There’s a very fine line between being helpful and flogging stuff on the back of a crisis” Ian Henderson, chief executive of ad agency AML Group.

Marketing Communication referes to “The means adopted by the companies to convey messages about the products and the brands they sell, either directly or indirectly to the customers with the intention to persuade them to purchase” (Businessjargons, 2016). It can also be described as all the messages and media brands deployed to communicate with the market. These communications include advertising, direct marketing, branding, packaging which are all influenced by ongoing trends in the world and require efficient marketing communication. This brings us to the era of Covid-19 in which Moroccan brands have to adapt and stay up to date with the new consumer behaviors which will be instrumental in leading fruitful marketing strategies. As this pandemic grows, combined with the quarantine state it brings, in-home, online, and TV activity will increase in favor of physical advertising;  advertisers can reach their target users by investing more heavily in online digital advertising.

We will discuss how Moroccan companies are adapting their marketing efforts in this period of crisis, and shed light on some successful examples: What strategy did these brands put in place to ensure continuity while taking the situation into account? What made these brands maintain the link with their customers in times of social distancing? How are they helping out during this crisis?

It’s not just the government and public figures who are raising awareness of the need to stay at home during the Coronavirus crisis, in order to stop the spread of the virus and protect those at risk; companies have also, remarkably through Ads, urged their customers to practice social distancing and stay at home. They also helped medical workers, provided meals, distributed masks, and disinfectant gels. Let’s take a look at some examples!

Mio distributed disinfectant liquids

Ama detergent, a brand specializing in the production of detergents and disinfectants and known for its famous Moroccan brand of cleaning products Mio, has distributed 30 tons of disinfectant liquids and gels free of charge. The action started from El Jadida, the brand’s hometown.

Jumia Morocco declares the introduction of “contactless” delivery for prepaid packages on the platform via JumiaPay

Jumia continues to serve its customers and provide Moroccans with access to online shopping while supporting social distancing, a protected shopping environment and the “contactless delivery” option that has been set up on JumiaPay, the payment platform. It allows consumers to pay for their products online and have them delivered without physical contact with the delivery person or exchanging cash for the transaction.

They have also taken a few measures to guarantee the security of purchases during this period, ensuring that social distancing is respected when the sellers deliver orders and that they take all the necessary precautionary measures, supplying them with cleaning products and distributing a total of 10,000 gloves.

Over 120,000 meals are distributed by McDonald’s Morocco

McDonald’s Morocco launched the # Mta7dine operation, serving meals consistently in 19 cities in the Kingdom to support citizens in difficulty and healthcare workers.

Inwi launches “Inwi money”

Inwi money offers free transfers of money regardless of the amount of the transfer. New Inwi money customers benefit from 1 GB of data offered. Users can, from their home and in compliance with sanitary confinement rules, access many financial services via a single click. They can transfer money from their phone, recharge their phone line, pay their bills or make purchases from partner merchants such as Marjane.

Renault Morocco donates vehicles

Renault Morocco and its network of dealers have donated 50 ambulances. They made available a set of services intended for the medical institutions in order to support the national effort to overcome this pandemic.

This pandemic has shown another side of marketing communication skills.  Moroccan companies were obliged to keep the business going and find a way to avoid the impact of the crisis caused by Covid-19. By moving from sales marketing to hope marketing, they prioritized the need for community content. With uncertain future, we can only wait for a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.

“It goes without saying that we are in an extraordinary situation globally with Coronavirus. The scale of this pandemic and its far-reaching effects will reshape society in many long-lasting ways. It’s already changing the way we eat, travel, shop, how we think about our health, and even how we interact with one another.” – Brandon Brown, CEO of GRIN.

Written By :

• Benjelloun Meriam
• Baillade Hajar
• Abouricha Salma
• Kassim Abdel-kader
• Ammari Rajae

REFERENCES :

• Businessjargons.com (2016). What is Marketing Communication? Definition and meaning. Accessed (2020, April 10) at https://businessjargons.com/marketing-communication.html
• Medias24.com. (2020). Ama Détergent: l’industriel Marocain au service de la lutte contre le Covid-19. Accessed (2020, April 4) at https://www.medias24.com/ama-detergent-l-industriel-marocain-au-service-de-la-lutte-contre-le-covid-19-9362.html
• Medias24.com (2020). Jumia publie un guide d’achat en ligne, avec livraison à domicile. Accessed (2020, April 4) at https://www.medias24.com/jumia-publie-un-guide-d-achat-en-ligne-avec-livraison-a-domicile-9144.htmlMzaghrani,
• Mzaghrani, N. (2020). Coronavirus: companies that are making a contribution. Accessed (2020, April 3) at https://maroc-diplomatique.net/coronavirus-ces-ent