Driving sales, repurposing social media and getting really creative with UX and brands: top trends from marketing in June – to inform your future planning
New social media tools. Next-level customer experience. And meaningful messages. We’ve collected 18 of our weekly trends-based new ideas from marketing in June 2020 into a single post. Discover new ways to supercharge your future marketing planning:
NOTE: ABOUT JUNE 2020
Much like April and May 2020, June saw most of the world still reeling from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many countries had ended lockdowns by this stage, to restart their economies. And South Africa was no different, scaling down to lockdown Level 3 and re-opening numerous industries.
Businesses felt the impact of lockdowns though. For many it was too late – numerous companies closed or went into business rescue. At the same time, people’s spending power was way down – not least because so many had lost their jobs. So it was quite a time to promote your business and sell a product. But it meant the difference between failure and survival. Here’s how the best of the best were marketing in June:
17 NEW IDEAS FROM MARKETING IN JUNE
1. TIME TO FOCUS ON YOUR BRAND EQUITY
Brand equity is all about how valuable you and your products/services appear in the customer’s mind. For example, Apple can charge more for an iPhone, simply because everyone perceives it to be better than similar products. But how has your brand equity been affected by the pandemic?
As we go back to work, reputation expert Nalene de Klerk reminds us that now’s the time to invest in your brand equity by going through the brand exercise – brand identity, personality, promise, positioning, experience.
By the way, we at Design Infestation specialise in this kind of brand positioning work – feel free to contact us.
2. RETHINK EVENTS
The events market was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. And it’s still not where it was in say 2019. Although the likes of Arena Events have released their virtual events line-up, SA exhibitions industry experts predict they’ll only fully bounce back by 2021.
So what to do if a lot of your business hinged on events before? Trade fair organiser Messe Frankfurt SA MD Joshua Louw says it’s not just about going virtual – this is an opportunity to go back to your brand and see what you’re really about, and then come with new solutions from that. It’s time to redefine your “Why” and your value proposition first, and then look at how you want to showcase it. See his insights here.
3. KEEP UP THE HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGN
Did you notice the impact the pandemic had on design around the world? Since everything changed, all our visuals changed. Suddenly you don’t see many pics of large groups, and most design is now sensitive to social distancing.
That’s design in response to human needs. And it’s what designers have been trying to tell brands for the past decade. Listen to your customer, see where they are at and reflect that in your content, marketing – at every touchpoint. It’s what the practice of design thinking is built on. And it will be relevant long after this pandemic is over.
We specialise in design built around the end-user with our brand design service, so if you want the best out of your communications, talk to us.
4. HOW NETFLORIST PIVOTED TO FRESH PRODUCE SO QUICKLY
Do you remember when Netflorist suddenly announced they were delivering fresh produce? It was revolutionary and lightning-fast. Amid all the madness and confusion around the COVID-19 lockdown, they found a way to stay relevant and provide a valuable service in one swift swoop. Here’s an interview with their MD on how they did it.
Who’s ever came up with this @NetFlorist is a freaking genius! Thank you and well done folks! pic.twitter.com/5kOP0LZkMQ
— Angela Clark (@angelaclarkZA) March 23, 2020
5. IN RETAIL, FOCUS ON CONSISTENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Does your brand promise line up with what your customer actually experiences at point of sale? Is buying online the same as standing in your store? It needs to be according to management consultants Gabsten Technologies’ MD Hemant Harie – see his views here.
Plus: We have some awesome experience in this – the work we did for fashion retailer Matahari as well as brands 361 Degrees and Nevada.
6. USE THE REALITY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Converse SA invited African artists, including Nordstar and Falko, to create their own designs to help inspire and drive the idea of unity among people. And now those designs are available as limited-edition sneakers on their website.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVIndPDAI3/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAmjxowDfhy/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA13-gZDViI/
7. KEEP UP WITH FACEBOOK BUT LOOK AT TIK TOK
Facebook is still the social media darling for most brands, but Tik Tok looks set to outstrip even Instagram as the fastest grower. This according to the SA Social Media Landscape 2020 report, released in the week of 11 June via webinar.
Notable here is that most brands use the big four: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. But, year-on-year, user engagement has been down on all platforms except for LinkedIn. Still, a third of brands are looking at newcomer Tik Tok for 2020 and 2021. For some ideas on what works on Tik Tok, here’s a handy infographic.
8. WINEMAKERS, TIME TO THINK BEYOND THE LABEL
Being one of the hardest-hit sectors during lockdown – not least due to the now-ended alcohol ban – the wine industry took a beating in early 2020. But now, even as the lockdown on sales and exports is over, the crisis has highlighted some important cracks in the winemaker’s overall strategy. Namely: Who buys your wine and where should you sell it?
Don’t be the winemaker who gives all his power away to a third-party seller. Your brand is your mightiest weapon. Having just a nice label doesn’t cut it anymore. The crisis has proven that you need to invest in an emotional connection and your own online visibility and trust-building if you want to keep making and selling wine in the future. Welcome to the era of wine brand positioning. See our guide on how to sell your wine.
There are probably a few lessons here for any brand in consumer goods and retail too. Download the Design Infestation wine brand positioning guide.
We specialise in brand work – and we’re right here in Cape Town. So, if you need some ideas on real sustainable wine sales, talk to us.
9. FOCUS ON USER EXPERIENCE (UX)
UX Design pro at VMLY&R, Inge Rademeyer said that brands should focus more on their user experience online. This while explaining a little about what a UX designer really is – a designer that specialises in interpreting user behaviour online and implementing those lessons into future digital design.
In a nutshell, a UX designer tests, develops and optimises your online presences so that it looks and performs better. And someone who’s delivering some really stunning UX for clients right now is Design Infestation’s own Anton Pople, who says, “As much as I love our fundamental brand work, I can’t help but get excited when we start translating that over into UX on the digital side.”
10. NEW THINGS YOU SHOULD BE USING WHATSAPP FOR
Payment security. Location services. And driving loyalty. WhatsApp’s moved beyond the realm of just customer service with advanced new tech that helps create trust for your payment solutions. And it’s handy for driving traffic to your store, too, as much as it is for engaging in a seemingly one-on-one way with customers.
This according to mobile solutions guru Apex Visibility’s Ryan Egnos. See more WhatsApp tips for business here.
11. LEARN FROM THE BEST MARKETERS IN THE WORLD
The world’s most effective marketers have been named as Unilever and Coca-Cola. So, if you want to take some notes, these are the guys to look to. This from the 2020 Effie Index, who, for the 10th year in a row have named some of the big performers in marketing. See all the results here.
12. TURNS OUT FUNNY CAN WORK IN A CRISIS
While Nando’s have been the undisputed kings of tongue-in-cheek in the video ads space, some industry people have noticed the efforts of a seemingly worthy would-be challenger: King Price Insurance. Watch them tackle what everyone thought would be a no-go topic right now – the Covid-19 reality in SA:
13. RECOGNISE PEOPLE’S EMOTIONAL REALITY
The latest Consumer Pulse survey by research company GfK SA shows that from Level 5 to Level 4 lockdown, people became less worried about Covid-19 and more about the economy. By a lot. Some 86% of people are very concerned about employment (up by 6% since March), while fear of the virus dropped by some 14% at the same time. Get some insights here.
If anything, it’s a reminder that talking less about the virus and more about the real everyday struggles lockdown has created will likely resonate more today.
14. GET A FOODIE TO PROMO YOUR PRODUCT
During the lockdown, many foodies (especially on social media) were able to continue creating their content. Not only that but, at home for weeks on end, many people were clamouring for recipes and baking ideas, so their audience numbers soared. And, if you had a consumable product, it was (and still is as people continue to practice social distancing) a golden opportunity to connect with a foodie and have them promo your wares to their audience.
Lesson learned. Connect with foodies. And now there are dedicated networks to help you do just that – meet Foodies Of SA and Whisper Media.
15. DO A QUICK BRAND AUDIT
Take your big objectives and measure that against what your customers and employees say about how effectively you’re reaching them. Check this against your data – sales, website etc. And compare this to what you know about your competitors. These are the steps that can help you understand if your current marketing is doing what your brand promises, according to media analysts Focal Point.
And, if you find something you’re not happy with or need help with some insights (there’s way more to a brand than just these few things they mention), remember that Design Infestation specialises in brands, so you can ask us to call you back.
16. ASK: WHO’S DRINKING MY WINE?
Will they buy your bottle at the shop? What do they say behind your back? And who are the new wine drinkers? In case you missed our drive, we’ve created a wine brand guide. With 7 questions every winemakers should be asking themself on how to sell your wine.
17. PAINT A PICTURE OF THE FUTURE
Even if it’s not as rosy as you’d have hoped. It can show a lot of heart. In a June ad, VW recognised that it’s unlikely SA will go back to the way things were before. They introduce the idea of baby steps – drive local, so you can support your local business. And their call to action even includes an offer of payment holidays for the cash-strapped. It’s a little bitter-sweet, which adds lots of feels.
Launch in a new area, boost sales growth and up your competitiveness. Unlock the power of simplexity with our award-winning brand agency.
And, in fashion retail, is there a way to save the depart store? Yes, if they finally learn to truly embrace the power and potential locked up inside their private label brands.
ABOUT THESE #MARKETINGIDEAS
Our team scours the latest news and insights to bring you useful ideas based on actual trends in business and marketing every 7 days – see our marketing ideas this week. And then, to keep our overview scope broad and useful for you, we collect all of our trends-based marketing ideas into a monthly collective. If you want to share ideas or have a question about any of the ideas we’ve shared here, contact us at design@infestation.co.za.
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