The needs that we have at this moment are far different than they were just a few days ago. As the world navigates these extraordinary times, I wanted to reach out to you, our trusted partners and friends of the brand, to let you know that we’re thinking of you and your team. Together, we’re discovering new ways of working, focusing on our short term goals and preparing for long-term success once the crisis is over.As we’re adapting to these challenges, I wanted to share some marketing insights that I’ve found interesting. A report recently released by Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, explored key business lessons learned from China’s experience with COVID-2019. Insights from the report underlined the importance of:
Emphasizing cause marketing over traditional messages: Marketers including LVMH and Estée Lauder strengthened their brand when they made donations to fight the virus and publicized their moves on Weibo.
Prioritizing digital growth platforms: The L'Oréal Group reported successful sales in February because it ended offline advertising and shifted online, especially to targeted or personalized mobile ads on the app Douyin and on Alibaba e-commerce platform, Taobao.
With that in mind, Gear Patrol has had to evolve our business and refine our focus. As our readers continue to consume content online, we've already seen a dramatic increase in our traffic. Our website, social and video channels have all grown, which may be due to the overall increase of work-from-home policies that are taking place globally. In fact, earlier this month we saw our single highest traffic day to date this year.While we expect this growth trend to continue, we can’t ignore our role as a champion for great products, brands and the hard-working people behind them. At Gear Patrol, we put our mission — to help people make the most of their time and money through editorially-driven product journalism — at the heart of everything that we do. The plans and goals we’ve established in a time of calm are not all suddenly meaningless because of a virus. At the moment, amid viral videos of toilet paper hoarding and hand sanitizer recipes, this kind of guidance feels more crucial than ever.As always, our lines of communication will continue to be open for you. Our team is here to help monitor events and help make the right strategic decisions when it comes to your business. In the meantime, please feel free to read more about our refined content strategy in our Letter to Our Readers from our Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer, Ben Bowers.All the best,Zach Mader
