In this episode of Kanaal Z's series 'Never Waste a Good Crisis' we talk about the opportunities in the field of marketing that come with a global pandemic. Time for a chat with Phil Blondé, creative director of Duval Union member, Friendship. Take a look at the video below (Dutch only) or read up on Phil's risk-taking advice in this blog post.
Consumer's attention
Advertising agency Friendship works together with brands in order to make their communication and advertising better, fun and above all very interesting. Friendship acts as an idea factory and ensures that marketing budgets are used in a useful and sustainable way.
Our society has gone through a series of changes compared to the past. People are now installing adblockers on their computers and flushing commercial breaks. As a brand it's important to realize that people aren't waiting for you to advertise. What is captivating people's heart at this moment? What is trending? Those questions should be on your company's mind. COVID-19 has had a major impact on our economy, but there was a silver lining as well. It all depends on whether you took action as a brand or decided to stay on the side lines. Tiense Suiker, a Belgian sugar brand, eagerly took advantage of this global pandemic by producing hand sanitizer and responding to their customers' needs. In short: They relate to their target audience and that makes them likeable.
Time for change
A global pandemic may not seem like the best time to reinvent yourself as a brand. People aren't as open to change as they normally would. But it's the risks you take now, that will make sure your brand grows in the next couple of weeks, months, even years. During this crisis Friendship started looking for new collaborations with clients and this led to the creation of their own FMCG brands. They will soon launch their own chocolate paste. Friendship knows that this is a risky move, but when you're a good marketer it's a calculated risk. Let's just say it's an experiment in creativity.
Making the most out of a crisis
Phil Blondé advises fellow entrepreneurs that it is important to look at employees and the environment within the company. Finally, he advises to immediately give a signal to your company's advertising agency and order them to come up with ideas on how your company can make a positive impact on society during this global pandemic.
Don't miss out: find the entire 'Never Waste a Good Crisis' series here:
- Duval Union – Absolute must? Double the value, halve the budget.
- Herculean Alliance – Are your employees part of the 87%?
- Nine o'Clock Somewhere – Where the tv lacks, eVenting jumps in for help
- Duval Branding – From additional to necessary in no time
- Grava – Do you have visitors or customers who bring in the cash?
- Duval Union Innovative Marketing – A fully digital version of your company in 72 hours
- Profacts – Societal trends for the happy few
- MMBSY – Crisis plus creativity equals opportunity
- GrowthAgent – How we were able to make a time leap of 5 years in a month’s worth
- Glickman – Data as a base for decision-making?
- Madewithlove – How the corona crisis accelerated remote working
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