The pandemic has brought about notable shifts across industries, and the case has been no different for marketing. Today, digital marketing has become a crucial aspect in order to acquire new customers and retain existing ones. In our weekly BrandWagon Ad Talk series, industry experts highlight what has changed over the past two years and more importantly, are these changes here to stay. Darshil Shah, director, ChtrSocial, talks to BrandWagon Online, about the dos and don’ts of digital marketing, best marketing campaigns, and more.
What is the difference between launching a brand in today’s digital era versus earlier?
Today, launching a brand is vastly different than what it used to be while it has become easier to create a brand, it’s more difficult to stand out because there’s just so much more competition.
It’s easier to put the word out through social media but more challenging to retain the audience’s attention. It’s easy to test out product-market fit and get real-time feedback directly from the customers but winning the customer’s loyalty has become rarer. Rather than making celebrities the face of their brand, influencers are becoming trustable ambassadors. We surely live in an era where launching a brand has become much easier, but doing it in the right way that sustains it for much longer has become tougher.
What are the recent best marketing or advertising campaigns you have seen and why?
A great advertisement is one that people want to see and very few cut that mark. A recent one that comes to mind is the #BeHonest ad of Uber Eats recreating the Bekhams’ trending meme at the time and plugging in their Super Bowl ad. It’s a great execution of moment marketing meeting celebrity endorsement meeting cultural relevance. It’s something people would love to watch as it’s trending, something people would share with others to laugh over, and something people would remember.
Which brand in the last year has made the best use of digital and how?
I think Zomato is making the best use of digital by a fair margin over other brands. Right from their mother campaign of ‘Zomaito v/s Zomaato’, their hub campaigns like AI-based ‘Match ho toh Zomato’, and their relatable posts on social handles to IPs like ‘Go Out’. They understand how to create shareability and talk-worthiness through non-salesy content and create a long-term benefit via brand recall on digital mediums in the best way possible.
In a post-Covid world, what are the dos and don’ts of digital marketing?
Some of the points to be considered are:
- Enhance e-commerce experiences as the customers have become more habituated to online purchases.
- Adjust your content to align with the changing expectations and sensitivities of your audience.
- Prioritise the well-being of customers and employees, fostering trust in your brand.
- Avoid insensitive or opportunistic messaging that may alienate your audience.
One recent bad case of advertising you have seen, and why?
The Poonam Pandey’s cervical cancer awareness campaign as we all know was a mistake for many reasons. Spreading false news, causing confusion and distress, and undermining the audiences’ trust is the wrong way even if it is for a good cause.