Nothing screams "summer" quite like an ice-cold beer or refreshing rum punch — and this year, vaccinated Americans will finally be able to share a drink with friends. With bars reopening and summer barbecues back on, global beverage sales are projected to increase 3% in 2021. So how are big beverage brands preparing for a post-vaccine summer? Diageo, Bacardi, and Brown-Forman have all increased spending in the last year, so let's take a closer look at their advertising strategies.
There may not be any spectators at the Tokyo Olympics this year, but the show _will_ go on, and the advertisers are here for it. From television to OTT to digital, brands have had an extra year to gear up for the worldwide Summer event, and are using the opportunity to gain the attention of a public who, after a long 15 months, are looking for something to celebrate. Between official sponsorship opportunities and general Team-USA cheer, advertisers have a lot to work with when it comes to Olympic themed advertising--and they've shown up in full force this year.
At the start of lockdowns, sales of hand sanitizer surged 838%. Cleaning brands simply couldn't keep up as store shelves were wiped clean by anxious shoppers. Distilleries even pivoted from making bourbon and vodka and started pumping out the disinfectant instead. The sanitizer-buying frenzy has eased since then, but popular cleaning brands Clorox, Lysol, and Purell are betting we won't abandon our germaphobe tendencies after we're vaccinated — at least, not yet. All three brands are advertising more now than they did during stay-at-home orders.
Money transfer and payment apps are seeing an unprecedented spike in adoption and usage. While these initial surges aligned with retail business closures and statewide stay-at-home orders, the gradual proliferation of contactless payment apps reflects consumers' mounting desire for both convenience and safety in how they manage their financial lives. Today, we'll review how PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App pivoted their digital creative and spending strategies to account for shifting trends in consumer spending habits throughout the pandemic and our fundamental understanding of money.
Throughout the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures expedited the adoption and implementation of digital mental health apps and tools. To meet the rising demand for psychiatric and teletherapy services amid a worsening global mental health crisis, telehealth providers took center stage and emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories throughout the pandemic. Today, we'll examine how some of the industry's key players approached their respective ad strategies from the initial days of the pandemic through Spring 2021.
As the global pandemic sent shockwaves throughout the world, lockdown measures ignited a boom in remote work. While many industries struggled to weather the COVID storm, video conferencing and collaboration software vendors, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Slack, reaped the rewards. In fact, the use of remote collaboration software surged over 176% in May of 2020. Today, we'll explore how these three brands adapted their respective ad strategies to usher in a new era of business and work culture.
Amazon created the first Prime Day to commemorate the company’s 20th anniversary on July 15, 2015. Promoted as “bigger than Black Friday,” the day-long event promised exclusive sales to Prime members on a wide variety of products. Despite the early criticism of the deals offered, the sale day became an ever-growing cultural and economic phenomenon. Every year shoppers could expect deals on everything from apparel to books to household wares and smart home tech.
In a typical pre-pandemic day, around 492,000 orders were placed on the GrubHub platform. In 2020, GrubHub received roughly 623,000 orders per day. The food delivery boom can be attributed to people avoiding grocery stores and restaurants, as well as efforts by brick-and-mortar restaurants and retailers to provide safe, contactless options during the pandemic. Food delivery services DoorDash, GrubHub, and Instacart have spent more on digital advertising than before lockdowns were in place, so let’s compare their ad spend since 2020 and where their peak spends lie.
As shoppers slowly emerge from months at home in their sweatpants, luxury brands are grappling with how to sell watches and purses in a post-pandemic world. Burberry reported its sales were down 48% in Q1 2020 — not surprising, considering that stores around the world were closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Likewise, Gucci sales slid 22% in the first quarter of 2020 in spite of a boost from online shoppers. So far in Q1 2021, luxury goods seem to be regaining their pre-pandemic sparkle.
With so many people skipping their commutes and staying at home, you might expect car sales to have taken a hit during the pandemic. But according to Edmunds.com, COVID-19 has only accelerated the demand for used cars. August and September 2020 posted the fastest rate of used car inventory turnover in the last six years. Part of this has to do with the shortage of new vehicles due to auto factory shutdowns. With fewer options to buy new, cooped-up consumers have been setting their sights on used cars.
Apple is making massive changes to the settings on iPhones, all in the name of privacy. This move will fundamentally change mobile advertising on those devices by taking a privacy option, which up until now was hidden deep in users’ phones, and displaying it prominently when they open an app. This is expected to dramatically impact the way advertisers target ads and a lot of companies are scrambling to figure out how best to move forward without breaking the new rules and getting kicked out of the Apple App Store.
Not since the 60's has a nation had so much pent up tension and longing for intimate connection - and back then, the only place you could swipe right was a rotary phone. Now, love is just a click away! Well, except for that whole pandemic-quarantine thing? But all that is about to change. It's been a long year, and the dating apps are preparing for "single and ready to mingle" to transition into, "vaccinated and ready to get the hell out of my house and meet someone who hopefully looks like their profile picture!" Or, some version of that, anyway.
Digital advertising plays an essential role in the modern-day brand’s success, from revenue and customer growth to driving brand awareness throughout a company’s lifecycle. After a tumultuous year, several technology companies entered 2021 with plans for an IPO. One of the most anticipated brands to go public in 2021 was Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in America.
As of April 19, all US adults are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. This marks a huge milestone in the vaccination effort, and comes ahead of the May 1 deadline President Biden had originally set. We know from CDC data that 134.4 million Americans have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson jab.
Up until recently, cruises were the fastest-growing segment of the travel industry. But as the world closed its borders in response to COVID-19, the fallout created an elevated level of concern amongst the public surrounding the health and safety aboard cruise ships. As expected, there's been a significant financial impact for all cruise lines, making it challenging for these brands to attract travelers and thus result in closures.
As we Tweet and ‘gram our way into another year, social advertising remains a top focus for brands. In fact, top advertisers across verticals spending an average of 60-70% of digital budgets on social channels. But after a year fraught with a pandemic, a presidential election, and continued conversations of racial and social injustice, advertisers have been faced with a choice to join the conversation, or stay silent.
There's been no shortage of content to watch as the streaming platforms have exploded during the last year. And, although most people have been able to watch movies on their TV's or phones, in the comfort of their living rooms, there's just nothing like the experience of a darkened theater, 30 foot screen, body-shaking surround sound, and a bucket of buttery popcorn that gives you a stomachache near Act III. And as we round the corner back to normalcy, we take a look back at how movie theaters digital marketing reacted and adapted to the pandemic.
The coronavirus forced people to reconsider and even scrap their vacation plans altogether. While reservations through short-term rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO plummeted 47% from January to April, bookings slowly recovered in the following months. Experts theorize short-term rentals in remote markets offer a social distance-friendly experience, with multiple bedroom-units and whole homes furnished with full-service amenities, including kitchens, making longer-term stays more convenient.
The streaming wars are raging in 2021 and the arena is stacked with old and new players. Companies are leaning on digital ads to entice new subscribers with exclusive content, new releases, and beloved classics. Paramount+ is the latest streaming company to debut in 2021, replacing CBS All Access as the dedicated streaming platform from ViacomCBS. Paramount+ spent $15M in digital ads from the beginning of the year leading to the launch on March 4th. In the time leading up to the launch, Paramount+ spent more than its peers like HBO Max ($12M), Peacock ($5.7M), and Discovery Plus ($13M).
Like most sports leagues, the NCAA has had to overcome much to execute a full season this year - the pandemic, shuttered schools, covid protocols. But, perseverance and determination has paid off as one of the most celebrated tournaments is set to begin - March Madness! And what accompanies a massive sports competition...Digital Ads, of course.
