Covid-19 Update: eCommerce, Gaming & Getting Creative

covid-19-news-april-28

Covid-19 Update: eCommerce, Gaming &amp; Getting Creative

[[p]]The last two weeks have seen many firsts, like [[a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/negative-oil-prices-were-warning-050002249.html" target="_blank"]]negative oil prices[[/a]], the star-studded [[a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/connect/togetherathome/" target="_blank"]]Together at Home[[/a]] awareness concert, and all sorts of people older than 16 taking to [[a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/26/how-coronavirus-helped-tiktok-find-its-voice" target="_blank"]]TikTok[[/a]] to entertain us all.[[/p]]

[[p]]Here at the Digital Marketing Institute we are committed to supporting our students and members. Check out our [[a href="https://my.digitalmarketinginstitute.com/library/entry/spring-membership-update-h1t-a2r" target="_blank"]]spring update[[/a]] for lots of useful pointers to our library content that&rsquo;s relevant for you right now. This news review is published every two weeks as an overview of what&rsquo;s happening in the world of digital marketing. We&rsquo;d love to hear your [[a href="https://my.digitalmarketinginstitute.com/community" target="_blank"]]feedback[[/a]]&nbsp;or suggestions,&nbsp;or any articles&nbsp;you have [[a href="https://my.digitalmarketinginstitute.com/library/submit" target="_blank"]]written yourself[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]My own at-home family life has been saved by kids playing multi-player games&nbsp;like Roblox and Minecraft but what&rsquo;s really taken the gaming world by storm has been the latest release of Nintendo&rsquo;s Animal Crossing. Almost 2 million copies were sold in Japan alone in its first three days. This&nbsp;is the game of the moment, an escapist, slow-moving and friendly universe which feels both secure and adventurous to the millions of stay-at-home players looking for something to distract them from their own real-life surroundings. It might even keep them away from the busy streaming services, like Netflix and Disney Plus. This fascinating article from [[a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/04/21/animal-crossing-emerging-media-channel-brands-lockdown?utm_campaign=Newsletter_Daily_EuropeAM&amp;utm_source=pardot&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank"]]The Drum[[/a]] looks at how brands have been managing to make themselves indispensable elements of the game&rsquo;s environment, from clothing designs by top fashion houses like Gucci to the Getty Museum&rsquo;s art-generator for characters&rsquo; homes.[[/p]]

[[p]]Digital Transformation. It&rsquo;s the phrase we often come back to, always exploring what it really means. (Indeed at DMI we recently recorded a podcast on just this topic). One big element of the concept is moving your operations to digital, and for many brands, the Covid-19 crisis has pushed them to move faster with that transformation. A recent survey of Australian and New Zealand businesses shows that 73% claimed to have successfully moved their workforces online. [[a href="https://www.bandt.com.au/the-new-bau-covid-19-has-supercharged-digital-transformation/" target="_blank"]]Read more[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]British singer-songwriter Charli XCX might be staying close to home in LA but that hasn&rsquo;t stopped her producing new music. Going full omni-channel, she appealed to her fans for review demos, give feedback on lyrics and ideas through twitter and zoom calls, and got fans to provide visuals and remixes. The result is a uniquely isolation-era sound and emotion. [[a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52402372" target="_blank"]]Read more[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]The [[strong]]Australian government[[/strong]] is taking a concerted stand to push back against local media content being used for free by Google and Facebook. [[a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/20/google-and-facebook-must-pay-media-for-content-reuse-says-australia/" target="_blank"]]Read more[[/a]].[[/li]]
	[[li]]Many people are wondering how the [[strong]]cinema industry[[/strong]] can survive the crisis - there is even a whole [[a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_the_2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic_on_cinema" target="_blank"]]Wikipedia page[[/a]] devoted to detailing what festivals, releases and productions have been affected. But there [[a href="http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200403-why-cinemas-will-bounce-back-from-the-coronavirus-crisis" target="_blank"]]is hope[[/a]], as the industry has survived worse, from the Spanish Flu to the advent of television.[[/li]]
	[[li]]It&#39;s always a good time to think about&nbsp;[[strong]]micro-influencers[[/strong]] and how marketers should consider making the most of them for niche and new markets. [[a href="https://www.bordbia.ie/industry/news/food-alerts/what-is-a-micro-influencer-and-how-can-they-help-grow-your-brand/" target="_blank"]]See this blog post[[/a]] from Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board.[[/li]]
	[[li]]You might, like me, remember fondly the Budweiser&rsquo;s [[strong]]Whassup ad[[/strong]], from (ahem) 2000. Well, it&rsquo;s back - with a new quarantine theme. [[a href="https://www.marketingweek.com/budweiser-brings-back-wassup-quarantine/" target="_blank"]]A brilliant revival[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]This Canadian news story looks at how[[strong]] dating apps[[/strong]] are proving even more popular in a time of pandemic. [[a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pandemic-dating-apps-1.5532965" target="_blank"]]Read more[[/a]].[[/li]]
	[[li]]ECommerce giant [[strong]]Amazon[[/strong]] has of course seen [[a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/09/tech/amazon-dominance-coronavirus/index.html"]]massive profits[[/a]]&nbsp;in the last few weeks[[strong]],[[/strong]]&nbsp;but also legal issues in France, labor issues in the US, and general [[a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/amazon"]]newsworthiness[[/a]].[[/li]]
	[[li]]Speaking of retail, the big American [[strong]]department stores[[/strong]] have been hit especially badly by the crisis, outlined in this [[a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/business/coronavirus-department-stores-neiman-marcus.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank"]]New York Times article[[/a]].[[/li]]
	[[li]]And finally. The pandemic-related creativity continues apace. Here&rsquo;s one of our favorite sites of people dressing up as [[a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90484459/getty-museum-challenges-quarantined-people-to-recreate-famous-works-of-art-with-hilarious-results" target="_blank"]][[strong]]famous artworks[[/strong]][[/a]].[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Stay tuned for our next news roundup in two weeks, sign up for our upcoming [[a href="https://my.digitalmarketinginstitute.com/events" target="_blank"]]webinars[[/a]]&nbsp; and keep listening to our [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/podcasts" target="_blank"]]podcasts[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The Membership Team[[/p]]

Covid-19 Update: eCommerce, Gaming & Getting Creative

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