One year ago, it was early spring 2025, I was invited to prepare a speech for a client summit, in NYC. <\/p>\n
Specifically, the goal was to collect major content strategy trends and dynamics \u2014 no tactical stuff, no Tik Tok, no VR and 5G, no “spectacular Snapchat marketing strategies”.<\/p>\n
That was an easy task, considering the time I spent advising clients and listening to their stories of marketing and innovation. <\/p>\n
Yet, I decided to go with something not obvious and I selected “responsibility” (I also gave other \u2014 more practical \u2014 trends but that’s less relevant here). <\/p>\n
Actually, it was more of a personal desire than a trend. At that time I was driven by conversations about data, privacy, and brand purpose. <\/p>\n
My point was: as consumers become increasingly aware of their data rights, as social media has given consumers unprecedented access to brands and their representatives, as brands are racing to find new socially-acceptable, ethically-sustainable brand purposes (many of them ultimately pushing it for pure financial benefit), we marketers should act more responsibly.<\/p>\n
Back to today. You don’t need me to tell what has happened in the past few weeks. <\/p>\n
Still, if someone would ask me about how Content Marketing<\/a> will evolve from the Coronavirus pandemic<\/a>, I would not change my answer: responsibility. <\/p>\n Responsibility and long term plans.<\/p>\n It’s no doubt that Content Marketing will come stronger out of this crisis. <\/p>\n With events and roundtables being canceled in all industries across the globe, advertising recession<\/a> following an incumbent economic recession (with AirBnB<\/a>, Mark&Spencer<\/a> and other big brands cutting ads investments), a significant reduction of podcast<\/a> consumption, and no indication when all of them may be able to start up again, online content experiences are going to be vital to support brand awareness<\/a> and lead generation. <\/p>\n In response to Coronavirus, and amid the fear of attending and sponsoring large events, many marketing teams are now forced to switch gears and think of alternative tactics away from event marketing, to accelerate pipeline while keeping the health of others in mind. Also, the outbound sales<\/a> team will encounter new challenges and need to find better ways to close deals.<\/p>\n And they are turning to Content Marketing to stay engaged with their customers. <\/p>\n Content Marketing has evolved from being just blog posts and editorial strategies. It’s a holistic approach that provides a complete content experience and relies on a broad range of Digital Marketing<\/a> tactics such as email marketing<\/a>, social media, SEO<\/a>, interactive content, and paid media to keep and enhance engagement with customers.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an interesting shift in how people even interact with brands now. Folks who were once passive are suddenly way more vocal, and their expectations aren\u2019t only about a good deal or clever copy. They want authenticity\u2014no more polished statements that mean nothing. People notice when a brand stumbles but owns up and actually tries to do better, even if it\u2019s messy at first. That very human quality of imperfection is surprisingly persuasive these days, and I suppose it makes sense given how disconnected people felt over the past few years.<\/p>\n At the same time, there\u2019s this hunger for deeper stories. Not just content for the sake of it, but something that feels like it was crafted by actual humans who care about what they\u2019re making. Maybe that\u2019s why long-form reads and podcasts\u2014despite their supposed dip\u2014still find loyal audiences who want more than just a sales pitch. When a brand puts out something with a bit of vulnerability, or a story that doesn\u2019t resolve neatly, it sticks with people longer than any flashy ad ever could. It\u2019s almost refreshing, honestly.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting too that team dynamics are shifting alongside these consumer trends. Remote work, for all its headaches, has nudged marketers into collaborating in new ways\u2014maybe messier, maybe more asynchronous, but oddly effective. People have ended up having to trust each other\u2019s instincts more, which sometimes leads to those offbeat, experimental ideas actually making it to the surface. That kind of environment can turn out messaging that isn\u2019t rubber-stamped by three committees\u2014and ironically, customers seem to gravitate to that unpredictability.<\/p>\n This change hasn\u2019t only affected what brands produce, but even who gets heard. Suddenly, someone you wouldn\u2019t have expected\u2014maybe a junior copywriter or a data analyst who wouldn\u2019t usually pitch in\u2014gets their shot. There\u2019s a little more room for wild cards now, or for voices that don\u2019t echo the usual boardroom tune. It\u2019s not some utopian creative renaissance or anything, but there\u2019s definitely more diversity sneaking into campaign ideas. You have to squint to see it, but it\u2019s there, and it makes things a shade more interesting than before.<\/p>\n During the outbreak, maintaining brand credibility with public interest content and ads should be prioritized<\/a> over any sales promotions and product-driven communications. <\/p>\n Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) in an advisory update, recommends the following media mix: <\/p>\n No surprise: content is the most important marketing asset during a crisis and in a struggling economy. <\/p>\n As Dave Gerhardt put it: “No one knows how long this will last \u2014 three, six, twelve months? It is realistic to think that most B2B companies are going to miss 2025 revenue goals by 50% or more. This is the time to scale up content. Content is the thing that gets people to know\/like\/trust your brand. And if you do content right over the next 3-6 months, you can build relationships with people who will be your future buyers in Q4 and beyond. Just because people might not be buying in your industry doesn’t mean they don’t want entertainment or education from your brand.”<\/p>\n “Content is the most important marketing asset during a crisis and in a struggling economy.<\/p>\n Dave Gerhardt, Privy.com <\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Which brings us back to the concept of responsibility.<\/p>\n Based on the new Kantar’s “Covid-19 Barometer”<\/a>, what consumers want brands to do during the crisis is to help them. <\/p>\n The top three comms strategies among consumers include:<\/p>\n At the same time, 75% of respondents agreed brand should not “exploit” the Covid-19 situation to promote the brand. Other 40% percent of the sample believes brands should avoid humor. It is a tricky line to walk, however.<\/p>\n On the other hand, marketing and advertising are not the front-and-center issues in the near term<\/a>, as companies have to contend with business fundamentals such as safeguarding staff members and ensuring their supply chains are getting customers what they need when they need it most. <\/p>\n That said, recognizing the core human concerns of employees and consumers is paramount right now \u2014 and it is here that marketers can play a central role.<\/p>\n Invest in actions, not content, and ads about actions. There have been many past crises where marketers happily publicized their contributions. But the present moment is not a time to promote actions<\/a>.<\/p>\n A big shout out to companies like LVMH, Brewdog, and Ramazzotti which have already turned around their manufacturing lines to mass manufacture hand sanitizers for French, UK, and Italian hospitals. <\/p>\n Deliveroo, Lidl and Morrison have distributed free food<\/a> to NHS professionals and to food banks. It’s the kind of thing that gets remembered many years later.<\/p>\n We marketers, especially the ones not involved with above mentioned large corporations, are not supposed to go with such magnificent gestures. We are not epidemiologists, neither doctors. <\/p>\n Marketing is the only discipline we can help with. Let’s help our community if we can afford it. <\/p>\n How we deal with the crisis now may shape consumer views beyond. Brands using their market position to be helpful during the Coronavirus outbreak will leave an impression. <\/p>\n Let’s provide education, webinars, pro-bono support. It’s not a lot and it won’t safe lives. But it might help small companies to face the disruption and to be better prepared for the moment when this situation will be over (because it will be over). <\/p>\n And again, these are the kind of thing that gets remembered many years later. <\/p>\n As Seth Godin puts it: “In this moment when we’re so disconnected and afraid, the answer might not be a freebie. That might simply push us further apart. The answer might be showing up to do the difficult work of connection, of caring, and of extending ourselves where it’s not expected.”<\/p>\n This means that we should not follow the examples of individuals and brands who have professed and promoted, for many years, the cult of customers and employees, and then suddenly show their real soul during an unprecedented crisis like the one we’re living \u2014 treating badly employees and customers. <\/p>\n In a few words: be a responsible marketer.<\/p>\n It’s no longer business as usual.<\/p>\nDigital content experiences will come out of the crisis stronger than ever<\/h2>\n
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Be a responsible marketer: invest in actions and bring a human focus to customer concerns<\/h2>\n
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Go long-term<\/h2>\n