Lessons for Marketers on the Back of Covid-19

Lessons for Marketers

NZ Marketing catches up with Jo Mitchell to get her thoughts on where marketing is headed in 2021 and the lessons marketers can take from a Covid-19-tainted 2020.


2020 was a challenging year that saw businesses around the world having to contend with rapid changes in consumer behaviour, and needing to make swift and sometimes major changes to the way they do business.

Jo Mitchell Marketing Director at DB Breweries Ltd says that marketers can take a number of good lessons from the trials that 2020 threw at us. She offers up these three areas that marketers should really focus on in 2021:

Jo Mitchell, Marketing Director at DB Breweries Ltd.

Consumer comes first

I talk about this a lot, but no matter what, your strategy has to focus on your consumers. By really knowing your fans, including what they want, what they need and what they care about – the opportunities for you to provide value become clear. If you’re giving them what they want, they’ll keep coming back.

Stay flexible

Even the very best-laid plans can be quickly thrown into disarray, as 2020 has taught us. The lesson is to keep an open mind. Those who adapt quickly and effectively not only flourish but can do really well. In saying that, I think you also need to make sure you don’t lose long-term focus on the overall strategy. This should be based on what consumers want in order to serve them better.

Empathy is important

Everyone has been affected by the pandemic, so in marketing (and in our personal lives), we must show empathy for others and their circumstances. People want to buy products from companies and brands that are there for them in the bad times, as well as the good. Make sure your marketing is sensitive to the reality of what your audience is going through.

Mitchell adds that she is really excited for 2021 and beyond. “In the drinks business, consumers are actively seeking out new tastes, flavours and options to best meet their needs. They are more conscious about what they are consuming, and they care more about the sustainability credentials of the brand behind the product. This means new and exciting products and flavours, and brand activity that speaks to values. The opportunities really are endless with that scope,” she says.

For more advice and insight from some of New Zealand’s top marketers, click here.

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