As part of our new series, ‘Marketers Playbook for 2020 Post Covid-19', Swati Rathi, Head of Marketing, Godrej Appliances elucidates what marketers should do to help organisations and to ensure that brands stay relevant to consumers in this upheaval. In the last few weeks, a lot of new phrases have found their way into our day to day conversations as marketers. And it seems like they are here to stay a lot longer than we would like. ‘Navigating to a new normal’ seems to take the top spot perhaps because normalcy is reassuring. However, truth is that we are far from normal or a new normal. We are in a state of far higher order flux than what we are used to. So what should we be doing as marketers to help our organisations and to ensure our brands stay relevant to consumers in this upheaval? The first step should be to remember that marketing strategy is not limited to promotions and the other Ps need to take precedence. Much before we work on the promotion and communication strategy, we need to reassess our offerings and see how our offerings can be made more relevant to address current consumer concerns. We can start with evaluating the impact of disruption specific to the sector in which the brand operates keeping in mind the role and relevance of the offering in consumer’s life. This can be looked at across the various stages of the pandemic. Next would be to list the consumer concerns and how it affects the role of the offering in each stage and hence deciding what parts of the offering can be modified to address the consumer concerns. Any consumer communication and promotion should then revolve around these offering revisions which are true testimonials to how the brand is genuinely concerned about adding value to the customer. Marketing that focuses on delivering the same promises as the brand offered pre Covid will not work. The consumer clearly needs brands to play a larger or at least a different role than what it may have played in the past. Brands would do well to be authentic, credible and empathetic.

Eg. Appliances	Pre Pandemic	During Lockdown	Immediately After Lock Down Lifts	After some months
Offerings as seen by consumers	Convenience, Comfort Health	Aids in managing the household smoothly	Trade-off to be made
Some Possible Consumer Concerns	How can I make my life easier?   How do I make the choices that will reflect my lifestyle?   ...	How do I and my family stay safe?   How do I manage household chores without any help?   How do I get my products repaired?	Uncertainty about another lock down?   Social distancing norms, fear of crowds   Uncertainty around economy affecting my earnings	How much caution should I continue to display? Should I continue to be in saving mode?
Identify possible offering improvements	NA	Eg. Warranty extensions, remote service assistance	Eg. Risk free service and buying options , lucrative finance	Eg. Strong rational value proposition
Communication focus	Technology that makes life better, Aspiration focus	*Reassurance building via remote assistance & warranty *Demos of maximum product utilisation *Self service tips	*Steps taken  to keep customers and employees safe *Convenient purchase options *Value propositions which may help in similar future situations	Dependable offerings with real tangible value

The above is an example for appliances but can as easily be applied for other spaces also. Moving on from the offering and communication strategy, goes without saying that cost cutting will be a key deliverable for marketers across the board. Brands across the board will be chipping away at all redundancies and driving efficiency. Returns monitoring has never been more important and anything that does not offer clear returns will be scrutinised. Events led activities are key marketing levers in some sectors. These will need to be relooked and made virtual where feasible.  Productivity and efficiency will be key words in marketing lexicon as well. Digital transitions are expected in a big way across verticals and marketing will be at the fore front of it – from consumer engagement to lead generation to customer service. Marketing roles in many sectors will change. From being experts at customer engagement and communication, they will also need to be active drivers of this digital shift in their organisations while ensuring that customer remains king. Lastly, collaboration will probably play a key role and brands that can work effectively with the larger eco system will be more successful. Obviously, agency partners will also need to revisit their own offering strategy and find new ways of staying relevant and helping brands to fight the flux, even as marketers get pickier about where to spend their curtailed monies. Agencies looking to work in the same way as before, may not find favour. Being able to collaborate effectively with brands with far more agility and a true sense of partnership will be key.