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The effects of the Great Lockdown on relational marketing

Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 9:35 am
by rabia829
Last week, several internal and external Mediapost collaborators met to discuss and share data on how the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent Great Lockdown —the name chosen by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to refer to the historic situation that the planet is going through— have affected issues related to our work and to understand the panorama of relational marketing in the near future. Issues ranging from physical retail to digitalization, as well as the effects of this situation on activities such as e-commerce or the way of working. Below we offer a summary of some of the main conclusions of the meeting.

We will come out changed, but we will come out
The first thing that the collaborators agreed on was to give a message of encouragement. There are a series of data that allow us to assure that, within the undeniable social and economic disaster caused by the pandemic, the behavior of the population and the measures advertising phone number data implemented are being exemplary. As an example, a study of the mobility of the population through mobile devices has been carried out and it has been found that Spain leads the reduction of mobility worldwide. The differences between countries in this regard are closely related to the circumstances of each country: economy, industries, governments, etc.

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One of the main changes observed by internet traffic operators and analytics websites has been in the rankings of visits. Websites related to food and pharmacy have been the most visited during the month of March.

Communicating and working: by and for people
Corporate communication has generally had commercial relations as its signifiers or referents, addressing clients, suppliers, publics and audiences, but without taking into account the human factor. In the current situation, the importance of being aware that we are addressing people is much greater.

Psychology professionals say that, as in other situations that involve a shock, people go through a series of emotional phases. The main difference we find today is that, without forgetting each particular case and its circumstances, this has happened to all of us at the same time, which can be an advantage when it comes to knowing what state or phase we are in. Currently, there is a certain feeling of anxiety among the population due to not knowing when we will leave confinement, due to doubts about personal finances and due to more personal issues such as loneliness or fear of contagion.

Companies, which are revenue- and profit-oriented by definition, must put employees and customers first, not as numbers or resources, but as people who are going through an exceptional situation, each with their own particularities. Internal communication has taken on special importance at this time, communication that must be concrete, precise and not generate doubts; that is not condescending or dramatic, and not opportunistic. When communicating, brands do not have to abandon their usual communication territories, but rather must take advantage of people's needs to try to satisfy them in a simple way. This certainly fits with Mediapost's vision of marketing: a means to build relationships through values ​​such as empathy, always keeping people in mind.