Rahul Sachitanand
Mar 26, 2020

Brands must desist from freezing advertising plans: Kantar

Consumers want them to focus more on their employees' wellness and not exploit the pandemic for business gain

Over three-quarters of respondents want brands to reassure them how they are being helpful in the time of COVID-19
Over three-quarters of respondents want brands to reassure them how they are being helpful in the time of COVID-19

Despite battling frozen or shrunken marketing budgets, brands must desist from entirely stopping their advertising, a new study of 25,000 consumers from Kantar has revealed. The top findings from this study suggests that rather than stopping their advertising, consumers expect brands to look after their employees and implement flexible working plans to support them. 

However, in terms of actual business impact, as many brands consider going dark to save costs, Kantar estimates that a six-month absence from TV will result in a 39% reduction in total brand communication awareness, potentially delaying recovery in the post-pandemic world.

For those brands that plan to keep their advertising going, there are likely to be a change in focus. Over three-quarters of respondents want brands to talk about how the entity is helpful in this new everyday life, even as a similar number expect consumers to be informed about their efforts to face the situation. Meanwhile, in terms of the tonality, 70% of consumers expect brands to adopt a reassuring tone, but strikingly a full 75% say brands should not exploit this pandemic to promote themselves blatantly and 40% say humorous tones should be avoided.

Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 pandemic deepens, media usage is following a growing number of people staying or confined to their homes. In later stages of the pandemic, web browsing increases by 70%, followed by (traditional) TV viewing increasing by 63% and social media engagement increasing by 61% over normal usage rates.

In terms of messaging platforms, Whatsapp's usage was up 40% increase in usage; in the early phase of the pandemic usage increases 27%, in mid-phase 41% and countries in the late phase of the pandemic see an increase of 51%. Increased usage across all messaging platforms has been biggest in the 18-34 age group. Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram have all experienced a 40%+  increase in usage from under 35-year olds.  

This article is filed under...
Top of the Charts: Highlights of recent and relevant research

 

Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

1 hour ago

Australian Podcast Awards 2024 crowns Podcast of ...

ABC's 'Ladies, We Need To Talk' took home the top gong, alongside winners from across the country.

6 hours ago

João Braga joins Publicis Groupe Hong Kong as ...

Braga relocates to Hong Kong after serving for three years as the national chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson Australia across three offices.

6 hours ago

How marketing helped Chinese apps and games to ...

Campaign explores the factors that have propelled Chinese apps and games—such as Black Myth: Wukong, Temu, Shein, and TikTok—to international success, and the insights marketers can leverage from their success stories.

7 hours ago

Creative Minds: Nutthida Patthanhatirat thrives on ...

This art director’s journey spans from Photoshop struggles to creative triumphs, fuelled by her love of dogs, a taste for luxe, and an unstoppable knack for turning challenges into bold projects.