In these unprecedented times, where the coronavirus crisis forced all of us to readapt to a new concept of ‘normal’, technology has played an important role. Communicating through video conferencing, messenger services and on social apps has allowed us to feel more connected, supportive and empathetic with each other.
And for many businesses, whether independent or big-name brands, digital marketing has been a vital form of communication with their customers, with social media taking the top spot thanks to immediacy and interactivity.
While most shops are shut and businesses have temporarily lost the ability to interact physically with their customers, marketing communication has represented – and still represents – the only means to keep this relationship alive.
Amongst the massive amounts of marketing communication that have gone out since lockdown in March ‘20, we have selected the top 5 creative comms campaigns that have stood out for the way they have responded to the crisis and to their customers.
IKEA created a couple of brilliant campaigns, one for children and the other for people who have a passion for cooking (or, at least, for their Swedish meatballs).
While parents were struggling to find new ways to keep their children entertained during the coronavirus lockdown, IKEA helped by designing six playhouses that could be built with household furniture and decor, from sofas forts to duvet cover tipis.
For grownups, instead, IKEA answered the prayers of fans everywhere by sharing the recipe of their famous meatballs. Are you possibly one of those who tried to make them at home?
Missing your IKEA meatball fix? We’ve created a recipe for you to recreate this delicious dish in the comfort of your own home #IKEAmeatballs pic.twitter.com/d89lRsJxH7
— IKEA UK (@IKEAUK) April 20, 2020
Heinz thought about ways to keep us entertained too. What about a ketchup puzzle with 570 pieces? Yes…every piece was Heinz ketchup red. Crazy as it sounds, that’s exactly what they did. I guess the people who committed to do it must reeeally love the sauce.
Heinz knows that good things are worth the wait, so we created the Heinz Ketchup Puzzle. 570 pieces. All Heinz red. It’s now available for $24.99 USD while supplies last. Are you up for the challenge? https://t.co/cRYL2Qdt5l pic.twitter.com/Xr5NnhgW8x
— Heinz Ketchup (@HeinzKetchup_US) May 19, 2020
Guinness provided its lockdown contribution too. For the first time in years, the nation didn’t get to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in our usual ‘merry’ way. With their campaign, Guinness managed to keep the spirit very much alive by creating a short video that was inspirational and comforting at once.
For us though, fruit and veg snack company Emily was the winner. They created what was possibly one of the most humorous campaigns of the lockdown, maybe even the year! Their sarcasm laiden ads play with the idea that they invested in brand promotions that nobody will really see due to the lockdown, ads that were plastered on bus stops and digital screens. We’d say they were still pretty effective and highly reactive. Which is your favourite?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_McE-uAyId/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_EtsZBg47Q/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DDTDOnVPp/
Last but not least, we have Vodafone’s campaign. Set to the music of The Beatles’ song ‘Come Together’, the key message was to keep all the UK connected despite all the possible distances that keep us apart, including Covid-19. From working out to cooking, the campaign summarizes all the activities that we have been doing the most during this time, and by showing these common threads, creating a feeling of unity and togetherness.
https://web.archive.org/web/20201118145411/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjfxHRuEPuE
These campaigns may be different from each in their style and tone of voice but all of them communicate the same message. Regardless of how close or far away we are from each other, communication in any shape will always give us the power to feel connected.
So, until the moment this pandemic is over, stay safe & stay connected.
