# Navigating Digital Advertising in a Post-Pandemic World

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/navigating-digital-advertising-in-a-post-pandemic-world/
- Published: 2020-06-15T18:40:28-04:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

So you’ve learned[ how to pivot your social strategy](https://chatterblast.com/6-post-pandemic-pivots-for-your-social-strategy/)
and you’ve done your reading on [how the pandemic is changing the way we create content](https://chatterblast.com/3-ways-the-pandemic-is-changing-how-we-create-content/).

But what about ads? 

By dissecting six major industries, the time has come to dive into the impacts, 
outlooks, and solutions to advertising in a post-pandemic world. 

## **Let’s start with some insights on advertising in general.**

As with most economic collapses, the first thing to go for most organizations was
the marketing budget. According to [Business Insider,](https://www.businessinsider.com/breakdown-of-coronavirus-impact-on-advertising-industry-2020-3)
76 percent of companies plan to cut ad costs in 2020 and focus more money inward.
While that may sound frugal and smart at first, not advertising will lead to lost
sales and less revenue down the line, while companies that continue to advertise
will weather the storm a bit better.

Solution? Keep advertising! Not only were costs driven to all-time lows, but consumer
attention is at an all-time high. People have been forced to buy takeout and use
e-commerce for months, and behaviors are now shifting and rewarding data-driven 
marketing campaigns. In times of crisis, people need to know where you stand and
who to trust.

## **How did COVID-19 affect the retail industry?**

Online retail is nothing new, but four months ago it wasn’t always the preferred
method. There will always be people who like to see, touch, or try on products before
a purchase, let alone those who like to argue their way into getting a discount.
But with [58 percent of Americans purchasing more items online than in previous months](https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/launch-pad/coronavirus-effects-on-major-industries),
our time in isolation has forced even these people’s hands if they want to make 
certain purchases. 

Looking forward in a post-pandemic society, companies are less likely to open underperforming
stores, put a pause on new openings, and are likely to improve e-commerce efforts.
Even with the go-ahead from the government to open shopping centers, fear of the
virus will still inevitably keep foot traffic low and may even show a more steady
trend in higher e-commerce rates moving forward. [Industry professionals also suspect a more permanent shift toward online events, livestreams, and chats](https://www.insider.com/how-beauty-industry-will-change-post-coronavirus-2020-3)
as a way to engage their audience. So what does all this tell us? The surge of changes
this virus brought to retail is here to stay.

[[

##### _More cooking at home and more sanitizing? Better buy some new tupperware and cleaning supplies. (Source: screenshots via Instagram)_

Advertising in this field means it’s more crucial now than ever to implement digital
tracking to properly target your audience. Now that numbers are increasing online,
your digital efforts need to correlate. And by integrating your new digital data
with your customer and sales data you can  learn, grow, and optimize your efforts
to see the best results.

With content, follow the lead of your big name competitors! Emphasize your deliveries
and returns, talk about contactless payment, and make your customers feel comfortable
shopping by highlighting your brand’s evolutions.

## **Advertising and education is crucial… how are things changing?**

Pivoting to those in education, a system that [affects 90 percent of teachers and learners globally](https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse),
schools moved to video sessions, both in lectures and in social settings to try 
to replicate the usual educational settings. Virtual tours, virtual lessons, and
virtual socializing—but the problem arises in providing equal educations to those
in low-income areas without access technology or wifi as well as private institutions
aiming to recruit prospective students in a time when tours and interviews are hindered.

So what’s an advertiser to do? This is really the time to highlight tech abilities,
virtual tours and offerings while emphasizing that quality isn’t compromised. It’s
also important to follow the lead of the consumer by adapting to their trends and
behaviors. And moving forward, make sure you use collected data and measuring results
from the current months to inform future semesters.  

Institutions need to look forward and read the room to hit the right tone.

## **How about live events?**

As one of the most unfortunately affected industries during the pandemic, travel
and live events are doing their best to engage their users and get some business
where they can. [The estimated economic impact is a staggering $2.1 trillion](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/2020/04/how-coronavirus-is-impacting-the-travel-industry/)
and [Ticketmaster announced plans to refund tickets for as many as 18,000 events.](https://deadline.com/2020/04/ticketmaster-refunds-on-pandemic-canceled-shows-1202912031/)

It’s significantly harder to predict where the industry will be in the coming months,
but previous epidemics indicate that we can expect 14–25 months for places to recover.
And those who feel comfortable going to live events will trickle in over the next
few months at a slow pace.

Executed properly, pivoting to live events once again is the only way out for many
businesses. Virtual races, concerts and conventions can ultimately save on costs
and provide better value to sponsors. And when applicable, emphasizing contactless
experiences helps comfort your audience.

With these virtual events, now’s the time to track, measure, and analyze all that
amazing data! This will help drive all the new, innovative concepts into the future
of live events. Let’s take a note from the creative minds at Kayak and switch things
up in the midst of a contactless, vacationless world. _(Editor’s note: The above
video is from March 2018. Talk about being ahead of the game.)_

## **What about big life purchases, like buying a car?**

Speaking of live, in-person showcases, we can’t help but highlight the impact COVID-
19 has had on the auto industry. Car sales were banned, [showrooms shuttered, and used car sales plummeted](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-car-dealers-are-responding-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-4)
in the wake of stay-at-home orders. Much to the dismay of local retailers, companies
like **Carvana** and **CarMax** heavily advertised their cross-border, contactless
sales models, which buoyed revenue and changed how the market thought about buying
cars. Although retailers are beginning to see a rebound, they’ve been forced to 
take a hard look at how to adapt to rapid changes in consumer behavior.

[[

_Source: screenshots via Facebook_

Just like with live events and education, virtual tours are now the standard for
buying cars and showcasing real estate. Scheduling a tour or test drive was commonplace
pre-pandemic, but emerging tech has capitalized on the digital-first experience.
This May, Comcast’s TV advertising brand, Effectv, rolled out their digital auto
showroom, highlighting top car manufacturers and allowing consumers to experience
new vehicles on their TV just by speaking into their remote. This concept is sure
to sweep all facets of professional service, especially when decisions don’t need
to be made in person.

## **How can a company rebound and sell itself?**

As bad as some businesses saw cuts, others, like [**Dominos** and **Pizza Hut** added tens of thousands of jobs](https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/not-all-is-lost-some-businesses-are-thriving-during-covid-19)
just to scale for demand. Companies like **Nike** and **Planet Fitness** waived 
subscription fees to incentivize users to stay active on their platforms, and emerging
apps like **Robinhood** were forced to confront bandwidth issues when people flocked
to buy stocks. Some say these are “good problems,” but scaling too quickly too soon
can leave you high and dry when the rain stops falling. 

To survive a burst of business, flatten your own growth curve by investing in your
people first. Help offset the cost of a home office, invest in communication and
collaboration tools to keep off-site workers constantly connected, and move your
files to the cloud so work can be accessed from anywhere. Promoting your company
as employee-first will always attract talent, and keeping it digital first with 
lots of transparency will retain that top talent.

Another investment to make will be in customer and lead management platforms, which
will help you handle the rush when new business shifts from in-person to digital.
Constantly evaluate your tech stack to make sure the tools you have are the tools
to get the job done right. Once that’s buttoned up, advertise your differentiators
and scale the smart way.

Last, [have a plan in place](https://hbr.org/2020/04/preparing-your-business-for-a-post-pandemic-world)
for the next crisis. A pandemic may only come once in a generation, but it’s important
to be ready and have actionable steps to secure yourself. As mentioned previously,
nobody likes cutting budgets, and no one wants to go dark without a way to turn 
the lights back on.

## **What if I haven’t heard anything in weeks?**

If you’re struggling to make contact with the outside world, it’s time to evolve
and try new things. Digital marketing has come leaps and bounds since banner ads
were introduced over a decade ago. Trimming your website to operate with a lean,
mobile-first set up will help make it easy for customers to buy your product or 
service, but you’ll also need to understand customer journeys, conversion funnels
and how to marry the two to make your advertising work well.

A good place to start for free is the [Google Skillshop](https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/),
which can teach you key marketing concepts to help your business grow. If you need
support, consulting with a client-first agency like ChatterBlast can help you ease
into the process and scale efficiently, making sure your dollars aren’t wasted on
markups or services you don’t need. 

## **So, what’s next?**

Although the pandemic is far from over, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Across all industries, it’s more important than ever to continue marketing and advertising
efforts in good taste. Be cautious of what’s going on in the world, and position
your brand to lead and be responsible.

Some big takeaways are to adapt, overcome and grow with changes. In-person dining
was halted, but restaurants that had the ability to shift to takeout were able to
mitigate disaster. Owning your story is also crucial, since your brand is unique
and can solve problems like no other brand can.

Finally, measure everything. When every penny counts, you need to know how much 
it costs to make business, retain business, and complete business in a crisis. Armed
with this information, you’ll be ready for whatever comes next.