Most of the people I speak to are finding Lockdown 5.0 more difficult than any of the others we have endured.  The virus has mutated into a new strain and will no doubt, in time, mutate again.  I don’t say this to be negative but simply to call it as it is.  In the UK 85% of the population are vaccinated and whilst cases of the Delta strain are increasing to 50,000 per day the key numbers to watch are the death rate which is down from 1400 per day in January to 40 per day in the last week.  Hospitalisations are down from 24,000 per day in January to 2,500 in the last week.  Whilst still serious, it is hoped that this reopening of the UK economy can be successfully managed as it’s an important test case for the western world.

From a business perspective Faith navigated a bumpy road last year and came through better than we anticipated.  Job Keeper and a Business Victoria grant allowed us to retain our structure and continue a range of business growth projects we had started in non-COVID times.  The result was that we came into the new year with our plans in place. We are extremely grateful for the Federal and State government support we received, and to the existing and new clients who entrusted us with their business. Key areas for growth were digital media and the return of branding projects, including television and video content projects.

Despite all the fear in the media and their constant push to find another variant on the COVID story we remain hopeful that with increased vaccination rates the economy can return pre- Christmas 21 to some form of normal activity.  Tourism, accommodation, and recreational industries are in intensive care and sadly some businesses will not make it through.  Urban living and home office changes are still being played out, but the trend for people to move to the regions is on in earnest, with Victoria already recording major increases of people leaving Melbourne.

Faith have introduced a range of new strategic planning tools to assist clients look at brand and purchase triggers across a wide range of categories. Attitudes to shopping, and the emotions across the journey stages to buying, are areas that we can investigate to develop consumer insights for marketing action.  Our competitive tools have also been upgraded for creative and digital media.

So if you are contemplating a strategic review  of your current marketing plan give us a call to hear more about how we can help you navigate the new challenges of the market, with proven methodologies and technologies.