Claire Baldwin

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, even if that tunnel looks like it might be getting longer and longer by the day. Restrictions are lifting (for now) and COVID isn’t always the main subject of the news.

Just like the natural cycle of the world continues, things are starting to return to normal. Trees are blossoming, birds are getting ready to lay their eggs, and caterpillars are turning into butterflies …

What’s that? Did someone say caterpillar?

Caterpillargate

Okay, now I’ve rambled on a bit to get to my point (and you’ve read the title of the article, so you already know what I’m going to talk about), let’s talk Caterpillargate.

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock the last few months (that would be more woodlouse than caterpillar), you’ve probably heard about the beef between M&S and Aldi. That’s right. Pandemic aside, the big news of 2021 was supermarkets arguing about cake.

And it was glorious.

A quick recap: Colin the Caterpillar, the pride and joy of M&S and literal best cake ever (sorry, fancy French patisseries) was the victim of identity theft in April. The culprit? Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar.

While all the other big supermarkets have their own caterpillar-shaped cakes, M&S was quite rightly a bit annoyed by Aldi’s offering, which is almost identical in design to the OG. They lawyered up … and the Twitter fun began.

Cringeworthy or absolutely incredible?

I know which camp I’m in. I saw a lot of hate for the Caterpillargate bandwagon but I thought it was both delightful and absolutely hilarious.

Let’s face it: it got people talking. About caterpillar cake, sure, but at the heart of it all was a valid concern of trademark infringement, intellectual property theft and copycat branding. It also gave social media teams in just about every industry the opportunity to have a bit of fun, try something new and flex their creative muscles.

Viral marketing doesn’t just happen overnight. Well, it kind of does, but hopefully you see my point. You can’t just choose to go viral, and brands can learn a lot from Caterpillargate and how the story evolved through quick responses and creative content.

Finding joy in the little things

It’s sad when a little bit of fun gets derided as being “cringe”. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I personally thought that a bit of lighthearted banter about bug-shaped cake was the perfect light relief from all the doom and gloom of the pandemic.

The fact that we’re ready to accept these more trivial snippets of news is comforting, as it means that we’re starting to see the other side of this whole ordeal. A year ago, Caterpillargate would have felt completely out of touch, and actually rather insulting. Now, with vaccinations being rolled out, pubs and shops reopening, and the world starting to return to normal, there’s so much relief to be found in enjoying the little things.

We’ve all had to deal with a lot over the last 12 months, and it’s been really refreshing to take the piss out of some cake.

Almost every single person on the planet has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic in some way, and this has been a huge catalyst in an already fast-changing industry.

Here’s what we’re going to see in the marketing strategies of 2021 and beyond.

User-generated content

People love to get involved and have their voices heard—that’s why social media is so popular.

Throughout 2020, many people were getting a little, well, bored. Being stuck in lockdown made people turn to more creative pastimes, participating in virtual quizzes, challenging each other to endless rounds of Taskmaster, and creating window displays with the kids to boost local morale. And it has to be said, the meme quality of 2020 was absolutely *chef’s kiss*.

There are millions of creative, hilarious and inspirational people out there, and they can work for your brand … for free. From giveaways and creative hashtag challenges to simply asking people to share their stories, there’s something utterly compelling about user-generated content, especially in light of the horrible shared experience of a global pandemic.

Virtual events

This time last year, comparatively few people had dipped their toes into the waters of virtual social events, Zoom meetings and remote offices.

However, 2020 pushed a lot of people head-first into the pool, and these remote interactions have become an ordinary part of our lives. And that’s where great marketing happens; integrating brands into these small moments that make up our daily routines.

Now consumers are used to attending virtual events, we can vastly expand audiences by creating additional opportunities for people to attend remotely. It also opens the doors to inviting guest speakers without paying for long-haul flights and hotel rooms, or holding conferences and exhibitions in a virtual space, reducing waste and avoiding the expense of a huge exhibition venue.

Social consciousness

“But Claire! This isn’t the first time you’ve written about social consciousness for DWH’s blog!” No. It’s not. And it won’t be the last.

It’s hard to call social consciousness a trend. It’s not. It shouldn’t be. The world’s largest corporations have the power to literally change the world, for better or worse, and more and more people are realising this every day. The brands that we choose matter, and the companies that are starting to look a little less than friendly are getting scared.

There’s an almost endless list of ways for brands to become more socially conscious. Owning up to mistakes, improving diversity and equality, reducing emissions, planting a bunch of trees, giving employees a decent living wage, banning fur and just trying to do better are all huge steps that companies are making every day.

Brands that don’t adapt to the changing priorities of their target markets simply won’t survive. So becoming more responsible and accountable is one of the biggest things you can do to boost your profits in 2021 and beyond.

Being kind never goes out of style.