By Laila Maline
Panic spreads faster than disease, so household names like Lifebuoy, Zomato, and Amul are responding to their audience by tapping into moment marketing – creating topical campaigns that are relevant to their customers in real time. These brands have nation-wide influence and are actively raising awareness for COVID-19 in India by creating content for print and digital marketing to counter misinformation about the disease.
via World Heart Federation
“Brands can help in reducing the spread of panic, find ways to soothe people’s nerves and provide factual counters to fear-mongering rumors.” – Narayan Devanathan, Dentsu Aegis Network
Lifebuoy and Hygiene Awareness
Lifebuoy, the hygiene brand from Hindustan Unilever (HUL), has consistently urged people to maintain good personal hygiene and promoted precautionary measures to avoid getting infected by the virus.
The brand released a public service print advertisement (above) encouraging people to:
- Wash hands frequently with soap
- Use alcohol-based sanitizers
- Use tissues and masks if feeling unwell
Lifebuoy is raising awareness of the use of sanitizers to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in India.
Zomato Uses Humour to Raise COVID Awareness in India
Zomato is a popular food delivery platform that is most known for its humourous social media marketing, like in the Twitter post above. The brand is consistent in its efforts to respond to the COVID-19 situation in India by countering fake information and compiling resources for people to donate to worthwhile causes.
The platform’s most significant contribution as of yet has been to introduce a special delivery option for COVID related emergencies. Zomato introduced this feature last month in response to the shortage of medical resources across India, to make food more accessible to those in self-isolation or in quarantine.
In addition to taking care of its customers, Zomato has also undertaken a company wide, free vaccination drive within the NCR region and has had more than 150,000 of its riders and delivery partners vaccinated.
The safety of our customers is the #1 priority for us and our delivery partners who have selflessly and safely delivered hundreds of millions of orders during the pandemic. – Deepinder Goyal, Founder at Zomato
Amul and Iconic Branding
Amul is the nation’s largest food product organization and its products find their way into the majority of Indian homes.
Related: 5 Influential Women And Their Personal Branding
“#Amul Topical: Precautions against the Coronavirus!” – Amul.coop, Twitter
The brand’s iconic cartoon has found its way onto its Twitter timeline, urging citizens to practice good hygiene by washing their hands regularly and thoroughly.
The tagline of the campaign is a playful assertion of the famous proverb, ‘Prevention is better than cure’.
Amul’s famous mascot girl has been shown to be washing her hands in a washbasin with the words “Always safe” at the bottom to raise awareness of the role of good hygiene in helping to curb the spread of COVID-19 .
Amul Says Thanks to Frontline Workers
The brand has been vocal about its support in the ongoing efforts to combat the virus in India by also spreading awareness by posting a doodle on all of its social media platforms to give thanks to the frontline workers of the nation.
Other Influential Brands Raising COVID Awareness in India
The brands raising awareness for COVID-19 in India are not only those who deal in sanitation products such as Lifebuoy.
Here are 3 other brands, among others, raising COVID awareness in India:
- Ok Cupid India
“Such campaigns have two-fold advantage which includes the social angle on the awareness bit and the brand connect with the current situation.” – Anita Nayyar, CEO of Havas Media
- Excel Entertainment
- Hungama
These influential brands are jumping into the conversation and using their far-reaching influence across the nation to urge people to participate in vaccination drives, stay at home, and wear a mask – all through creative social media marketing!
