Covid-19 has changed the world and the economic marketplace as we know it. Consumer behaviour has transformed, becoming more aware and becoming more digital savvy than before. How do you create a lasting relationship with your audience, while keeping your brand relevant in such a time of crisis? – became a crucial point of messaging for every brand. As a result, brands had to pivot their marketing strategies towards driving messages that resonated with current times.
Brands and organisations globally had to find newer ways to engage and relate to this new digital-savvy consumer. And some brands have done exceptionally well with their COVID-19 marketing campaigns. Crafting holistic digital marketing strategies during Covid-19 to create interesting content and engagement among their users.
Let’s dive into a few successful digital marketing campaigns of Covid-19.
1) Apple
Apple loves bringing in humor, emotions, tech and wit in its campaigns. As soon as the lockdown began, they launched a quick digital ad on keeping up the spirits.
Come July, once Covid-19 made our lifestyle changes permanent, Apple launched a new digital ad. Apple brought in the very real and smart ‘How’s the work from home thing going for you?’ campaign. From demonstrating how each of their products are an indispensable part of our lives to showcasing how Apple makes working from home easy.
An almost 7-minute video demonstrates the Apple Smartwatch to Siri to Macbook Air to Apple OS features.
Work from home became a reality with Covid-19. And Apple just took take slice of life and turned it into an outstanding digital campaign. Along with this, they encouraged their IG community to share images #ShotOniPhone for their #AtHomeSeries
2) Cadbury
Cadbury’s digital marketing strategy for Covid-19 was as emotional as all their campaigns. From setting up a dedicated micro site to creating meaningful ads showcasing a positive spirit. Their ad ‘This doesn’t need to end’ in early May, captured kindness and lockdown at home in a different light.
Cadbury’s Covid-19 response to the pandemic captured real moments from across the globe, beautifully.
3) Dove
The beauty brand Dove, has been constantly driving the messaging of self-love and empowerment. And since the lockdown, they’ve been urging fans, consumers and followers of the safety precautions under Covid-19. To show their gratitude to the front-line healthcare workers, the Dove team released its digital campaign – “Courage is beautiful”.
With real-world pictures of health care workers in the digital ad, Dove showcased the true heroes of this pandemic. The brand also announced its initiative of donating €5 million worth of Dove products and protective equipment to government and NGO centers.
Through the lockdown, Dove constantly worked on reminding followers to wash hands, offered self-care tips and ways to maintain sanitization. Check it here.
They also ran a Covid-19 campaign called #Washtocare asking users to nominate friends on how and why are they washing hands. And you’ve got to love this cute video that Dove collaborated on with #DJKHALED
From #StayStHome Bingo to self-care videos and gratitude posts. Dove took a caring and heartfelt route – true to its brand personality – for its Covid-19 digital marketing strategies.
3) Ford
With a lockdown across several countries, automobile markets were struggling. Uncertainty around jobs and salaries meant no new purchases and definitely no new large purchases. Ford identified this early on, understood what the market needed, and decided to change the way consumers looked at car – buying.
Across the US, Ford announced payment support under Ford credit to customers in association with car-dealers with their digitalad #BuiltToLendAHand.
Taking from their Ford tagline, “Built Ford Proud”, they launched several other Covid-19 initiatives like Lending a hand to India.
This was done to showcase a glimpse of a make-shift Ford assembly line making personal protective equipment. Similar Ford Covid-19 marketing campaigns across the globe was received excellently by users.
Ford India’s #ParkedForSafety digital marketing campaign during the Covid-19 lockdown was received well too. Ford shared a list of tips on car maintenance, since cars won’t be coming out on roads as often. Check out the #ParkedForSafety guide here.
Ford has created a well-rounded digital campaign for Covid-19. Through the lockdown and ongoing crisis Ford had been placing reminders of gratitude, like this one for #StarWarsDay
From thanking essential workers, to waving of credits and entertaining kids through their micro site on Covid-19 support. Ford has driven their digital marketing strategies for Covid-19 efficiently and holistically.
4) Guinness
St. Patrick’s Day is huge celebration for a brand like Guinness. The festival is synonymous to this Irish beer. And to commemorate this day, Guinness put together a heartfelt campaign surrounding the present COVID-19 situation.
The digital ad released on their social media handles talks about friendships, gratitude, staying safe and commitment in the times of COVID-19. The team put together some existing footage to release an uplifting message about staying home and keeping loved ones close.
The traditional Irish tune, with quick cuts in the video, excellent scripting and voice over has made this one successful COVID-19 digital marketing campaign. The video was shared as a St. Patrick’s Day wish across the world. Unruly’s study showed that the campaign received 49% brand favourability for its messaging.
5) Go Ibibo
Travel and hospitality are few of most affected industries hit by Covid-19. With no flights coming in and no vacations in sight, Goibibio.com showed the other travel brands how to stay relevant.
As soon as the lockdown in India was announced (#JantaCurfew), their digital team went into action to create quirky content.
They also created some #stayinghomestayingsafe digital campaigns, naming each room of the house and modelling it around their website branding.
Goibibo brought out several such refreshing campaigns through the lockdown, especially in a time when travel itself became obsolete. Their content remained humorous, light and witty, making followers smile. And it shows in the user response as well, with each of their digital campaigns garnering anywhere between 100K to 400K likes and views.
6) Heineken
This is one beer brand that owned the lockdown – #SocialiseResponsibly and created several inspiring digital ads. Practically every country had their own version of a Lockdown with Heineken. And we love all their campaigns.
Starting with the #odetoclose, a message reminding consumer about the days of touch and now urging them to stay apart.
Or their campaign on connections, where everyone was celebrating birthdays with zoom parties and WhatsApp dinners.
Their series on Instagram of #Connectioff that talks about bad connections of virtual meeting, is entirely hilarious. Check it out here.
Heinken Brazil came out in support of the Bars deserted. Globally, the culture of Bars and socializing is an important one. And this Covid-19 digital ad #backthebars is spot on!
And the continuity of their support on Instagram has made this one successful Covid-19 digital marketing campaign of 2020. Check out all their Boomerang videos on their social media handles.
7) Ikea
The impact of COVID-19 was felt across industries, and the world-famous D-I-Y furnishing brand, IKEA felt its effects too. A brand that beautifies your house had to advertise be-fittingly, and they did. With the key messaging of staying at home, Ikea Spain launched its video #IstayHome In March 2020, #YoMeQuedoEnCasa. This came at a time when Spain was under lockdown and the cases were spiraling.
The digital campaign aimed at encouraging people to view the lockdown for their benefit and homes as safe haven. A narration by the house itself, the digital is emotional and nails the idea of #stayingathome. In India too, Ikea India released its Covid-19 digital ad #IKEALifeAtHome #MakeEverydayBrighter- Check here.
Ikea also asked its social media followers to share pictures of spaces in their house, to get featured on their handles. Which resulted in several users, sharing reading spaces, Work From Home spaces, plant spaces and more. Watch it here.
8) Lifebuoy
Unilever’s Lifebuoy, is undoubtedly the world’s largest soap brand that has been educating consumers on handwashing for decades. As soon as the Covid-19 news broke out and through the pandemic, lifebuoy has been active on all social media channels. Pushing their messaging through – WASH YOUR HANDS!
Lifebuoy’s Covid-19 digital campaign in India kicked off with the release of a public service ad. The ad features Kajol, who urges consumers to wash their hands more often with any soap they may use.
Lifebuoy also took the hand washing initiative and messaging to TikTok. With their #LifebuoyKarona Challenge on TikTok and tagline “wash your hands like a boss”. Lifebuoy roped in celebrities like Shilpa Shetty and Indian rapper Badshah and TikTok influencers to generate the buzz. SOURCE
The challenge was to create a video to the Lifebuoy tune, while showing users the right way to wash your hands.
The brand saw tremendous response from users across the country! The campaign garnered an online viewership growth from 5.3 billion to a 20.1 billion views in less than a week. The digital campaign was also quite the trend on Facebook and Instagram too with several celebrities posting their videos to the tune on the platform.
Lifebuoy also collaborated with T-20 Cricket team, various NGOs and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Maharashtra, India. A first of its kind brand- government collaboration to educate people on hand washing. Check it here.
9) Nike
Nike’s brand team is a quick responder. Globally, as all stores began shutting down, the team crafted a seamless digital campaign. Everything about Nike revolves around getting up, getting out and Just Doing It. Instead, they initiated a digital campaign about staying home. Watch it here.
To support this initiative, Nike’s digital ecosystem too began focusing on working out or training from home. The Nike app, running app, training app and other social media channels began sharing quick home workouts, content, and guidance to maintain fitness goals while staying at home. Around July, they posted the below remarkable video – #Youcantstopus, to showcase the determination of human spirit.
Since the release of this video, it has 58 million views! As soon as this video was posted, several athletes, famous personalities, fitness enthusiasts, trainers globally posted videos and pictures with the hashtag #Youcantstopus. Now this is what you call a 360-degree COVID-19 digital marketing campaign.
10) Parachute Advansed
With everyone staying at home during Covid-19, skin care and hair care routines became popular. Parachute Advansed leveraged this time to release its digital campaigns that focused on haircare while staying at home.
#BondOveraChampi was one such digital marketing campaign in April, where fans and followers were asked to share moments over a champi to get featured in their stories. The brand achieved a great response to the campaign, with several users sharing their #Champitimes – Check it here.
This was followed by the #ChampiBeats Challenge in May on TikTok, where Parachute Advansed encouraged users on TikTok to bond over a musical champi. SOURCE
Celebrities and influencers shared their Champi Challenge on Parachute’s peppy track, where the massage technique changes every 5 seconds. The challenge soon became popular and the campaign received 8 Billion+ views and over 11K versions of the video created and posted by consumers.
#ThankYouNurses a direct digital Covid-19 campaign is a heartfelt dedication to nurses who take care of COVID-19 patients.To revive the spirit of Onam during Covid-19, Parachute Advansed dedicated a digital ad to the hard work of nurses working tirelessly. Fans were asked to dedicate their pookalam this Onam to the nurses.
This resulted in several Covid-19 survivors sending in their gratitude to nurses across.
One of nurses was also covered by another community influencer handle, as he thanks Parachute Advansed for this thoughtful initiative.
11) Titan
What did we all have at our hands during the lockdown? TIME! And TITAN wove a spectacular campaign around it. From #AloneTogether to #makingeverymomentcount to #TimeTogether. TITAN has created some brilliant campaigns.
The digital ad quickly captures all the family moments together as well as moments of what people did while spending their time at home. Titan also asked its fans and followers to create entertaining birthday or anniversary wishes on Tik-Tok. That was then shared with their family and friends using the hashtag #TimeTogether.
In times of crisis, it is crucial to stick to your brand’s personality and tone and remain empathetic, rather than push the sales agenda. The digital campaigns in here have depicted how Covid-19 truly brought the world to a standstill and yet brands are ready to overcome. Brands and organizations across the world, made sure to keep us all entertained. With TikTok challenges, stay at home tips, relevant information, games and heartfelt digital ads, several brands have won our hearts through the pandemic.
Loved this list or want to add to it? Want to know how to plan your digital marketing strategies during a crisis? Connect with us and give us a shout at aniketh@mindstorm.in.
