A brand’s ability to succeed is largely determined by the methods it adapts to connect more with its consumers and garner trust. In the time of a global pandemic, when consumers’ concerns are at an all-time high, homegrown brands have stepped up and taken their best foot forward. They ensure that the support between brand and consumer becomes a two-way affair.

Almost all brands have resorted to wielding the power of social media for effective marketing as a large fraction of the population serves as active internet users. These platforms acted as a space for brands to build the level of engagement with their consumers by way of hosting a variety of online events to spread a positive feeling during times of crisis. Us being learning and performing organisation at a pace and a field that we have created, we have to read and envision the future much earlier than others, prepare ourselves and participate effectively.

A smart marketing move that most brands make use of nowadays is associating themselves with celebrities or important personalities who resonate well with the brand and its purpose. We at Fast&Up have partnered with celebrities like Shilpa Shetty and Varun Dhawan, who are passionate about health and fitness, to promote the cause of our brand.

Brands have been incorporating innovative marketing strategies for years now. However, the last two years have called for a distinct change in the arena of advertisement. Direct advertising has been replaced with brands trying to connect with their consumers on a more human level, in light of difficult circumstances everyone collectively finds themselves in. To be able to have the consumers relate to your brand is something that is interconnected with their emotions too. Empathetic marketing during a global pandemic certainly proved the adaptive nature of businesses in unpredictable situations. Brands like PayTM, Zomato, and Unilever set up donation drives and launched various initiatives to support communities. These certainly acts as a hook point for consumers.

Awareness to stay healthy has increased significantly over the years in the younger generation particularly and the pandemic has accelerated that awareness track. Trust, honesty and transparency are keywords today when it comes to engaging with consumers. Everyone wants to be connected to a brand that thinks about them and involves them in the whole journey- from process to creation.

Many brands involve consumers via campaigns and contests encouraging them to participate in product designing and taking their opinions on rebranding and other such initiatives. By doing so, brands are giving their customer base a chance to be heard and a feeling of inclusivity which in turn converts into a successful market for their products. For instance, a popular chips company, Lays, had also used the same move earlier, asking their consumers to “Do Us A Flavour.”

With the ongoing pandemic that’s affected millions of lives over the course of nearly two years, consumers have come to appreciate the many social initiatives that brands are taking up to help the nation at large. An effective way of informing the public about these initiatives is through social media updation. At Fast&Up, we initiated our CSR campaign in May 2021, #HealPrayLove, to build immunity for the community to aid, support and energise frontline workers across the country who worked tirelessly to bring us all back to health. As an expression of gratitude, the brand supported doctors, nurses, hospital staff, police and NGOs across the country by providing instant hydration and electrolytes.

Moreover, this also prompted other brands to follow suit. Giving back to society has been a part of every brand’s agenda through the length of this crisis and in turn, ensures brand loyalty. This also adds brand value by improving the image of a particular brand in the eyes of the consumer.

At the end of the day, the consumer and the brand are interconnected and this co-dependency will thrive where the communication is two ways.

*The author is Varun Khanna, Co-Founder, Fast&Up