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The health crisis has changed our consumer habits. In fact, according to the CIS, 23% of Spaniards have made more online purchases during the pandemic. In addition to the digitalisation of consumption, covid has also led to a diversification of payment methods and new communication demands. As a result, PR agencies need to develop new plans and strategies to adapt to the post-covid era and continue to generate good results.
How has Covid 19 changed the way we relate and communicate?
For a start, the digital barrier has been broken. Online shopping is no longer something that belongs to a certain generation, as it is spreading to the over-54s. This denotes a greater trust in the platforms.
Teleworking has also been implemented, and does not seem to be something that will change, but is here to stay. Many companies are going to start adapting it to their routine, so the increase in online shopping during working hours does not seem to be a passing phenomenon.
With more online presence, users are more concerned about their security and working on the customer-brand bond will be a challenge for companies that want to convey empathy, honesty and authenticity in order to have a more trustworthy image to the public.
New ways and tools to communicate during the pandemic
Short videos have undoubtedly been one of the fastest growing forms of communication during the pandemic. It was already booming before covid came into our lives, but users have exploited it even more during the pandemic.
For their part, digital events have been the outlet for internal brand communication. A multitude of platforms have been created for this purpose and the budget for this area has decreased enormously.
Consumers have also diversified their search for information during the pandemic. And not only do they use a variety of channels, but they do so simultaneously. Social media, TV, radio, print media, blogs… Traditional and digital channels, both continue to be used.
Due to the critical moment during the pandemic, companies began to develop a more human and sensitive message to connect with people’s pain. This led to brand activism and concern for social issues becoming a core consumer demand. They had been demanding it for a long time, but the situation accelerated its development.
Due to the need to humanise the message, brands increased their commitment to influence marketing in order to create a more relatable tone.
Companies have also seen the importance of strengthening internal communication to cope with uncertainty. Not only does it build trust and unity internally, but it is also essential to respond to customer demands in a coordinated way.
Which of these will last after the pandemic has passed?
It is a matter of time to see how consumers evolve and which trends are here to stay and which have a more transient purpose.
What is clear is that digital transformation has accelerated by leaps and bounds within organisations and that elements such as teleworking, although not fully incorporated, will be introduced into organisations, at least as an option, on certain days of the week.
Similarly, online security requirements will continue to exist and companies will need to be up to the task if they are to continue to grow online.
Online events will continue to exist, but will evolve into hybrid models combining the virtual with the face-to-face.
Finally, the demands for brand activism and positioning are not likely to disappear, as this was the trend and the pandemic has only accelerated it.
How should companies adapt their marketing and communication to this new paradigm?
Brands must generate new marketing strategies that allow them to meet the new requirements of the new paradigm, which will demand more human, more digitised and safer brands online.
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