We’re searching for the most pressing marketing insights this week. Updated daily.
Facebook Will Reopen Offices In July, But Says It Will Let Employees Continue To Work Remotely For The Rest Of The Year
Business Insider
A spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that Facebook will reopen its offices on July 6, allowing employees who want to continue teleworking to do so until the end of 2020. Facebook is also canceling all in-person events of over 50 people until June 2021.
Why it matters: Facebook’s digital infrastructure has allowed it to smoothly continue functioning during the crisis.
Will Big Brands Be Punished For Taking Small Business Aid?
Adweek
Thanks to the $2 trillion rescue package, scores of very large companies were able to obtain federal assistance as “small” businesses. Shake Shack returned the $10 million it received.
Why it matters: News of the small-business aid money going to big brands was so widespread that some believe short-term backlash is unavoidable. President and chief strategist of Retail Voodoo David Lemley believes brands won’t experience reputation damage for lockdown has afforded brands a “grace period,” that, when the nation reopens, will make it so people are “so enamored by the possibility of going out and enjoying a meal somewhere that we will flock to the [restaurants we like]—not because they were good citizens, but because they deliver on the promise of a dining experience.”
Travel Brands Look To Local And Regional Destinations With A Glimmer Of Hope
AdExchanger
In response to COVID’s impact on travel, brands like Wyndham, Hilton and Disney Resorts are retooling their approach to focus more on regional and local travel experiences. For example, Wyndham expects drive-to travel to account for 90 percent of its hotel occupancy for the rest of the year, up from 70 percent pre-pandemic. Disney expects drive-to-business to also ramp up first at its park in Anaheim, California.
Why it matters: The hotel business won’t fully rebound until people are comfortable flying again.
Sotheby’s Teams With Google For Virtual Experience Charity Auction
WWD
Sotheby’s and Google are hosting a virtual charity auction on Google Meets from now until May 8. Winning bidders can experience a virtual coffee date with Hillary Clinton, a private office tour and tips with Sir Paul Smith, a song recording session with Sting, a personalized makeup consultation with Charlotte Tilbury or an acting lesson with Sir Patrick Stewart. Winning bidders can also share their experience with front-line workers and others who have been impacted by the pandemic. All proceeds will benefit the International Rescue Committee’s efforts against COVID-19.
Why it matters: As per Javier Soltero, G Suite vice president and general manager for Google: “With COVID-19 impacting the way we live, work, learn and socialize, the need for secure video meetings to foster human connection has never been greater.”
What Does The Marketing Funnel Look Like Post-Pandemic?
Marketing Dive
People are consuming more content, cutting their spending, looking for brands to take public stances and said they retract their brand loyalty faster than they did three years ago.
Why it matters: Brands looking to survive post-pandemic must implement marketing strategies that span every relevant channel, as well as double down on showcasing their true value proposition and how they help their communities.
Why H&R Block Is Thinking And Acting Like A News Outlet
Adweek
H&R Block CMO Vinoo Vijay says that in response to COVID, his team built new webpages geared toward keeping consumers and small businesses informed about how the pandemic might alter how they file taxes. They also launched an online calculator that gives estimates of how much people could expect to get from stimulus paychecks.
Why it matters: At a time when people are turning to the web for news and entertainment, brands are making an effort to act more like publishers to reach more people.
Wendy’s Defied The Odds And Successfully Launched Breakfast During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Creating A Massive New Problem For Fast-Food Rivals Like McDonald’s And Taco Bell
Business Insider
Though Wendy’s launched breakfast in the first week of March, its breakfast sales now account for eight percent of its business.
Why it matters: According to executives at Taco Bell, Tim Hortons and McDonald’s, breakfast sales have been hit hard by the pandemic. As they rebuild their breakfast business, they’ll have to compete with Wendy’s, whose breakfast helped boost same-store sales to 16 percent the week it launched.
How Marketing Can Be More Effective With A Fulfilling Customer Experience
Ad Age
F5’s Mika Yamamoto explains that a Customer Effort Score, the amount of effort a customer exerts to fulfill a request, for example, is a point-in-time score that’s an easy way to get more engagement and feedback.
Why it matters: Using a Customer Effort Score allows you to get a quick understanding of how your customers feel during moments that matter.
Adweek Together: Continuing Creative Operations
Adweek
LA-based creative agency Imaginary Forces has continued operations amid coronavirus 100 percent with graphic and animated expressions.
Why it matters: Agencies are having to refocus how they work.
KFC Hosts Virtual Mother’s Day Dinners On Facebook Messenger
Mobile Marketer
KFC created a virtual Mother’s Day experience for Facebook Messenger that lets users send loved ones a personalized invitation to virtually share a meal together. Users can decorate their video calls with digital stickers and effects. Up to eight people can join the call. KFC is also offering free delivery on orders of more than $20 through its website and Grubhub.
Why it matters: Brands are utilizing several mobile and digital features to help families connect online as social distancing orders remain in effect.
Pizza And The Power Of Influence: Papa Murphy’s CMO Talks Brand Purpose And Community Support
Forbes
Papa Murphy’s is donating a dollar from each Mini Murph pizza-making kit purchased to No Kid Hungry to help kids affected by COVID-19 school closures. Papa Murphy’s owners are also donating pizzas directly to the frontline workers at hospitals and the Boys Club and the Girls Club.
Why it matters: As per Papa Murphy’s CMO Kim McBee, “There’s never a better time to show folks what a brand is all about than in a time of crisis, and we have the ability in terms of all of our efforts and all of our locations can really galvanize to help people at a national level when these kinds of things happen.”
Opinion: What Happens To The Human Experience When Live Events Disappear
Ad Age
Social distancing has altered essential parts of people’s lives and virtual comfort isn’t the same as what’s offered in person.
Why it matters: “For each day that passes without face-to-face engagement, the value of the live experience rises—humanity demands that events come back strong.”
SoundCloud On Twitch To Debut May 6
Adweek
On May 6, SoundCloud will debut a weekly one-hour music show on Twitch hosted by Soulection founder Joe Kay. Kay and special guests will explore undiscovered tracks on SoundCloud. Additional series will be introduced in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: In late March, SoundCloud announced it was partnering with Twitch to help struggling musicians earn money via an affiliate program on their Twitch streams.
