epeeeromntn [eee Fresh THOvents the hardest of times, happiness can be found, and creativity ean be the key 10 achieving that. The globalization of ‘content also reminds people that COVID is not restricted to a single country and continent, and this ‘rose-continent accessibility isa {eure that international brands should hunt for. ‘While social media has been the best suit for UGC we see the content being shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter ~ ding the pandemic, brands ae also using UGC Content for TV and YouTube ads. la fn advert from American Airlines lips from the light attendants were ‘sed to convey the Brand message BUILDING LASTING mec RELATIONSHIPS WITH reemiees product or other objectives. After USER-GENERATED CONTENT 2222 iscrucal,as poor incentives ean reault in abysmal engagement. This 5 ABDULLA ASAD will be supplemented by developing ‘This pandemic is quite possibly the ase rganie UGC over traditional brand geeaty as hiscan provide getting a hang of what they went. ‘most disruptive event in near history, advertsng the ater of which has content cobuld communi. Thiscan After that, a compeling cll-to-action and tis pushing brands towards the heen perceived as opportunistic and act ikeweb forums, where peoplecan and proper communication is next step of evolving the way they outofouch, creating a gap between express opinions about brands, equlced, st aga, this can make or conduct thei activites. is changing brand and aidience, Acces 0 Iereasingengagement,awarenes, break the campaign. Fnaly, monitor the way brands are communicating ysergenerated content is now easier, and further down the line, brand performance tose whether the land promoting their products n an Seimany-peope are aharing thelr logy ampaign met expectations tempt ocsablish meaningfil - photorsnlvidear on soci media, ‘connections with their audience, This Pea's' apateet bets inolvesient Pursuit of establishing connections jy socal medi is increasing day by WHY IS UGC WELL-SUITED IN COVID? OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND COVID through content has hitseveral— Uay'The mponance stance neta ug to the unl The importance of octal media UGC has emerged ae avery power During COVID=I9, UGC can give radbosksduetotewnfren | caneundencaed bythe a8? soning orbs eget snopes FREESE mecatscgaiens! percent of people sy tha social in these tying ines. Millions of "hand toward the community through Mhenbementhavmochica ick Reli-potselpshemdeidewhatso people round the world ate looking poi and inspiring messages an wll brands are exploring more ways for inspiing uplifting snd slatable a sense of belonging, But the power of He eee ee scone UGC plays inc the powerl content that acknoviedges the {UGC is such that ie should aso bea Reena gue phenomenon of soil proof. Acore _sitation were living in part of the marketer? playbook, even thebrandwith more option for, atofhuman beings isthat Weare User-generated content can actasa ses the pandemics ove. I canbe thera etn more option er hardwired to lea fromthe Dafoe eee cme ‘ai with conviction chat athe end of Gsefuloptionisuser-generated.eXPetienees of others These canbe Aggies and ic provides an opcion this unfortunate event, the market aaeeeraed nth ended we eopleweknow orabrand hatwe quitencevores rouge a2 willbe quite changed. And brands have wen international ands, W8LThisphenomenoncanbe bringing the community loserand__ ‘ill need then, more than evr, Co inclading Append Tesco making futher leveraged by creating wer odin sese of belonging and comEE hemes wth hee use ofthis option, featuring raw, views orshoweasing customers oie. COVID has distanced people audience and come across as Maer eee eee og using the product, which ca acta qe ee ees ert trustworthy and eatble. Brands wil consumers, and this contibter to _stlhto~action for potential the human ure connect. beworking harder than ever to thecollectve new reality anderestes sustomers Ths camedconentcan Consumer areinetessingly ooking reat consume cus and ball sm emotional connection with clevatea brand's authenticity fom forand engaging with content thar one-term value. And the rime way an fheaenatn feweydareictle {Sfandegaging wih content ate hug shared, people Thismakesa brand-more Uc icihe mont powerfal when ie 2M experiences, o showing the human” hy puting customers rone ya gieetoeate ne cecot the adinee happy customer People WHAT MAKES UGC SO EFFECTIVE? and cener tein oeeag ace ‘willbe looking at brands they tse UGCisatatheerefieshing ake on the Furthermore, UGC can sigs that experiences that make usfeelless Brands may be perceived by Uaionsl methodsofcommunieaton sonsumers ca interactwiththe | alone. Anexampleof UGC used consumers a alot, and ‘abotc “which are generally one wa. brand Astadyshowed hat tof effectivelyis Ores UGE wil slow Brand a show Useeyenertedconvenchas prose to mllenale and 38% baby boomers #staphomestaypay la people thee human side. This wi ‘emule efcives as study by rant morewajswosharcorilons,crese-platform soielcampsign, __helpmerge the gap between Nictsen found that Saeof eoncumers about brands, And his can helpa which reminded viewers thateven in consumers and the brand. = QAR CROTINGAWARDED NG A SLADESH'S CHOICE pat) Reknowledget in every way possible ™ For more than two decades, we've stood committed to being Bangladeshis first 3 -when it comes to safe drinking water. Through our 15 steps purification acess, today millions across Bangladesh place their trust in the quality of Super Fresh Drinking Water and thus, made us a Superbrand RST RESSMTER |va Bangladesh BRAND FORUM uve 2020 ~ THE CHANGED FACE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCING 8 EIAZAKMED ‘Social media influencing has been one ofthe most Iuerative career choices for the past decade or 90, I feels sleet incredible that sore influencers earn hundreds af thousands of alles just by making 4 poston social media while most af us post stuff on Social media just forthe fun of Social media influencing isa dream job for many. But asthe COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to retreat buck indoors, the infeneing industry ha taken 3 hit just like most other industries CHANGING DYRAMICS OF INFLUENCING ‘As people are spending days locked in their homes, they are spending more time on socal media Facebook announced in May 2020 that it enjed ‘more than SiMe increase in teal messaging on is app, ‘hile voice and video calling activities ver Messenger and WhatsApp had been doubled during the past month in countries enforcing lockdown de te COVID-19.The increased engagement has crated tore possibilities for social media influencing. But the economic crisis caused by the pandemic i preventing companies from utilizing these newer possibilities [As the coronavirus continues to spread globally, Companies are desperate to eat coat to survive in the feathng economic evisis. Consequently, budgets for ‘marketing campaigns ae getting rimmed, evens are fretting canceled and advertising activites are geting limited. This has left many socal media influencers ith rows of canceled projets on hand. ‘The pandemic has also impacted the process of Content creation. As everyone fe sick at home, ‘Content creators cannot lige fclites ike editing Studios, shooting crew, outdooe locations ete that sce radiionally used in the content making, So, many influencers are resorting to home-made videos made ‘in DIY setups, with simple pops and a ery little ctng, Contents made in this wa have gained much ppopuariey as che have an authentic fashion abou them, which the audience can tustand relate to better ‘A study conducted by the marketing agency “Obviously” sys that more and more brands are ‘uring tinluencrs for conten creation instead of production agencies, “ObsiousI” conducted the study f9n7-Smilion Instagram posts, 250 marketing campaigns, and 2200 Ti Tok contents ro better “understand user Behavior patterns daring this Tockdawn, The repor showed 3% increasein brands scorching for infltencers treat their photo and ideo content Italo showed a 50% reduction in, creative coss on average when working with influences instead of production studio. Butt has claimed a4 increase nad performance of influencercrested content in social media, ARRIVAL OF NEW TRENDS Social media influencers ate now inclined towards live wide sessions. Celebrites are doing more and sore ive videos and engaging in ‘one-on-one interactions withtheie fans. eis che latest trend ofthese distressing times. Live streams have a more authentic fectng than usual video conten, a thee is no scope for ideo editing in i. This gives the audience a greater sense of ‘connection, They can easily relate to fnd interact with this ype of content. Tecreates more trust and credibility between theinfluencer and the audience. Due othe pandemic Situation, chore has been a psychological shift in the mindset of the audience. Inthe changing Innseape ofthe audience mindset, influeneors who ae pushing too hard to sell sponsored products are being ciceizad, Those lnfluencers are {getting called out for being rone-deat to the curcent criss situation. Tis is resulting in a decressd follower base for them, as many people ae publiely boycotting thor influencers. Rather, the public interest as shifted towards content tha snot focused on selling any commercial produc, Tike home workout videos, skill learning videos, sosial messages and charity work. Authentic and interacive educational content is also in high demand, ‘CHALLENGES INTHE" CHANGED” WORLD OF ‘SOCUAL MEDIA MLUENCING Social media influencers mostly ‘belong tothe Younger generation and they are not particularly knowin for their composure, There have been instances of extremely popula influencers being ertcized for making inappropriate comments on docial media, which eventually ddeseroyed their career. Some influencers are prone to getting into fights with internet oll, sometimes ven with competing influencers Inf lcacers are alao crtiized for uploading travel photos on socal media. One such example is, Malaysian actress Farah Nabil, who posted photos of her travel in Maldives, only to face harsh criticism. Followers accused her of being “insensitive” tothe situation and “spreading coronavirus". Such an incident harm inluencer reputation, athe same time takes down the Brands they ae promoting, ‘Asa peychological effet of the pandemic, users of social media than ever. More and more influencers ate being bagged for insensitive posts. Instagram inuencer and former realty show star Skye Wheatley was Another one of those o get harshly ‘rtcizd for posting an “insensitive photo, She uploaded a photo on Instagram with her 1-yea-od son in ‘which they are seen sitting on an tmpiy grocery shelf. The shelf was reporeediy where wolet paper would have been stashed ifthe stove had not been sold out. Followers called forboycotting the sta following this the employer brand to choose an post. Celebrities across all platforms influencer seho hasan authentic and ve receiving evticisms ike this, personal connection with hisher Followers. To enaire that companies should do proper vetting before DeSIGhING A “COMID-RESISTANT™ femploying say influence. ‘MARKETIN CRAIN Influencers must be evaluated upon ‘Companies have to be careful about some key performance measures certain key aspects while launching such as engagement, follower spikes, fn influencer marketing campaign audience geography, comment these days. The following isa duality, percentage of fake checkis ofall the things that followerslies and previous history marketers need tobe careful about for offensive content, social media while designing their campaigns: controversy, competitive ‘Smart Audience Targeting. While designing campaigns, marketers need to intelligently target thet audience through the smart selection of influencers and other partners, Firstly, companies need to ask ‘themselves: do the influencers and partners we are cho represent our bran’ voice and values? Ifthe influencer isnt fit for the brand's image and values, even the most expensive and creative ‘marketing camy the company aceds to accurately idem the type of influencer most stable for the brands Imicto-influencer a top-tier Influencer ora celebrity? partnerships, accepeance during Covid-19, et. Collaboration in Content Creation. [Astraditionsl conten creation facilities are not readily availble in the lockdown companies may need todepend on influencers or creating atleast some pat of thei advertising tent So, influencers with kills like- video editing, cinematography, photography and graphic designing Should be prioritized while selecting the promoter ofa brand. Many in liencerslespecially smicre-nfluencer) ae self-reliant conten ereators, they pln, flim, edit sad promote their content on their ‘own, These micro-influencers can be ing properly to gos will fail. Also, gent Veting ofthe ‘good choice for your brand during Influencers. Iris very important for this lockdown period, Compassion and Impact. Social, media campaigns should integrate ressages of compassion and responsiblity during this lockdown period. Direct selling approaches are not advisable at this moment, because there isa chance of public backlash. Instead, contents of a marketing campaiga should be focused on- healthy and productive staying-at-home practices, charity ‘works, the wellbeing of frontline ‘warriors of COVID-19 et. Indirect, tnarketng approaches have been more effective in generating customer engagement ducing this COVID-19 period Constant Vigilance and Consultation Support. The ambassador saevities on social edi should be constantly monitored by desigated personnel ‘Also, brand consultant should help the influencers in understanding the brand message and filtering thie contents accordingly. The band ‘consultant should review every post and every photo before it gets published on social medi. Inthe fare, eis estimated that brands will strietly enforce such vigilance to void rsing controversies. This ‘would make the online life of social ‘media celebrities abit harder than before, but companies really cannot STRATEGY ford ontroverses a this moment FUTURE OFTHE GLOBAL INFLUENCING ‘noustRy the In the pos-COVID 19 process of conten creation an Customer engagement ae going to change radically as authenticity and indirect marketing will shift to the center offacus, Accordingly, infivencers wil gain more autonomy cover ite content bit wl have to ‘emaia under constant vigilance on Social media. To stay ahead in the ‘game, marketers need to accept these ‘nuances of the post-COVID 19 world ‘nd adape their marketing strategies to the changing dynamics of the influencing industry. ‘As people ae forced to stay indoors row they are spending a significant trout of thei me on socal media ‘This has generated more possibilities for the iafluencing industry. But initially, he industry is facing challenges of low budget due to the sconomic crisis, Risks of social ‘medincontroversies are high a3 wel, ‘with people growing more impatient nd aggressive amidst the mounting “Uneertaingy. But hopefully, he industy will overcome these initial challenges and come out swonger than ever. = @ PILOT-PEN aN Advance pen for Advanced generation asa Trading Limited et 10, Main Rom 3, Seton 7 Pale Mlgour Ohaka-1216, Phofe: 028005277, 028056656