Can Purposeful Marketing help get you through COVID-19?
June 30, 2020
The past 14 weeks under COVID-19 restrictions has been a whirlwind for Australian businesses. Now, as the dust begins to settle and shopfronts start to open their doors once again, Kommunal believes it’s the perfect time to focus on what this experience has meant for the marketing world.
The truth is that the shock of a global pandemic brought out the good, the bad and the ugly of brand marketing. There was no one way to survive during such an unexpected and challenging period, but there is one quality that set many successful brands apart from the rest; purpose.
We’re proud to say that the varying approaches adopted by our clients are proof that marketing with purpose can help businesses weather even the harshest of storms. Here’s how four very different Kommunal clients used this strategy to their advantage.
When hundreds of thousands of people began losing their jobs due to COVID-19, the REIV sprang into action. Tenants couldn’t afford rent, homeowners couldn’t afford their mortgage and it was clear that the market was going to suffer as a result. As the peak body for real estate professionals throughout Victoria, the REIV knew it was more important than ever for Victorians to feel secure and supported when it came to real estate issues. So they got to work.
The REIV went above and beyond to provide accurate, real-time updates to real estate professionals whose jobs were impacted by COVID, as well as homeowners and renters who were struggling financially. Working with the Australian and Victorian governments, they assisted in developing a Residential Rent Relief Packages, pushed for temporary moratoriums on rental laws and were a reliable voice for how the latest restrictions were impacting real estate professionals.
In representing the best interests of Victorians, the REIV utilised the approach that many brands during this time failed to get right; the concept of ‘tell don’t sell’. By positioning themselves as a beacon of knowledge and authority during such a confusing and overwhelming time, they came out on top and won the respect of the public and real estate professionals.
Camec is a leading manufacturer and retailer of RV, caravan and camping supplies. This is an industry that has been hit hard in 2020, first by the bushfires and now COVID-19. With this in mind, it would be entirely understandable if they chose to withdraw from any marketing activities until the industry started to recover. Before doing this, however, the Kommunal team researched the current climate of their industry and saw an opportunity to keep the communication going with their client base and fans. In our eyes, keeping these relationships alive during such difficult times was essential to any future marketing success.
Together, Camec and Kommunal looked to the bigger picture, choosing to focus on a long-term strategy that would nurture ongoing relationships in preparation for future growth. Over just two and a half days, we completed the journey from idea to concept to finished product. The package consisted of several animated files, designed and created by our team: an eDM, email signature banner, social and web content – plus a complete rollout strategy.
For a low cost, we built a small yet comprehensive campaign aimed at communicating Camec’s message of education and positivity to their stakeholders. This was a purely an organic campaign focused on maintaining positive relationships with those who were already interested in Camec – no sponsored posts, no advertising costs. In the end, we reached their data base through the art of telling rather than selling – a considerable win for a company deeply impacted over the past few months.
Spacecube are in the business of building, transporting and installing recyclable temporary spaces for the events industry. But then COVID-19 hit and… well, we all know what that meant for public gatherings and events. Before Coronavirus, Spacecube were gearing up to provide innovative spaces for events like the Grand Prix in Melbourne. They had invested a lot of time and money in the lead up to the event, even hiring staff to ensure they could meet any and all demands of such a major annual gathering. In short, they were looking down the barrel of considerable loss, just like many other brands and companies.
Kommunal had performed a “Communication Ready” Workshop with Spacecube in 2019, and while we didn’t see the impact of COVID-19 coming (we’re good, but not predict-a-global-pandemic, good), Spacecube had begun considering the threat of relying on one industry for income. With this in mind, when COVID reared its ugly head, the Spacecube team decided to take this as an opportunity to pivot their strategy. Proactively foreseeing the government’s ban on public events, they instead decided to create a ‘Rapid Deployment Modular Infrastructure’ service. This new product repurposed the spaces designed for the Grand Prix to provide a dedicated COVID-19 unit at Monash Health that would go on to help affected people recover from the virus.
With a little reimagining and some quick decisions, Spacecube turned a major roadblock for their brand into an opportunity to fulfil their social responsibility. This not only set them up for future expansion into other industries, but they also benefitted greatly from excellent PR – with their initiative being talked about on platforms such as Channel 7 and the Herald Sun. While Kommunal wasn’t at the forefront of driving this campaign – we couldn’t be prouder of a brand committed to surviving and thriving.
For months now, we’ve been working with Lucky Chicken Eggs to market their Women’s Coaching Crusade campaign, which aims to get more females on the path to coaching AFLW. But, of course, then the AFL and AFLW seasons were postponed for 2020.
For some, this seemed like a time to stop sponsoring women’s sports. But Lucky Chicken Eggs couldn’t disagree more. There has never been a more important time to support women in sport. It became clear that to enjoy AFLW in the future, people and organisations – including LCE themselves – need to continue their sponsorships now more than ever. This is why, even amidst the doubt and uncertainty of the AFLW season, Lucky Chicken Eggs recently announced that Emma Grant was the recipient of the 2020 Coaching Pathway Scholarship.
In leading by example, LCE demonstrated that now is not the time to turn a blind eye or give up on women in sport. What we do as a community now will impact the future of AFLW post-Coronavirus, and LCE lead by example to prove just that.
The past 14 weeks under COVID-19 restrictions has been a whirlwind for Australian businesses. Now, as the dust begins to settle and shopfronts start to open their doors once again, Kommunal believes it’s the perfect time to focus on what this experience has meant for the marketing world.
The truth is that the shock of a global pandemic brought out the good, the bad and the ugly of brand marketing. There was no one way to survive during such an unexpected and challenging period, but there is one quality that set many successful brands apart from the rest; purpose.
We’re proud to say that the varying approaches adopted by our clients are proof that marketing with purpose can help businesses weather even the harshest of storms. Here’s how four very different Kommunal clients used this strategy to their advantage.
When hundreds of thousands of people began losing their jobs due to COVID-19, the REIV sprang into action. Tenants couldn’t afford rent, homeowners couldn’t afford their mortgage and it was clear that the market was going to suffer as a result. As the peak body for real estate professionals throughout Victoria, the REIV knew it was more important than ever for Victorians to feel secure and supported when it came to real estate issues. So they got to work.
The REIV went above and beyond to provide accurate, real-time updates to real estate professionals whose jobs were impacted by COVID, as well as homeowners and renters who were struggling financially. Working with the Australian and Victorian governments, they assisted in developing a Residential Rent Relief Packages, pushed for temporary moratoriums on rental laws and were a reliable voice for how the latest restrictions were impacting real estate professionals.
In representing the best interests of Victorians, the REIV utilised the approach that many brands during this time failed to get right; the concept of ‘tell don’t sell’. By positioning themselves as a beacon of knowledge and authority during such a confusing and overwhelming time, they came out on top and won the respect of the public and real estate professionals.
Camec is a leading manufacturer and retailer of RV, caravan and camping supplies. This is an industry that has been hit hard in 2020, first by the bushfires and now COVID-19. With this in mind, it would be entirely understandable if they chose to withdraw from any marketing activities until the industry started to recover. Before doing this, however, the Kommunal team researched the current climate of their industry and saw an opportunity to keep the communication going with their client base and fans. In our eyes, keeping these relationships alive during such difficult times was essential to any future marketing success.
Together, Camec and Kommunal looked to the bigger picture, choosing to focus on a long-term strategy that would nurture ongoing relationships in preparation for future growth. Over just two and a half days, we completed the journey from idea to concept to finished product. The package consisted of several animated files, designed and created by our team: an eDM, email signature banner, social and web content – plus a complete rollout strategy.
For a low cost, we built a small yet comprehensive campaign aimed at communicating Camec’s message of education and positivity to their stakeholders. This was a purely an organic campaign focused on maintaining positive relationships with those who were already interested in Camec – no sponsored posts, no advertising costs. In the end, we reached their data base through the art of telling rather than selling – a considerable win for a company deeply impacted over the past few months.
Spacecube are in the business of building, transporting and installing recyclable temporary spaces for the events industry. But then COVID-19 hit and… well, we all know what that meant for public gatherings and events. Before Coronavirus, Spacecube were gearing up to provide innovative spaces for events like the Grand Prix in Melbourne. They had invested a lot of time and money in the lead up to the event, even hiring staff to ensure they could meet any and all demands of such a major annual gathering. In short, they were looking down the barrel of considerable loss, just like many other brands and companies.
Kommunal had performed a “Communication Ready” Workshop with Spacecube in 2019, and while we didn’t see the impact of COVID-19 coming (we’re good, but not predict-a-global-pandemic, good), Spacecube had begun considering the threat of relying on one industry for income. With this in mind, when COVID reared its ugly head, the Spacecube team decided to take this as an opportunity to pivot their strategy. Proactively foreseeing the government’s ban on public events, they instead decided to create a ‘Rapid Deployment Modular Infrastructure’ service. This new product repurposed the spaces designed for the Grand Prix to provide a dedicated COVID-19 unit at Monash Health that would go on to help affected people recover from the virus.
With a little reimagining and some quick decisions, Spacecube turned a major roadblock for their brand into an opportunity to fulfil their social responsibility. This not only set them up for future expansion into other industries, but they also benefitted greatly from excellent PR – with their initiative being talked about on platforms such as Channel 7 and the Herald Sun. While Kommunal wasn’t at the forefront of driving this campaign – we couldn’t be prouder of a brand committed to surviving and thriving.
For months now, we’ve been working with Lucky Chicken Eggs to market their Women’s Coaching Crusade campaign, which aims to get more females on the path to coaching AFLW. But, of course, then the AFL and AFLW seasons were postponed for 2020.
For some, this seemed like a time to stop sponsoring women’s sports. But Lucky Chicken Eggs couldn’t disagree more. There has never been a more important time to support women in sport. It became clear that to enjoy AFLW in the future, people and organisations – including LCE themselves – need to continue their sponsorships now more than ever. This is why, even amidst the doubt and uncertainty of the AFLW season, Lucky Chicken Eggs recently announced that Emma Grant was the recipient of the 2020 Coaching Pathway Scholarship.
In leading by example, LCE demonstrated that now is not the time to turn a blind eye or give up on women in sport. What we do as a community now will impact the future of AFLW post-Coronavirus, and LCE lead by example to prove just that.