A report shows the shift in consumers’ preferences as the virus spreads around the world
A recent study by Captify’s premium publisher network states that as the coronavirus spreads around the world and the number of infected people grows exponentially, the behavior of thousands of consumers has been impacted in a worrying way.
The declaration of the illness as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the declarations of emergency and states of quarantine in many countries, and the cancellation of air flights and land travel have been just some of the measures issued by the world’s governments to curb this serious disease and events that have triggered an impact on the economy, politics and families’ well-being.
In this sense, which reminds us of the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic that became known in Mexico in 2009 and affected several countries in North America, South America and Europe, it leads us to observe how, even in times of crisis, communication from consumers to their brands and from brands to their followers plays a fundamental role in raising awareness, preventing and even reducing the spread of a disease.
The number of searches about the coronavirus has grown 11,434% since January, including consumer goods and packaged products (728%), delivery orders (58.7%) and the purchase of pharmaceutical products (38.11%), according to the report by Captify.
Travel, with a reduction of up to 300% less, events with less than 215% and luxury goods, with a downward trend of -76.2%, are just some of the brands that have the most opportunity to shine in this context.
Staying present in people’s minds is the challenge of every brand, even in complicated times, and it requires a communication strategy that, from a public relations or advertising agency, must aim to be empathetic and close, not necessarily selling its product or brand, but showing solidarity with those who today need to see its more human side.
Brands such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Roku and HBO rank among the most requested by the millennial community, placing, for example, the film “Contagion”, directed by Steven Soderbergh, as one of the most searched for in the entire world, so the golden opportunity for these entertainment brands cannot go unnoticed.
We could say that, ultimately, the search trends and interests of consumers have led to a considerable imbalance that has affected the economy of many companies around the world, but since opportunity is born from every crisis, there is always room to create creative communication strategies that bring brands and consumers closer together to strengthen ties and build a better global society.
