The ongoing pandemic is bringing the best out of people, as we adapt to a new way of life.
Brands are no different, adapting their social media communications and spreading positivity however they can. Here are some that grabbed our attention.
The Athenian
The restaurant sector has been hit particularly hard by the lockdown. That hasn’t stopped The Athenian from adapting their online messaging whilst making positive real-world contributions.
The Greek street food chain has been running live cookery classes on their Instagram, sharing delicious Greek recipes that can be created at home with everyday ingredients:
Although many restaurants have recently jumped on this trend, The Athenian’s in-depth tutorials are great for beginners and are perfectly suited to IGTV.
Instagram’s long-form video app has been criminally under-used, but now is the perfect time to jump into it. Check out our live-streaming guide for more information.
In addition to their live-streams, they donated 2,500 meals to NHS workers:
Remember, even if this period is hard on your business financially, acts of generosity and kindness greatly resonate with consumers right now.
The amount of brand awareness you can gain is invaluable.
Brewdog
Brewdog’s meteoric rise as one of the most recognisable modern beer brands shows no signs of slowing down.
In addition to making hand sanitiser for the NHS, this largely-offline business has been producing a variety of online activities to keep Brewdog fans engaged with the brand.
For instance, they’ve created a virtual pub called ‘The BrewDog Open Arms’, featuring live music, cook-a-longs, and more:
They’ve supplemented this by filling their socials with little activities, like colouring-in:
fun and insightful videos:
BrewDog is still an operating business, and so they are carefully balancing the fun & games with sales messaging – other brands should follow suit.
Pret A Manger
Pret is another eating-out brand that has been forced to transform their online activity.
Much like The Athenian, they’ve successfully risen to the challenge their industry is facing.
Shortly before the lockdown, Pret served free hot drinks and half-price food to 150,000 NHS workers.
More recently, their social media channels have been encouraging fans to re-create their favourite Pret recipes at home – including their delicious vegan cookies:
Much like Innocent Smoothies, they’re engaging with fans in the comments on a 1-to-1 basis, answering recipe questions and sharing works of encouragement.
Positively is exactly what’s needed right now. Don’t be afraid to reply to comments on your posts as your brand.
And let’s not forget their Sandwich Seminars – bite-sized lessons on how to make the perfect sandwich:
These lessons, while entertaining, served a greater purpose.
Pret asked fans to design their perfect Pret sandwich, using what they learned:
Not only is this an excellent way to engage your audience, but it also provides direct customer feedback that can be used in future product development.
Scrub Hub
Scrub Hub is a new brand born out of community spirit and a strong desire to support those fighting the pandemic.
Volunteers in this grassroots project can offer up their sewing services, creating scrubs (hospital clothing) for NHS staff.
Scrub Hub is using the power of social media to create a network of volunteers across the country.
Their Instagram illustrates their important cause in a visually appealing way:
Whilst Facebook acts as a hub for their network of volunteers to communicate with each other:
This brand perfectly encapsulates the power online communities have to make a difference during these unprecedented times.
Noisily Festival of Music & Arts
Some may consider this cheating, but we’ve enjoyed helping Noisily Festival diversify their social media channels to reflect the situation we’re in.
No-one has been hit harder than the events industry, but Noisily have been working hard to maintain a positive outlook.
In addition to the fun & games we mentioned in this blog piece, Noisily Festival have created an online ‘Mind Body Soul’ series.
Fans can follow along with these live-streams, which range from Yoga:
To the lesser-known practice, Wim Hof Method:
Mind Body Soul is an integral part of Noisily’s brand personality, and gives fans a taster of what to expect at the festival itself.
Not forgetting that it’s first and foremostly a music festival, they’re also curating Spotify playlists and live-streaming DJ sets:
Noisily Festival is doing an excellent job of keeping fans entertained whilst clearly communicating their brand’s ethos.
