Advertising A new – Life after lockdown

India has been among the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. And while the situation has disrupted individual lives, it has also wreaked havoc on the national economy. The much-needed lockdown added to an already worsening situation.

Businesses, irrespective of their stature, had to cut back their expenditure, layoff employees, shut manufacturing facilities, and even cease operations altogether. India Cements, BHEL, Maruti Suzuki are among big names who had to shut down temporarily. Businesses all over the world witnessed exceptional slowdown.

Amongst all this, the marketing verticals of companies went through a seismic shift. As consumers spent their days locked inside homes – scrolling through their smartphones, the only way for brands to survive was to market through digital channels. So, now it’s proven that ‘quick’ adaptability is the only way to stand strong when unforeseen situations like these occur.

Which brings me to my other point i.e marketing on digital channels exploded because that’s where the audience (your consumer) was. Now, as India and all the businesses prepare to gear up for the unlock phase, marketing and advertising verticals of businesses need to once again adapt aggressively and be where their audience will be. After spending a quarter locked in their homes, your audience has now resumed going out. And you need to do the same. You now need to be present on the streets and physical spaces to garner eyeballs. To make an enthusiastic comeback, large-format advertising will be your best bet.

Your consumers are going to be more observant – than ever before – of their physical surroundings, and capturing their attention with Hoarding ads, Flyover ads, and Skyscraper ads will land you ahead of the curve.

I say ahead of the curve because right now you have got the time to experiment with your large format advertising which won’t be the case after a few months when all the brands will jump on the bandwagon.

Also, PM’s clarion call to be ‘vocal for local’ has resulted in a resurgence of ‘spend in India’ wave. See, the pandemic has clearly made people across the nation more empathetic in general. Being an active witness and participant of the economic slowdown, they have started feeling the struggle of home-grown brands. They’ll thus start making a conscious decision to choose and spend on Indian brands.

With this unprecedented opportunity and limited import, you have an extraordinary chance to gain new customers and increase the mindshare of your brand. That’s exactly where Hoarding ads, Flyover ads, Skyscraper ads have a huge role to play.

All you need to do is be quick to adapt to the change as this is an exceptional time to advertise. And those who are able to cut through right now will be the winner in the post-COVID world.