Mumbai: The pandemic has changed the way businesses function all around the world. As organisations start limping back to the new normal, they also had to find ways to adapt to the changing dynamics of the market- from consumer behaviour to the way brands communicate to their consumers.
2021 year saw brands and advertisers experimenting with new trends, and taking a detour from their original marketing strategies. A lot of them embraced empathy and compassion to connect with their consumers, who too were learning to adapt to the new normal. From Savlon to Byju's and from Coca Cola to Dove, let’s look at some of these brand campaigns that struck a chord with the masses, as the year draws to a close.
Savlon- #NoHandUnwashed by Ogilvy
Regular hand washing became a norm during the pandemic. Savlon launched the campaign ‘No Hand Unwashed’ in association with Ogilvy. The campaign featured a video that depicts the story of an artist without arms who paints with her legs and can sanitise her limbs. "If she could, why can't you?" was the inspiration behind.
Dove- #StopTheBeautyTest by Oglivy
The empathetic advertising continued even after the Covid wave subsided. Dove took this approach to address other issues of Indian society. In its ad campaign #StopTheBeatuyTest Dove addressed body shaming and skin colour biases in the Indian matrimony space. Dove has always been vocal about such negative norms of society. In 2021, it came up with its ad film #StopTheBeautyTest by Ogilvy.
Domino's ke Saath #HaathBadhaoIndia #VaccineLagaoIndia by FCB
The empathetic ad film by Domino's takes a look back at the struggles that people went through during the pandemic. Domino's tells people to extend their hands once again and get vaccinated together through its ad film. FCB India conceptualised the campaign. The ad film was directed by Amit Roy of Love Aaj Kal fame, and lyrics penned by Swanand Kirkire.
Unacademy- #TeachThemYoung by Lowe Lintas
This ad campaign by Unacademy and Lowe Lintas, Made by Lowe Lintas, tells how a brother opening her sister's bag is nothing but an invasion of her privacy and boundaries. It talks about empowering women and teaching gender equality to boys at a young age.
Cadbury- Not just a Cadbury ad by Ogilvy
Undoubtedly the pandemic has shaken the spine of the Indian economy. While the big brands managed to bring back their business quickly, the local ones couldn't do much due to the lack of resources. The spot by Ogilvy features Shah Rukh Khan, who is seen promoting local cloth merchants, shoe shops, electronic stores and the nearby Kirana shop. The ad showcased 7000+ stores across 34mn consumers in two weeks.
Facebook- Pooja Didi by Taproot Dentsu
The ad campaign designed by Taproot Dentsu ignites hope among the users. The ad highlighted how we could reach out to the many unorganised sector workers who had lost their livelihoods.
