The Covid-19 aka Coronavirus has now been declared a global pandemic by WHO (World Health Organisation) as countries around the world attempt to contain and manage the fast-spreading virus. As governments advise people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel, the events sector is taking a hit, with events being rescheduled or cancelled and budgets being cut.

How can experiential agencies manage the impact of Covid-19?

Getting Social

Live events may be disrupted right now but the social media world is very much booming, with users seeking out ways to keep entertained online and remain connected with their friends and family.

Filters

Brands like Stella McCartney are creating digital face filters for Instagram. In celebration of McCartney’s Mother Earth-inspired summer 2020 campaign, a plant face filter has been launched to highlight the strength and resilience of plants through climate change. Filters let audiences engage with and feel like they’re a part of a campaign.

Custom GIFs

To keep audiences engaged and entertained, brands could start creating their own GIPHY stickers or animated branded stickers for users to enjoy on Instagram or on other platforms that are compatible with GIPHY. This lets brands be a part of their audiences’ social media presence in a natural and organic way. At Flashmat, we have created our own GIPHY stickers – read more about these here and type in Flashmat on the GIF tab on Instagram to see ours!

Joining forces through video

Artists like Mark Ronson and King Princess recently invited fans to be a part of a social movement online. For their music video ‘Pieces of Us’, where they produced a purpose-designed video for Instagram Stories using real-time AR effects. Fans could interact with the video using stickers and AR filters, in addition to filming and sharing their own take for their own Stories. These fan versions were combined and made into a second version of Mark Ronson’s official music video - check it out on Mark Ronson’s Instagram.

This provided fans with the opportunity to connect with the original content and the artist in a novel way which included them in the story. Why not create a filter for your clients with us?

Going Digital

The rise in digital technologies like AR and VR means that audiences can still feel included in an event without having to be there in person. Instead, they can be brought together virtually.

Connecting audiences

As we enter a seemingly lengthy period of self-isolation and working from home, we can turn to online platforms to remain connected with our audiences. You may have noticed the various stickers now available to use on Instagram Stories for people to share their ‘Stay Home’ experiences and donate to charities such as UNFoundation and Unicef to help fight Covid-19.

At Flashmat we have created our own sticker in light of the Coronavirus, type in Flashmat on Instagram to use our upbeat ‘Stay Positive, Keep Creating’ sticker to brighten up your stories.

Digital events

With more events around the world being cancelled or postponed, an alternative is to take the event online and to connect with the same audience virtually. Sites such as Hopin, the first all-in-one live online events platform, make it possible for attendees to learn and interact with people from anywhere in the world.

In addition, WHO and Global Citizen have launched a virtual concert series called ‘Solidarity Sessions: Together at home’ where artists around the world are interacting with fans over Instagram to provide a concert from home, to promote unity amidst COVID-19’s social distancing protocols. Check out #togetherathome on Instagram.

Looking forward

Let’s use this time to remain engaged with our audiences via the digital and online world, by creating memorable, interactive and inclusive brand experiences. We can turn to online platforms to host digital events that allow us to repurpose any planned live-event content and remain connected to our audiences. We can also make the most of social media platforms such as Instagram to create custom filters, stickers and videos that incorporate audience-captured footage to help our audiences remain engaged and optimistic.

Images:

1. Screenshots of video of Pieces of Us by Mark Ronson and King Princess, 2019. Sony Music
   
   
2. Screenshots of Instagram concert: Chris Martin, Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes, John Legend & Chrissy Teigen, Hozier, Charlie Puth