How to Refresh Your Coronavirus Ads to Connect With Consumers and Bring Hope

How to Refresh Your Coronavirus Ads to Connect With Consumers and Bring Hope

by | Apr, 2020 | Content, Native Advertising

Consumers want to hear from brands, but are your coronavirus ads alienating rather than connecting with them? Are they just… impossibly stale and generic? Below are best-practices from [b]+studio to refresh your creative assets to (dare we say it?) bring a smile to their faces.

It’s been over a month of self-quarantine and consumers are getting restless.

Notice how coronavirus ads all start with “We are here for you…” followed by tug-at-your-heartstring b-roll, slow music, and sad faces…. Every email starts with “Hope you’re healthy” or “Crazy times!” or “In these uncertain times…” It’s all starting to look and sound the same. Are your ads making your audience uncomfortable or excited?

We need to find ways to connect and build trust with our audiences in spite of this isolating pandemic. Terms like “covid-19,”
“coronavirus,” “pandemic” etc., are creating distance and alienating consumers, not building an emotional connection with the brand. How can you speak to your audience during a global pandemic without sounding robotic and somber?

via GIPHY

Last month was the month of empathy. Now, more than ever – it’s about value.

Consumers want to be uplifted, they want to $ave, and they want to smile again. Let’s instead re-direct messaging to stay positive during such an unprecedented time. Why not (tactfully) calm the nerves of your audience with comfort and reassurance? Connecting and even evoking a smile in such unpredictable times is a powerful gift. You can do that by updating your email list and sending bulk emails to your users with the help of email management services (like the ones offered at simplelists.com/). Try including an assuring and motivating message that can make them feel good during this time of uncertainty.

However, while promoting the value and monetary benefits of your business products, don’t let go of that empathetic element from your ads and marketing strategies. The pandemic has made people more conscious of each other’s health and wellness. So, while promoting your sale and discounts, include emotional factors about your delivery partners, transportation and logistics employees, etc., and how you have special provisions in place (check out the Top HGV insurance quote in minutes by exploring such services online) to ensure their safety during the Covid crisis.

Your online business highly depends on how you promote your services, and products. So, using only one type of emotion in ads to activate customers’ cultural mindset might not be enough in such circumstances. You have to speak their emotional language to attract the attention of potential customers. People are loyal and safe with familiarity, but with the right tools, your advertising campaigns can flourish and attract new consumers. Bidtellect’s in-house creative team, [b]+studio has been testing and measuring the shift in creative in real-time. Here’s what’s working this week.

Polish up with this new set of best practices for your coronavirus ads to bring hope and value:

1. Reposition your creative with witty and trendy adjectives; use abbreviations such as “WFH” or “QuaranQueen” to make light of the situation (tactfully, of course). There are ways to remind us of our current situation without making us sad about it.

2. If you have a loyalty program, announce it. Audiences are more likely to purchase if there are loyalty incentives.

3. SALES! DISCOUNT CODES! FREE SHIPPING! With the uncertainty of economic turmoil, consumers are responding to sales. Brand loyalists are going for a less expensive product and it’s all happening online. Besides, who doesn’t love a sale? Build their trust and your audience will $ave.

4. Try to focus not on selling but on helping your audience with a solution. For example: How Long Has Your Dip Nail Polish Been On? You’re ready for a new color. Try XYZ. (This creative is letting the audience know it’s been a while since we’ve all been to the nail salon and offering a solution to give the audience comfort).

5. Imagery is always important in creative. Bright colors, pleasing images, and happy people as the main focal point always perform well. Cinemagraphs and .gifsdraw attention against the parallel somber images on a webpage.

6. Drive it home with positive and compassionate content, including relevant hashtags: #StayHome

The wave of somber advertising is gently passing and while we are headed into the unknown, one thing is for certain: people want to smile again – even if it’s for a brief moment. Your messaging can easily be tested and updated within minutes on our platform. Between our sophisticated optimization technology and creative refreshes, we are working diligently to put your campaigns to work and get the best results possible.

Want more need-to-know info? Subscribe to our monthly Bidtellectual newsletter!


Charlotte Otremba is Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing at Bidtellect.

Why You Should Factor Diversity Into Your Strategy This Black History Month

by | February 8, 2023 | Content, Culture | 0 Comments

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Behind the Platform: Using Peer39 For Brand Safety & Keyword Targeting

by | January 31, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

Bidtellect VP of Product Arthur Hainline demonstrates the three key uses for the Peer39 integration in Bidtellect’s DSP, while offering helpful tips for traders and advertisers to get the most out of Bidtellect’s product.

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by | January 12, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

Bidtellect VP of Product Arthur Hainline demonstrates the new Scope3 integration in Bidtellect’s platform, how you can take actionable steps to reduce carbon waste, and the current state of the industry’s wasteful supply path emissions.

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This Week in Digital Advertising: April 24th

This Week in Digital Advertising: April 24th

by | Apr, 2020 | Content, Native Advertising

Hello Bidtellectuals. Here’s the latest in the digital advertising industry.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch here or below.

Bidtellect hosted its first-ever Zoom Trivia Game! It was intense! (It was fun.) Congrats to winner Yeni Gordillo!! Haters will say it’s rigged but it’s not. TY as always to Zoom for holding us up. (That’s not sponsored; Bidtellect pays for Zoom, but still we’re loyal.)

Are you getting tired after Zoom calls? Apparently ‘Zoom fatigue‘ is a thing. So give yourself a break! Meanwhile, in break time, you can play some free money games, watch a favorite web series, or even have a walk on the streets to lighten up your mood and reduce the mental fatigue due to consecutive Zoom calls.

Other things happening. So many things happening! Bidtellect was named the best tech startup in Delray Beach by The Tech Tribune. We’re honored to be recognized! MediaPost reported that the ad market fell 10.8% in March, but that’s ok we’re not going to think about that. Two weeks ago, The Trade Desk asked exchanges to stop sending duplicate bid requests for the same ad impression after seeing a recent spike in duplicative supply. “The industry continues to shift towards ‘fewer and better,'” offered TripleLift Chief Strategy Officer Ari Lewine.

Are coronavirus ads getting, like, super somber and stale? It’s been a month and everyone is feeling the pain of this pandemic; we need some connection, some new life, some hope! Refresh your creative copy and images based on what’s working this week – thanks [b]+studio! As we thank essential workers for braving the frontline each day, check out this case study of a regional grocer who wanted to reach more customers more efficiently utilizing contextual targeting – a tactic to try now. For a good overview of programmatic trends now, check out this PMG piece.

Live sports. Remember those? Here’s a major yikes: with live sports canceled AT&T lost 900,000 subscribers in Q1 and total pay-TV revenue was down $10.5 billion or7.2% – and they’re expecting more! Meanwhile, Netix is like “Ha! we have high-quality content like Tiger King and Love Island!” and racked up 16 million new paid subscribers in Q1 (they didn’t say that and they do have amazing content. I’m just bitter they ditched Friends in my time of need). But there’s hope: the NFL draft is already garnering massive interest from fans and advertisers alike who are chomping at the bit; more than 100 brands are lined up for the three-day NFL Draft production that started yesterday.

And finally, is it time to cut your hair? Confession: I cut mine two days ago and it did not go well. I’ll be wearing a ponytail for a while!!!! But here are fun tutorials by celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Jen Atkin for long hair and short hair, and one for bangs in The New York Times by Sanam Yar. You’re welcome! But don’t do it.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch here:

Want more need-to-know info? Subscribe to our monthly Bidtellectual newsletter!


Charlotte Otremba is Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing at Bidtellect.

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by | February 8, 2023 | Content, Culture | 0 Comments

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by | January 31, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

Bidtellect VP of Product Arthur Hainline demonstrates the three key uses for the Peer39 integration in Bidtellect’s DSP, while offering helpful tips for traders and advertisers to get the most out of Bidtellect’s product.

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Behind the Platform: Tracking Emissions With Bidtellect Scope3 Integration, Plus What to Know About Supply Path Emissions

by | January 12, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

Bidtellect VP of Product Arthur Hainline demonstrates the new Scope3 integration in Bidtellect’s platform, how you can take actionable steps to reduce carbon waste, and the current state of the industry’s wasteful supply path emissions.

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This Week in Digital Advertising: April 17th

This Week in Digital Advertising: April 17th

by | Apr, 2020 | Content, Culture, Native Advertising

Hello Bidtellectuals. Here’s the latest in the digital advertising industry.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch here or below.

Let’s talk retail. This week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that total U.S. retail and food sales fell 8.7 percent from the previous month. But thanks to e-commerce, retail is gaining traction and numbers are rising. Read more in our piece “Retail gains traction during coronavirus crisis thanks to e-commerce.”

Adobe Analytics reported a 25% boost in average U.S. daily online sales March 13-15 compared with March 1-11 (so that’s in just one week). In North America, the number of online orders for web-only online retailers were up 52% year over year on March 22 through April 4, according to Emarsys and GoodData. More notable, YoY revenue growth numbers in mid-April (+68%) surpassed those of early January (+49%). And –no surprise here – NetElixir reported that online food sales surged 183% between March 1 and 25, vs. the same period last year. Also surging: online orders for health and fitness products, such as kettlebells, dumbbells, and treadmills, which have increased 55% March 11-15 compared with March 1-10, according to AdobeAnalytics.

Retail brands especially should provide help and value during this time. 83% of respondents want compassionate connection, including brand messaging that communicates empathy and support with the struggles they face, according to an Edelman Survey. The biggest piece of advice: don’t go dark. In times where our security is threatened, people are hardwired to seek clarity and calm, according to Econsultancy. Brands that stay in touch now will benefit later. Many brands periodically checks the quality of their phone data to filter out disconnected and invalid numbers. If your business depends on outbound calls, you could invest in services like phone validator api which could help you to check the validity of the existing information you have collected.

And according to a Mediapost survey, the No. 1 thing ad executives said media could do to help them through the crisis is to “be flexible,” especially in terms of ad commitments, budgets, campaign timing, and media costs, but also creatives – re-purposing assets, for example. On the plus side, marketers like Heineken that normally spend a significant part of their marketing budgets on sports sponsorships and other live events, are reallocating some of that money back into advertising, according to Ron Amram, Heineken USA’s global media lead.

Cities like New York are requiring masks to go outside. Here are instructions to sew your own. Speaking of New York, if you want to feel your ears bleed (or for those like me, hear the sweet sound of home), check out New York Times “Best New YorkAccent“ competition.

Speaking of self-care: we compiled some tips to try at home. Suffering from a sore neck, back, or shoulders from your network-from-home setup needn’t be a thing. Neither should the general stress of pandemic life get to you. Our tips encompass foam rolling and stretching to using products like Theragun and Vibes CBD oils to help you take care of those aching muscles and reduce your stress.

In these troubled times where we are shut indoors or working from home, you should not neglect your mind or body’s health in any way. Hence, you should do all you can to keep yourself healthy. And if that means creating a diet chart, eating more fruits, and consuming detox supplements, then be it!

Also, besides eating healthy food, keep in mind to get enough sleep. This can help us wake up fresh and ready to work the next day–plus, it can help maintain our overall health. That said, if you find it quite hard to get good sleep, try purchasing CBD Gummies UK or elsewhere.

For more self-care advice, might we suggest Harvard’s 6 self-care steps for pandemic. To keep your blood pumping, there are many free online workout classes hosted on sites like YouTube which are perfect to try now. The Body Project is one such channel you may want to check out as pros and newbies can follow along just fine.

Last but certainly not least, we made a video to brighten your day: Bidtellectualsshare what they are grateful for. We are certainly grateful for you today.

Stay safe.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch here:

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Landing Page Best Practices to Incorporate Now

Landing Page Best Practices to Incorporate Now

by | Apr, 2020 | Content

Now, more than ever, it’s important to have informative, engaging content. Here are 8 landing page best practices to incorporate now.

Your Landing Page Matters

We’ve all been there: clicked an ad because we were genuinely interested in the content it led to, only to find we didn’t get the information we were looking for or the page was too difficult to navigate on our mobile device. Sound familiar?

According to Forrester Research, 81% of respondents find industry-specific content valuable, and 49% of technology buying decision makers rely on content developed by industry analysts/experts to make buying decisions. (But that could apply to any industry vertical.)

So how do you know if your landing page is a true MVP? According to Forbes, the 6 characteristics of great content are: it provides value, engages, boosts clout, demonstrates passion, and strengthens relationships.

Here are a 8 practical tips and best practices to make your landing page fresh, engaging, and up-to-par:

1. Your Landing Page Should Be Aligned With Your Goal

Oftentimes, we are asked to write ad content for landing pages to drive conversations – whether it be a download or a sign up. When we look at the landing page, the desired action is buried somewhere. Make sure your landing page delivers what the ad promised. If you can’t write/design it yourself you can check this out to see how you can be assisted to make sure your landing page looks the best it can do.

2. KISS: Keep it Simple, Silly!

Like my Geometry teacher used to say – keep it simple, and don’t overcomplicate it. Keep your forms simple. Keep your writing simple (don’t overcomplicate it). Write like a human, not a robot. Keep the layout simple: strong headlines, compelling sub headline that supports your products benefits, use large pictures of people actually using your product (and caption it), and break up copy into sections. In case you are unsure about where to begin or what to choose, contacting a web designer near you would be beneficial. For example, if you are looking for a web designers in melbourneor nearby areas, you could consider reaching out to Cultivate Digital, which can help you build a website tailored to your needs.

3. Leverage Case Studies, Social Proof, and Testimonials

Testimonials and successful case studies are powerful tools for building trust and credibility as well as increasing website conversions. 92% of customers read online reviews before buying (Big Commerce). 72% of consumers say positive testimonials and reviews increase their trust in a business (Big Commerce).

4. Make Sure Your Landing Page is Mobile Friendly

Make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices on the tech side in addition to cutting unnecessary filler text that would make scrolling tedious. 81% of mobile researchers are driven by the speed and convenience of the site, and 73% of mobile searches trigger additional action or conversion according to Adobe, yet only 50% of landing pages are optimized for mobile devices. (Truelist) Be better than that.

5. Make Sure Your CTA Works

Test, test, and test again to make sure your desired CTA works on all devices. Add a nice “thank you page” to show your appreciation to the consumer.

6. Make Sure Your Landing Page is GDPR and CCPA Compliant

‘Nuff said.

7. Make Sure Your Landing Pages are SEO Compliant

Whether you use your own marketing team for this, or hire a local bolton seo professional (if that is where you live), incorporating SEO strategies to your website and blog pages can help increase visibility of the same in various search engines and hence, boost the traffic coming to your website. These strategies can include: a Unique URL, a relevant Title, a Header Tag, a Meta Description (which is what Google populates under your search result), titling your images and image files, and backlinking. This Wordstream article gives a great breakdown. The importance of SEO in obtaining traction for your website cannot be overstated. As a result, it is critical that you understand how to use SEO tools. If you aren’t tech savvy, you could hire an seo agency to design your landing pages in order to make it search engine friendly.

8. Don’t Limit Your Landing Page

More landing pages means more conversions. According to Hubspot, companies with 10 to 15 landing pages increase leads by 55%. Companies with 40 or more landing pages get 12X more leads than those with five or less. And long form landing pages can generate up to 220% more leads according to Marketing Experiments.

Follow these landing page best practices and you’ll see engagement soar in no time!

Want more need-to-know info? Subscribe to our monthly Bidtellectual newsletter!


Why You Should Factor Diversity Into Your Strategy This Black History Month

by | February 8, 2023 | Content, Culture | 0 Comments

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by | January 31, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

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eMarketer Podcast Insights: What Consumers Expect From Brands During Coronavirus

eMarketer Podcast Insights: What Consumers Expect From Brands During Coronavirus

by | Apr, 2020 | Content, Native Advertising

It’s a difficult time. How can brands possibly survive while remaining sensitive to it all? We pulled key insights from two recent eMarketerpodcasts: What Consumers Expect from Brands During the coronavirus and Effective and Noneffective, Ads During the Coronavirus Outbreak. We highly recommend giving these podcasts a listen. If you don’t have time – or even if you do – we pulled the mentioned statistics and key takeaways.

These are the latest key eMarketer insights for effective brand messaging during the Coronavirus pandemic as of April 8, 2020.

eMarketer: What Consumers Expect from BrandsDuring the Coronavirus

Listen to the Podcast here.

Key Takeaways:

  • Don’t be radio silent. Use your branding and marketing skills by building your own YouTube channel or starting your own podcast channel. Always try innovative ideas to build up your scene. There’s still room to be doing some upper-funnel brand awareness advertising. This can be from die cut stickers advertising to email newsletters which will keep customers in the loop.
  • Empathy: what we should be thinking about all the time. People are worried about the economy and job security, the outbreak itself, and someone in their family getting sick.
  • Deliver content that is helpful. Be sensitive to the climate.
  • If you have money to spend during this crisis, you will come out ahead of those who don’t have the money to continue advertising during this time
  • Stay in touch with loyal customers. Use this time to build a relationship.
  • “There is no rapid return to normal. The new world will have trust at its core.” –Richard Edelman

4 things brands should do according to the Edelman TrustBarometer:

  • Show up, do your part, use resources to help

  • Don’t act alone. Try to collaborate with others

  • Solve. Don’t sell.

  • Communicate with emotion, empathy, and facts

What are Consumers Expecting From Brands?

→ According to the Edelman survey, respondents believe brands should:

  • Tackle social issues
  • Act to protect their employees
  • Keep people informed

→ BUT:

  • 57% of respondents want brands to stop humorous or lighthearted ads
  • Respondents are not paying attention to new products unless they help the pandemic

→ According to Kantar Research: Brands should deliver helpful content in a reassuring tone, and are expected to be supporting employees and hospitals.

  • Only 8% say brands should stop advertising
  • 78% of consumers believe brands should help them in their daily lives
  • 75% saying brands should inform people of what they’re doing
  • 74% thinking companies should not exploit the situation.

→ 29% of Americans have already begun using a brand due to the innovative or compassionate way they’ve responded to the COVID-19 crisis. (Edelman)

→ 44% of Americans polled said they only rarely or sometimes engaged with COVID-19-related ads, and 40% said they never do (The Harris Poll)

“There is no rapid return to normal. The new world will have trust at its core, with the brand mandate expanded to solve problems for all, protect all, care for all, collaborate with all, and innovate in the public interest.“

– Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman (quoted in the podcast)

eMarketer: Effective and Noneffective, Ads During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Listen to the Podcast here.

Key Takeaways:

  • This is a time for branding, not about performance

  • Think about the consumer at this time. Don’t make it all about you. Be Helpful.

  • Now is about: Authenticity, empathy, understanding people’s new realities

  • Brands are being too cautious and overclocking coronavirus content. It’s news.

Brand Messaging:

  • Emphasize trust and reliability

  • Be empathetic to individuals’ new realities, be helpful

  • Speak to core brand dimensions

    • For example, clothing should emphasize comfort and CPG brands that make us feel normal and nostalgic should emphasize that.

  • Acknowledge the crisis

    • Coca-Cola and Guinness are examples (below)

What Do Consumers Want? (AAAA)

  • 43% say they want messages that are reassuring from brands they know and trust

  • More than half are pleased that brands are making a donation

  • 40% want to know what brands are doing in response to the pandemic

  • 15% don’t want to hear from brands at this time

The Three Types of Brands in this Crisis (Mediapost)

  1. “All About Me”
  2. “Helpful”
  3. “Friend in Need”

→ First category was most unappealing, the most appealing is the second. How can you help your customers now? How can you provide comfort, information, and value?

Advertising Near Coronavirus Content?

  • Only a mere 16% says they are NOT likely to engage with an ad adjacent to Coronaviruscontent (Integral Ad Science)

  • Brands are being too cautious, and it’s bad for the economics of the news organizations.

  • It’s news – like any other news – use it to help people stay informed

→ 38% of Americans agree that brands should advertise as normal (Global Web IndexStudy)

→ 28% disagree (Global Web Index Study)

Key Insights from the latest eMarketer podcasts on brand messaging.

Here’s More:

Read how Bidtellect’s in-house creative agency, [b]+studio, can help with your creative messaging and branding needs.

Reach out for personalized information based on your creative needs.

Download eMarketer Insights

Want more need-to-know info? Subscribe to our monthly Bidtellectual newsletter!


Charlotte Otremba is Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing at Bidtellect.

Why You Should Factor Diversity Into Your Strategy This Black History Month

by | February 8, 2023 | Content, Culture | 0 Comments

How and why you should make diversity your advertising priority.

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by | January 31, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

Bidtellect VP of Product Arthur Hainline demonstrates the three key uses for the Peer39 integration in Bidtellect’s DSP, while offering helpful tips for traders and advertisers to get the most out of Bidtellect’s product.

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by | January 12, 2023 | Product and Technology | 0 Comments

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