From real-time attribution models to dynamic creative studios, a wide range of digital marketing tools have helped businesses find creative ways to become more adaptable and respond to change during digital transformation. While the pace of development is encouraging, there is no single switch that can pause and resume global economic activity. Because new customer behaviors appear to be persistent and signal longer-term shifts, we must consider how to apply our new tactics and best practices in a post-pandemic environment.
The health crisis has underscored the importance of understanding how digital channels can affect businesses and how return on investment can be misinterpreted. As we all prepare for what comes next, now is the time to embrace digital transformation. Companies should be investing in agile, measurable marketing strategies that can adapt to evolving conditions.
One of the most significant aspects of this fundamental change is that it is not limited to a single industry or a segment of the market. The shift is universal and indiscriminate. Even though each business faces unique challenges, we are all affected in some way and must plan accordingly.
The importance of data paired with creative assets and measurement tools is paramount for making smarter decisions.
In times when user needs and behaviors are constantly changing, digital capabilities provide the flexibility to pivot quickly, experiment, and discover new ways to serve customers. We can test new ad formats and scale successful variants, monitor search interest and product demand in real time, and produce hundreds of ad asset variations for different audiences in a matter of minutes. In dynamic environments, large volumes of data combined with creative assets and measurement tools are essential for making more informed marketing decisions. Over the past few months our teams worked with three brands that properly prioritized digital strategies—I’ll explain how they achieved success.
Maintain agility to deliver actionable solutions when needed
As the pandemic unfolded, it became clear that the spring catalog creative we created for our client Soft Surroundings—showcasing travel scenes—was no longer appropriate. At the same time, Google search query data showed a sudden spike in traffic for pajamas in February and March, and we observed an 18% year-over-year increase in Soft Surroundings’ pajama revenue during that period. These two signals prompted us to move quickly and build a new, at-home-focused campaign using YouTube Video Builder. The tool allowed us to rapidly produce four new variations of an existing video ad with different color schemes, music tracks, and ad copy. That adjustment helped increase revenue from advertising by 6.5 times in April alone.
Value relationships over immediate sales
This is a time to gather insights and build long-term connections by helping customers and responding to their needs. While travel and tourism businesses have been especially hard hit, the smartest brands are concentrating on strengthening relationships rather than pushing for short-term sales.
For example, premium luggage brand Briggs & Riley promptly extended a temporary free return policy from 30 to 60 days to accommodate shifting travel plans. The company also quickly updated site content, ad creative, and email messaging to show greater sensitivity to customers’ needs and concerns.
Briggs & Riley launched a road-trip themed campaign to underscore that adventures may be closer than imagined. The CEO posted a message on the company website and the brand offered a 30% discount to first responders and healthcare workers, reinforcing Briggs & Riley’s identity as a family business focused on community.
Get comfortable with the uncomfortable new normal
Superficial changes are not enough to serve customers and address their needs; long-term success requires rethinking how current operations and strategies complement—or replace—previous structures and best practices. Brands should consider how to adapt processes and, where necessary, reconfigure quickly to remain resilient.
One instructive example is Polywood, an outdoor furniture brand that saw significantly higher demand as people spent more time at home and interest in outdoor living surged. The company achieved strong year-over-year digital growth, particularly among customers discovering the brand online or through retail partners. That growth created a level of consumer demand Polywood had not anticipated and required a rapid operational response.
Rather than cutting orders, Polywood increased capacity: the company purchased new machinery, hired more than 200 employees, and acquired land to expand production facilities. It also continued to communicate transparently about order delays on its website and social channels. According to Polywood’s leaders, their greatest gain during the crisis was not simply selling more products or introducing a new business model under pressure. Instead, the real benefit was forging deeper, more direct relationships with customers by helping them create safe, comfortable outdoor spaces where families can relax.
Brands must adjust to a new normal that often feels unfamiliar.
No one had an emergency plan specifically for this new normal. The most prudent companies are not waiting for a return to the old routine; they are proactively preparing for the current reality and implementing interim measures that will remain effective until conditions change. Just as individuals must accept the profound shifts triggered by the pandemic—both the difficulties and the emerging opportunities—brands must adapt to an unfamiliar operating environment. Businesses that reassess how they operate, quickly restructure where needed, and adopt new methods without delay will be far stronger when the transition completes.