Learning to Pivot During a Pandemic
With safer-at-home orders and social distancing in place, businesses have had to get creative this past year. Below are some examples of ways that businesses adjusted their operation to accommodate our current circumstances.
Drive-Thru Events
While in-person events have obviously been all but eliminated from our schedules since March 2020, brands that typically host big events have had to get creative with their planning. Freeform, a television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company, hosts an annual “Halloween House” event in Los Angeles to correspond with its 31 Nights of Halloween marathon on the channel. In 2020, the company tweaked the plan to make it a drive-thru experience. The event was on “Halloween Road” and had contactless trick-or-treating with parked car photo-ops. Guests were taken on an immersive journey through classic Halloween films, such as Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. When a normal walk-through haunted house was not possible, Freeform created a way for people to engage from the safety of their own cars.
Online Experiences
Prior to stay-at-home orders, the gym industry relied on physical participation. Many gyms and fitness brands pivoted their entire business model to go online. Live online fitness classes became popular as people found ways to exercise while at home.
A lot of businesses began offering online experiences in addition to, or in place of, normal services. KBC, a Dothan restaurant owned by Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark, started hosting live Zoom cooking classes. Participants are sent grocery lists and prep instructions prior to the class. During the session they can either cook alongside Clark or watch and take notes. The classes cover entrees, desserts and more. The idea was such a success that even with the restaurant open for dining in, KBC plans to continue offering classes.
Watch Parties
With people stuck at home with more time than ever to watch television shows and movies, Google Chrome introduced a feature to help people feel connected from their homes. Teleparty (originally named Netflix Party, now with support for Disney+, Hulu and HBO) is a Google Chrome extension that allows users in different locations to watch the same thing simultaneously, so that the watchers feel as though they are truly watching with friends. The program allows users to play and pause on all screens and discuss in a chatroom. This allowed people to connect all over the world.
Connecting Communities
Some companies offered a solution to a problem during the pandemic. Nextdoor, an online platform that acts as a social network for neighborhoods or communities, introduced a new feature to help vulnerable members of society. In March 2020, the company launched the Help Map, where users can mark themselves as able to help neighbors. Other users can then reach out to these neighbors and ask for assistance with picking up groceries or anything else they cannot do for themselves.
These are all great alternatives that companies have been able to adapt their business to in order to meet the needs of consumers during the pandemic. Does your business need a Brand New Idea to help adapt during the pandemic? Give us a call at 334.446.6149 to talk with one of our experts!
Posted: Mar 08, 2021