The war continues to change world orders and this time in the field of marketing.
If until recently a marketing move was considered one that creates a desire for a product or service, evokes emotion and ultimately drives sales, then today none of these are necessary and the standards by which we measure campaigns have completely changed.
Indeed, the Innovation Award for the last quarter of 2023, which focused this time only on launches carried out during the three months of the Iron Swords War, was awarded by the Israel Marketing Association to campaigns that in another place or time would probably have passed under the radar.
For example, AIG won the union's innovation award, for the fact that during a national crisis that hit Israel, the company recognized the severe mental distress of the public and decided to utilize its resources in the field of mental health.
AIG established the "Emotional MMD" and "Better Coping", and provided quick and professional psychological assistance to all consumers and not only to its policyholders. Both campaigns were produced in a short period of time and were implemented in the first weeks of the war. The services provided within 24 hours of referral are free, were given to the entire population. At "Emotional MMD", the therapists are clinical professionals who specialize in trauma and anxiety situations.
All of these have turned the "emotional MMD" into a unique and innovative service of great public importance, but how brilliant is it from a marketing point of view? Only time will tell.
The emotional dimension - the winning move of AIG./AIG
The headquarters of the families of the abductees and 'Mint', the technological arm of the advertising group 'Publicis', won the award after jointly creating the social-digital and innovative movement for the return of the abductees and the missing.
The collaboration created the digital "stopwatch", which measures the time since the 240 citizens were kidnapped on Black Sabbath, and implemented it in hundreds of websites and digital platforms.
The move was well received and helped create public pressure for the return of the abductees.
The stopwatch of the Kidnapped Headquarters and 'Mint' embedded in many Israeli websites./PR
Instead of Turkish coffee - special edition Israeli coffee./Strauss Elite
Strauss Elite won the award for the fact that following the war, with tensions with Turkey in the background, it decided to make a special move with Turkish coffee, the oldest and most loved brand in Israel.
They changed the packaging and replaced the name "Turkish" with 4 unifying sentences such as "Am Yisrael Hai" or "Strong together".
While changing the name of a product is often a complex process, not to mention problematic, the timing of the move gave the company a boost and gave it an air of relevance and up-to-dateness.
Strauss was able to speed up a complex process of changing packaging and lead a successful marketing campaign in record time.
The move received a huge media response, expressed solidarity with the public and strengthened the emotional connection with the brand.
The jewelry company Shlomit Ofir received a commendation for being a small business that managed to adapt to the complex reality, while giving and contributing to the common good.
"Lev Otaf" jewelry - a necklace and bracelet with a heart-shaped pendant with a hollow Star of David in the center were initially sold with 100% of their proceeds being a contribution to the rehabilitation of Otaf communities and kibbutzim.
Later, in order to ensure the existence of the business, the donation model became 20% of the income to choose: the rehabilitation of the surrounding settlements or below for the return of the abductees.
While this is a generous move like no other, it is doubtful that he would have received any attention, let alone awards, in the old days.
The solidarity bracelet of Shlomit Ofir./PR
While everyone is racking their brains over how to deliver the marketing message in a sensitive enough way that takes into account the mindset and plight of the Israeli consumer, those who managed to crack the formula are receiving great resonance and appreciation in the industry.
All of this leads to the question: are the new values of corporate responsibility and contribution to others here to stay or will we soon return to the usual advertisements driven by the profit line?
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