MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Ten weeks into lockdown, Philippine agency GIGIL took it upon themselves to host a webinar to address some issues concerning the advertising industry.
Dubbed “GIG Back Series: I Don’t Give A Sh**t, The Repeat: Creative ideas for brands to escape the lockdown,” the event featured some of GIGIL’s leaders who spoke on how brands are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, as well as how advertising may still find its audience and thrive.
Noting that in past cases of recession, brands tended to withdraw or go dark, the team also pointed out that for any given brand, it is a good idea to spend during financial recessions since the audience is here, whether watching TV or through online channels.
They also tackled the question: How do you produce materials when you can’t shoot any ads?
Data from Kantar Media indicates that only 8 percent of people say brands should stop advertising during the pandemic. By repurposing ads as Old Spice and Budweiser have done, they’ve still been able to churn out materials.
Using simple graphics is also an option to make a simple yet bold statement, as Ford did. Animation, as the Australian Government did in a campaign against domestic violence, is another option. With everyone now being directors, just using your phone to shoot can work, as was the case with Land Rover’s recent output.
Emerging technologies and apps can also be used to produce material, which is what Coors Light did for their Coors Clone Machine and the Philippine Department of Tourism did, both using Zoom. For their part, P&G tapped TikTok influencer Charli D’Amelio to do a video with the #DistanceDance.
The idea is to come out with materials that Filipinos will talk about so the brand rises above the din, creates buzz, and earns free media coverage. Orocan’s Kubeta Got Talent saw three contestants performed daily in a five-episode Facebook live show. Brands also need to be agile at this time, as shown by CLiQQ, which transformed their catalogue from food treats to sardines, rice, and essentials.
Check out some of the slides from “GIG Back Series: I Don’t Give A Sh**t, The Repeat: Creative ideas for brands to escape the lockdown:”
Brands can also reinvent their product like Ginebra San Miguel did when they replaced their iconic label with frontliners displayed instead. Or they can be creative like Burger King and its Quarantine Whopper, offering their own recipe for people to create their version of the famous Whoppers from home.
GIGIL emphasizes that despite the difficulty facing the industry and the world today, the opportunity to still produce creative materials to reach audiences that are essentially stuck at home is still present.
About the Author:
Jason Inocencio was once the Digital Editor of adobo magazine who still loves seeing great campaigns from all over the world. He proudly shows off his love for all kinds of geeky things, whether it be movies, TV shows, comics, sports, or trivia.
