“What day is it today?” 

Video call marathon day! Too-Much-Children everyday! Four-walls-closing-in day! PJs all day!

Is your life on a perpetual re-run ala groundhog day? Or has your world come to a grinding halt?

Flashback: April 2019 - ‘hot girl summer’ was all the rage; Arkchetype was knee deep, in the middle of China, on our yearly filming tour. 

Fast forward: April 2020 - hot in Singapore without air conditioning at home, travel plans down the toilet, empty, shuttered streets below, the refrains of U2’s “where the streets have no name” take on another dimension in our heads.

Where is 2020 going?

Flickering screens mesmerize us all day and whisper - Here! Down Here! Down this rabbit hole!  

Hop.. Skip.. Jump.. DIVE DEEP! If it was audible, the buzz of the synapses in our brains lighting up each connection and every interaction will form a strange symphony in synchrony with the tap-tap-tap chorus of fingers across keyboards or respective mobile devices.

Here is where the world is spinning furiously, flying off its axis. Here is where the party is.

RSVP. ASAP!

The numbers may have spoken on where open eyes and listening ears reside, waiting to be engaged. But in the face of the world that is shape shifting, morphing from one fluctuating moment to another, uncertainty plays a huge and dominant role - in customers’ demands and within the larger economy. Frozen in the headlights, it is of no surprise that budgets are also frozen or cut; jobs are correspondingly at risk.

Mindful of all things that are hanging precariously on a thread, standing at the crossroads of history, on the steepest learning curves of our professional lives, let us be steadfast, take a deep breath and embrace the shifts, making informed moves toward adaptation and change.

Charles Darwin once said -

“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change”

A consumer survey & research done by Kantar revealed that pulling ad campaigns and reviewing ad budgets would be a long-term detriment - brands that cut off all ad spend during this time could face as big as a 13% impact on sales in the long run⁴.

Google data⁷ has evinced that during this period, there are 5 behaviours reflected in how people are searching:

Do any of the above sound familiar even to yourself? An incredible amount of opportunities for innovation and space for creation awaits. Let us catch and ride this wave! 

There are a number of brands who have already, incredibly quickly, and successfully plunged in, using the most mesmeric mode of communication - the video.

Building Trust with Heartfelt Communication

Renowned beer brand Guinness released a special video crafted using existing footage, lifting spirits, exhorting how we can get through this together and encouraging folks to toast virtually.

Guinness was able to touch the hearts of their beer-fans worldwide, and remind them of the brand’s undying presence. Human and thoughtful, it successfully strengthened the bond between consumer and brand.

While Singaporeans may bemoan the temporary closure of McDonalds in Singapore, simple animation video production with heartfelt messaging have been created for some markets that have kept their Drive-Thrus open.

Jointly released was a statement from McDonald’s US President Joe Erlinger, “Our customers, employees and communities are counting on us now more than ever to provide them the meaningful support, delicious food and good paying jobs.” Elegantly executed, McDonalds made devotees to the Golden Arches even more loyal to the golden ‘M’.

IKEA Spain started a #YoMeQuedoEnCasa (#ImStayingHome) movement, meant to pay a small tribute to homes, safe and stable worlds that are personally crafted - inviting everyone to look from a fresh perspective and make it a place during this time to live new experiences together.

“Heartfelt communication” is just what the doctor ordered during these uncertain times, evident in the search behaviours mentioned above. These initiatives brought back good memories built with the brand, expressed empathy and fostered camaraderie in moments of solidarity. 

Cleverly using video as a medium also served somewhat as a mimesis of social interaction, satisfying that bit of the innate primal desire to connect in times of lockdowns and circuit breakers!

Diversifying for Changing Needs

Beyond fulfilling the HTHT (heart-to-heart) connections and building trust, on a practical level, consumers still need their goods and services.

With physical distancing and mobility restrictions, most brands have come up with ways to continue offering their goods and services remotely. For example, Walgreens in U.S. have come up with online care services and prescription delivery for customers to continue to #stayathome while getting what they need⁶.

Did you queue up for toilet paper? One of the world’s largest toilet paper producers, Cottonelle, used a simple but clever video animation to ease consumers’ concerns and discourage panic buying. They urged people to “Stock up on generosity” instead and launched a campaign with a U.S.-based charity, United Way, pledging $1 million and one million rolls of toilet paper to United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.

It is important that people are aware of these new initiatives. No matter how great a new good/service is, it will not see the light of day if no one is aware of its existence.

At Arkchetype, we released a series of PSA animation videos in 5 languages, in a bid to protect our loved ones in these trying times. 

With the density of content and activity on digital platforms, words and images are frequently scrolled past in a blur. Stand out from the crowd with an innovative video, capture your audience’s attention with some animation or even address their concerns via live-streaming! The possibilities are endless. Find out which would suit your current needs best, call us anytime and let’s discuss!

May may not be a month of Maydays

Days may have looked all the same in April, but maybe not for May? (Haha! Sorry couldn't resist the multiple puns) 

Let’s find something new for each day just by looking at the world through different lenses. We can ride this wave and pull through this together!

If you are looking for ways to continue engaging with your customers via video production in these trying times, the Ark is always a phone call/ email away. Just like the rest of the world, we may be working from home in our pjs, with uncombed hair, screaming children and barking dogs in the background... But in our very essence (& in the words of Richard Marx), we are right here waiting - for you!

References:

1. CNBC Acts not ads: How firms should market themselves during the coronavirus crisis

2. Lemonlight COVID-19 Marketing Insights: What We Found From Surveying Over 300 Marketers

3. MarketWatch Facebook is experiencing record usage, but will advertisers spend during spread of coronavirus? 

4. Marketing Week Just 8% of consumers think brands should stop advertising due to the coronavirus outbreak

5. Straits Times Twitter ad sales hit by virus crisis but active users soar

6. Think with Google Crisis marketing: How brands are addressing the coronavirus

7. Think with Google What Google search data reveals about what people need in this moment, and how brands can help