The pandemic has brought significant changes across industries, and marketing is no exception. Today, digital marketing has become a critical aspect to attracting new customers and retaining existing customers. In his weekly BrandWagon Ad Talk series, industry experts highlight what has changed in the last two years and, more importantly, whether these changes will continue. Isobar and Taproot Dentsu chief his creative his officer Aalap Desai talks to BrandWagon Online about the dos and don’ts of digital marketing, the best marketing his campaigns and more.

What is the difference between launching a brand in the digital age today and in the digital age before?

With the advent of digital, the biggest change is engagement and reaction. Branding is no longer a one-way debate. People react to it, share it, engage with it, and it becomes a two-way narrative. That’s a big change for me.

What’s the best recent marketing or advertising campaign you’ve seen and why?

The Backup Ukraine campaign has been very inspiring lately. I won Cannes this year, but I think I should have won more. I was really rooting for it. What I love is the fact that digital has given hope to people’s lives. It’s great to crowdsource 3D backups of everything around citizens to preserve digital versions of the buildings they love. After all, war can destroy the physical form, but no one can destroy the digital version.

Which brands made the most of digital last year and how?

Burger King has had some great campaigns over the years.Each year they use fresh methods to make a maverick connection with their audience. From Stevenage Challenge to Moldy Burger to the latest Burger Glitch. They’ve been doing it for years, not just in the past year. Even Burger King India recently announced an interesting Hrithik campaign.

In a post-Covid world, what are the digital marketing dos and don’ts?

Today’s campaigns should be engaging and conversational. And like any conversation, we have to be interested in it. We cannot be insensitive and arrogant. It turns the audience off. Authenticity is the key to deeper engagement. Lip service is yelled at because of the increased exposure. We feel we are close to achieving the calibration the industry needs. What I sometimes feel is a bit excessive.

Tell us about a bad example of a recent ad you’ve seen and why.

Introducing a series of Layerer Shot films that premiered at this year’s IPL. It was very offensive and wrong on many levels. I want to take back the time I spent looking at them and thinking.

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