Marketing in the times of Covid-19: Fujifilm India – Business Insider India

For most brands, the closure of malls and showrooms meant business had to come to a complete standstill. However, it was this time that taught many of them the importance of pushing out effective and relevant communications, to ensure their connection with their consumers remained intact.

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The COVID-19 outbreak has left an enormous impact on brands across all industries. From a drop in consumer confidence, restricted mobility, and loss of jobs, it has caused a recession like situation with subsiding consumerism. With a top priority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the employees and communities. At Fujifilm, we have always aimed at creating meaningful advancements and in the last few weeks, we have taken several measures to ensure safety, both internally and externally. At the community level, we have introduced various online workshops for camera enthusiasts and even conducted an interactive INSTAX Doodle Art Contest to help our customers utilize their time and give our business a chance to forge an instant connection with them. This month, we also unveiled Pari Layegi Parivartan; a comic series to spread the much needed self-health awareness amongst mothers and the women in our lives.

While it is still early to predict the quantum of impact at the moment but there will be aftermath on the overall economy and consumption. However, in India with shops re-opening post the relaxation by the government, we are witnessing walk-in from consumers to buy products in non-affected areas. We are hopeful that recovery in demand will happen sooner as we learn to live with the virus and find different ways of marketing.

Q) It is imperative to stay connected with your consumers through a crisis situation. How have you done that since the lockdown?

As a brand, we encourage our consumers to stay safe and adopt social distancing guidelines and hence, we have also started a service of providing product demos at their doorstep. We are even organising health check-ups across rural in India, especially in remote areas with our advanced diagnosis technologies and associating with various hospitals to drive awareness around early detection of breast cancer. We are motivating people to stay strong and hope this pandemic ends soon with the minimum possible harm.

There is no denying that these are stressful times and COVID-19 impact has changed the face of many industries. With most of the consumers now at home practicing social distancing, the amount of time they spend online has radically increased. Social media platforms have now become the primary means of communication for brands, consumers and the government as well.

At Fujifilm, we are following a similar approach and are using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to disseminate valuable messages to our consumers. Building on our customer experience, we recently virtually launched our flagship camera, the X-T4. We were the first ones to modify our product launch strategy in the camera industry keeping in mind our community first approach, especially during these times. As in the end, it is all about adapting your product offerings, marketing language, and availability according to the business environment.

Q) As the leader of the organization, what has your priority been these past few weeks? How are you preparing to face the post-Covid world?

At Fujifilm India, we are adapting our offerings to the current times while testing new content online to identify future sales and consumption patterns. In conclusion, a delightful experience will ensure customers stay hooked. We will remain consistent with who we are as a customer-first company. We are evaluating trends and data daily and constantly seek and listen to customer feedback to ensure were providing the experience and value they want and need.

The Covid-19 has led to a paradigm shift in the consumer behavior. While some of these changes are no doubt temporary, some will be permanent. As the community moves beyond the survival mode, the digital-adoption momentum is likely to carry forward and become permanent. This inflection point will be primarily shaped by two major shifts in customer behavior - the reluctance to mingle in crowded public places and higher propensity for digital adoption.

Marketers across industries are trying to redesign their business models and the imaging solutions industry is no exception. Consumers are likely to opt for online shopping even after the outbreak ends, and this change will be seen in the imaging industry as well.

With our major business focus in healthcare sector, the health, hygiene and safety measures of people have been our utmost priority in todays COVID world.The demand for online health content has been growing steadily for years. A positive by-product of the global pandemic has resulted in greater awareness of healthcare and the steps we can all take to safeguard our families and ourselves. From handwashing to exercising and eating healthy at home to prioritizing mental health, consumers are more engaged in healthcare issues than ever. To get smarter on health issues and guide decisions, consumers are turning to healthcare providers first as COVID elevates our collective esteem for doctors and hospitals on the front lines. We have seen an upward trend in self-diagnosis measures, where consumers want to be more aware of the health issues theyre tackling.

Fujifilms mission to Never Stop transforming themselves and the World, focuses on how the company is leveraging its advanced and unique technologies (AI, IOT, IT solutions ) to create value from innovation and contribute to solving real-world challenges.Our effort is on offering healthcare solutions through AI and IoT solutions in remote areas by supporting radiologists with their imaging workflow and providing quality healthcare services and solutions for Indian people.

With rising numbers of customers on the digital bandwagon, we are revisiting our approaches and making them more tech-savvy. Small but handy initiatives such as uploading the product manual online, price comparisons and detailing the features of our innovative technologies are few such strategies we are adopting. Social media platforms, websites and e-commerce have become the one stop shop for all our imaging technologies.

Q) The advent of smartphones with good cameras has made everyone a good photographer now. How are you as a brand trying to stay relevant?

The photography industry is changing dynamically with each passing year. New applications, mobile apps and printing technology are redefining the ways consumers experience images. The rise in consumption of smartphones with great quality cameras have made people think about the need and importance of owning a digital camera. In fact, the growing trend of capturing moments and sharing further on their social media handles has motivated individuals to click more pictures with cameras that deliver better image and color quality. Hence, leading to an increased adoption of digital and mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses.

Q) What have your key learnings from this lockdown experience been?

At Fujifilm, we believe that we should take this as a chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change. The key aspect to remember is that we are not the only ones fronting the problem and thereby we should Never Stop hoping for a better tomorrow. We have already stridden well with time and going forward we should keep pacing with determination and precautions. While we are embracing a never seen before and lasting impact of Covid-19, it is important for all of us to stay positive and strong for each other.

Q) Do you think you will be able to get back on track in terms of business targets once the lockdown is called off? How does the rest of the year look?

With the Covid-19, the first quarter of the financial year has been challenging for us. However, as a brand, we have tried to ensure that we are in touch with our customers regularly. Though the consumers mindset, attitude and behavior are always changing but the present epidemic may change them significantly and for a near future. We at Fujifilm are working towards newer strategies to navigate through these difficult times.

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Marketing in the times of Covid-19: Fujifilm India - Business Insider India