More brands look to digital solutions to bring events to customers
Digital solutions are stepping in to preserve live events across multiple industries as lockdown continues throughout the UK.
The past two months have seen high profile events such as the London Fashion Show reimagine their experience through live-streamed interviews, podcasts and digital showrooms. Now the Chelsea Flower Show has opened as an entirely virtual experience.
Content from the show includes tours of gardens from designers and demonstrations and live Q&As from experts.
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Is this the time to invest in Influencer marketing?
Many consumers have turned to social media during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether it be escapisms or inspiration. With usage up 70% in March, according to Kantar research, brands have an opportunity to link with influencers to help spread their stories faster and in an authentic, relatable way.
A recent webinar published on Marketing Week explored how influencers can be a valuable and authentic intermediary between brands and their customers during lockdown.
The talk also warned that if brands “go dark” throughout the crisis, they risked disappearing entirely and struggling to recover post-lockdown. Instead, brands need to continue to look to digital solutions for telling their stories and remaining relevant.
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Facebook celebrates the best social good work on the platform
Facebook, is launching a ‘Business for Good’ series to celebrate some of the best social good work on the platform – including charitable giving, crisis response, health initiatives, campaigns, and mentorship.
Some of the highlighted businesses include The Country Dog Hotel which has mobilised more than 5,000 volunteers to help care for the pets of vulnerable groups and frontline workers. Also included is Defected Records which has been bringing live-streamed DJ events to music fans while also raising money for World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Facebook head of global business strategy and engagement, Arielle Gross Samuels, says: “There’s never been a better time to put social good at the core of business.”
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How Covid-19 has changed shopping behaviour
Research from marketing experts Bazaarvoice has analysed the different patterns and changes in behaviour across 20 product categories to build a global picture of how we’re shopping during lockdown compared with the same period in 2019.
Overall, the data shows consumers were quick to embrace online shopping, with a 21% increase in orders from March 2020 to March 2019. There has been a 25% increase in page views across all e-commerce sites, as consumers have more time to browse new products.
The majority of product categories saw an increase in online purchases. The biggest growth came from Business & Industrial products (91 per cent) followed by Toys and Games (90 per cent), while the only two categories that saw a decline was Luggage (down 14 per cent) and Religious (down 31 per cent).
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UK journalism is facing a loss of £1bn this year
A report from Enders Analysis has shown how the UK journalism industry is currently on a “precipice” with a decline of several years worth of advertising and subscription revenue over the past few weeks.
Enders forecasts a £570m fall in ad revenue for print newspapers, a £200m drop for magazines and a £210m decline for digital in 2020. The decrease in circulation is expected to lead to a £215m shortfall for news brands, rising to £267m when including magazines.
Enders welcomed the recent government cash injection (estimated at £35m) with the launch of an ad blitz across hundreds of newspapers in a three-month deal, but added that this is not enough.
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