‌ ‌challenging‌ ‌times.‌ ‌Nike‌ ‌understood‌ ‌this‌ ‌and‌ ‌was‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌first‌ ‌few‌ ‌brands‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌major‌ ‌branding‌ ‌message‌ ‌pivot‌ ‌with‌ ‌influencers‌ ‌in‌ ‌tow.‌ ‌Their‌ ‌Play‌ ‌inside,‌ ‌play‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌message‌ ‌was‌ ‌heard‌ ‌loud‌ ‌and‌ ‌clear‌ ‌thanks‌ ‌to‌ ‌renowned‌ ‌athletes‌ ‌including‌ ‌Tiger‌ ‌Woods,‌ ‌Michael‌ ‌Jordan,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Cristiano‌ ‌Ronaldo.‌ ‌
 ‌
Photo‌ ‌credit:‌‌ ‌‌Cristiano‌ ‌Ronaldo‌ ‌
‌Interaction‌ ‌through‌ ‌art.‌ ‌‌With‌ ‌most‌ ‌people‌ ‌working‌ ‌from‌ ‌home,‌ ‌many‌ ‌businesses‌ ‌capitalised‌ ‌on‌ ‌this‌ ‌socalled‌ ‌new‌ ‌normal‌ ‌by‌ ‌creating‌ ‌marketing‌ ‌campaigns‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌allow‌ ‌interaction‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌brand.‌ ‌One‌ ‌notable‌ ‌example‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌Getty‌ ‌Museum’s‌ ‌art‌ ‌recreation‌ ‌at‌ ‌home‌ ‌edition‌ ‌campaign.‌ ‌Social‌ ‌media‌ ‌users‌ ‌were‌ ‌asked‌ ‌to‌ ‌recreate‌ ‌their‌ ‌favourite‌ ‌artwork‌ ‌with‌ ‌just‌ ‌three‌ ‌objects‌ ‌around‌ ‌the‌ ‌house.‌ ‌The‌ ‌result?‌ ‌Funny‌ ‌and‌ ‌creative‌ ‌posts‌ ‌adored‌ ‌by‌ ‌netizens‌ ‌around‌ ‌the‌ ‌world!‌ ‌
Photo‌ ‌credit:‌‌ ‌‌@marcae.palladino‌ ‌
Slangs.‌ ‌‌Nearer‌ ‌to‌ ‌us‌ ‌in‌ ‌Singapore,‌ ‌during‌ ‌circuit‌ ‌breaker,‌ ‌many‌ ‌of‌ ‌us‌ ‌were‌ ‌still‌ ‌getting‌ ‌used‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌new‌ ‌normal,‌ ‌and‌ ‌for‌ ‌most‌ ‌of‌ ‌us,‌ ‌it‌ ‌was‌ ‌challenging‌ ‌to‌ ‌adapt‌ ‌to‌ ‌this‌ ‌period.‌ ‌A‌ ‌creative‌ ‌agency‌ ‌called‌ ‌Tribal‌ ‌Worldwide‌ ‌created‌ ‌a‌ ‌website‌ ‌that‌ ‌went‌ ‌viral‌ ‌using‌ ‌Singaporean‌ ‌slags‌ ‌to‌ ‌support‌ ‌the‌ ‌community‌ ‌during‌ ‌this‌ ‌challenging‌ ‌time.‌ ‌The‌ ‌website‌ ‌was‌ ‌designed‌ ‌especially‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌Singaporean‌ ‌society,‌ ‌and‌ ‌its‌ ‌purpose‌ ‌was‌ ‌to‌ ‌update‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌news,‌ ‌the‌ ‌best‌ ‌shopping‌ ‌deals,‌ ‌a‌ ‌comprehensive‌ ‌list‌ ‌of‌ ‌things‌ ‌to‌ ‌do,‌ ‌and‌ ‌more‌ ‌while‌ ‌staying‌ ‌at‌ ‌home.‌ ‌The‌ ‌site‌ ‌provides‌ ‌daily‌ ‌updates‌ ‌about‌ ‌the‌ ‌COVID19‌ ‌situation‌ ‌in‌ ‌Singapore‌ ‌and‌ ‌even‌ ‌tells‌ ‌users‌ ‌which‌ ‌day‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌circuit‌ ‌breaker‌ ‌it‌ ‌is.‌ ‌It‌ ‌is‌ ‌innovative,‌ ‌accessible‌ ‌and‌ ‌creative‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌simple‌ ‌way‌ ‌to‌ ‌support‌ ‌the‌ ‌community‌ ‌while‌ ‌using‌ ‌pop‌ ‌culture‌ ‌(slangs)‌ to‌ ‌promote‌ ‌themselves.‌ ‌And‌ ‌guess‌ ‌what‌ ‌they‌ ‌created‌ ‌this‌ ‌website‌ ‌within‌ ‌two‌ ‌days!‌ ‌ ‌
Photo‌ ‌credit:‌ ‌‌Tribal‌ ‌Worldwide‌‌
 ‌
Going‌ ‌virtual.‌‌ ‌‌Many‌ ‌industries‌ ‌have‌ ‌been‌ ‌affected‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌COVID‌ ‌situation.‌ ‌One‌ ‌of‌ ‌them‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌industry.‌ ‌Have‌ ‌ever‌ ‌heard‌ ‌of‌ ‌online‌ ‌clubbing?‌ ‌As‌ ‌the‌ ‌entertainment‌ ‌ban‌ ‌was‌ ‌enforced‌ ‌to‌ ‌combat‌ ‌the‌ ‌covid‌ ‌crisis,‌ ‌Zouk,‌ ‌a‌ ‌nightclub‌ ‌in‌ ‌Singapore,‌ ‌came‌ ‌up‌ ‌with‌ ‌closed-door‌ ‌sets‌ ‌that‌ ‌were‌ ‌streamed‌ ‌online‌ ‌on‌ ‌Razor’s‌ ‌Bigo‌ ‌Live‌ ‌channel.‌ ‌They‌ ‌collaborated‌ ‌with‌ ‌Razor‌ ‌to‌ ‌provide‌ ‌the‌ ‌community‌ ‌with‌ ‌an‌ ‌online‌ ‌clubbing‌ ‌experience.‌ ‌With‌ ‌this‌ ‌online‌ ‌platform‌ ‌Bigo,‌ ‌they‌ ‌were‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌provide‌ ‌the‌ ‌interaction‌ ‌via‌ ‌the‌ ‌live-stream‌ ‌chat‌ ‌section‌ ‌and‌ ‌also‌ ‌utilise‌ ‌Bigo‌ ‌Live’s‌ ‌functions‌ ‌to‌ ‌send‌ ‌virtual‌ ‌gifts‌ ‌with‌ ‌Razer’s‌ ‌virtual‌ ‌currency‌ ‌Razer‌ ‌Gold‌ ‌or‌ ‌its‌ ‌loyalty‌ ‌reward‌ ‌program‌ ‌Razer‌ ‌Silver.‌ ‌Razor‌ ‌also‌ ‌mentioned‌ ‌that‌ ‌a‌ ‌portion‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌profits‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌donated‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Singapore‌ ‌Government‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌combat‌ ‌the‌ ‌novel‌ ‌Coronavirus.‌ ‌This‌ ‌was‌ ‌Southeast‌ ‌Asia’s‌ ‌first‌ ‌cloud‌ ‌clubbing‌ ‌live-stream!‌ ‌As‌ ‌businesses‌ ‌may‌ ‌slow‌ ‌down,‌ ‌tapping‌ ‌on‌ ‌other‌ ‌platforms‌ ‌and‌ ‌services‌ ‌and‌ ‌collaborating‌ ‌with‌ ‌other‌ ‌brands‌ ‌may‌ ‌benefit‌ ‌the‌ ‌community‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌brand‌ ‌itself‌ ‌too!‌ ‌
 ‌
Photo‌ ‌credit:‌ ‌‌Zouk‌ ‌x‌ ‌Razer‌ ‌
 ‌
‌Marketing‌ ‌became‌ ‌a‌ ‌major‌ ‌challenge‌ ‌since‌ ‌the‌ ‌pandemic‌ ‌struck,‌ ‌but‌ ‌it‌ ‌has‌ ‌not‌ ‌stopped‌ ‌businesses‌ ‌from‌ ‌thinking‌ ‌outside‌ ‌the‌ ‌box.‌ ‌With‌ ‌creative‌ ‌brand‌ ‌efforts‌ ‌inspired‌ ‌by‌ ‌pop‌ ‌culture,‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌enough‌ ‌evidence‌ ‌that‌ ‌despite‌ ‌the‌ ‌pandemic,‌ ‌we‌ ‌will,‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌words‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Guinness‌ ‌St.‌ ‌Patrick’s‌ ‌Day‌ ‌campaign,‌ ‌march‌ ‌again.‌ ‌
 ‌
Drop‌ ‌us‌ ‌a‌ ‌message‌ ‌to‌ ‌explore‌ ‌more‌ ‌awesome‌ ‌marketing‌ ‌ideas!‌ ‌
brand management business development coronavirus COVID-19 digital marketing influencer marketing social media management social media tips website

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