Marketing leaders can steer their organisations through the Covid-19 looking glass

But in a very uncertain future, there are some things marketers can do to prepare for a post-lockdown world, and even some immediate opportunities which could help them navigate through the unknown.

Andrew Smit

Digital marketing specialist, Incubeta’s Andrew Smit, head of data solutions and Niamh Nicliam, head of learning and marketing, guide us through the rabbit hole of the unknown towards our new normal.

Assume nothing

As consumers we all knew that the big platforms collected our user data. They knew when we would use different devices, what we were searching for and when. Trends based on this data is what they use to help companies reach the right target audience at the right time and over the most appropriate device.

However, since more than half of the world has gone into lockdown, most of that insight now no longer holds.

Niamh Nicliam

People’s buying behaviour has changed completely. Not only because we can only buy from a list of essential goods, but our buying patterns have changed.

Consumers are searching for products they may previously not have bought at retailers they may not have previously supported. What’s more, since they are doing things differently, they may not be as price-sensitive as they normally would – although this will certainly change as things progress and the virus takes its inevitable economic toll.

Data from the Bank of America on year-on-year daily consumer spending data (based on card transactions) for the month of March shows such wild swings that no discernable pattern can be seen. For example, groceries bought in America on the 16th and 22nd of March 2020 showed a 103% variation.

Check and change

For marketing leaders, this means that while they used to be able to trust the algorithm, now they will need to check trends on a daily basis and tweak their response accordingly.

It is also important for them to remember that campaigns must fit the context of each market. Each region and community are responding differently, and so national trends cannot be assumed for regional outreach.

Shifting budgets to match shifting priorities will require marketing pros to remain agile in how they assign funds, dependent on brand requirements and opportunities. What was right for a brand last year or even last week may not be appropriate right now.

Agencies, meanwhile, will need to listen to their clients and react to their changing requirements. They will also have to realise that their clients’ requirements will change to meet their shifting outlooks and metrics, such as lifetime values.

Help your team help you

Given the great unknown lying ahead, it makes excellent sense to use this lockdown time to equip your team to help you move forward.

The opportunity to upskill individuals when they may have a little more time on their hands should be jumped at. This will include refreshing vital skills that are used day to day.

Now is also the time to allow your team to learn additional skills that they may have expressed an interest in, as well as cross-skilling. Cross-training will allow your teams to remain flexible as they face an uncertain future and, when unexpected requirements come from the company, they will be comfortable with whatever agile response is required of them.

Soft skills like time management and presentation skills are usually pushed to the side in our deadline-driven normal workdays. Managers should now take the time to support the personal growth of their teams.

Now is the time to nail career paths and skills mapping. This will allow you to see where there are gaps and where there are opportunities for knowledge transfer from your knowledge experts, locally and globally..

However, as a word of caution, managers need to be discerning about where they choose to get their information and training, or they could waste both their and their teams’ time.

Reality checks still important

The ongoing trend to build inhouse skills is expected to continue. However, given the unknown we are facing, it makes good sense to continue to lean on the skills insight and experience of an external agency or digital marketing partner.

The benefits of working with external teams who are constantly exposed to global clients across multiple sectors means you can pick up smarter, more efficient ways of doing things that could really help your organisation.

Our reality is nothing like we have ever experienced. Our future will also be nothing like what we had planned. Our customers may emerge from the lockdown with completely different priorities.

Whatever those priorities may be, we do know that they will be supporting brands that reflect those priorities back at them. Marketing leaders may not be able to perfectly predict what’s coming down the line, but they can use the time now to perfect an agile response; to learn to check and recheck trends; to nurture teams best likely to respond to uncertainty; and, most importantly, find partners who are willing to navigate the unknown with them.