Page 12 - WhitePaper_MC&I Benchmark in Covid19 Era

MARKETERS’ CURRENT MULTICULTURAL AND INCLUSIVE ACTIONS
Prior to this quantitative study, AIMM conducted qualitative pandemic research. AIMM leaders
conducted one-on-one in-depth interviews with about 20 leaders from corporations, media,
and agencies. The interviews identifi ed four business/communication stages as a result of
COVID-19: Pause, Response and Relief, Recovery, and Reset Growth. Marketers and brands
could be in one or more of these stages at once. Each stage shows different trends in how
heavily distinct MC&I efforts are being prioritized.

PAUSE: Halted/postponed 2020 planned marketing communications until further notice

RESPONSE AND RELIEF: Communications shift to immediate crisis response or
consumer relief with a new tone refl ecting higher empathy, relevance, and brand purpose
while recognizing consumer/community hardships

RECOVERY: Communications shift to business in the “new normal” environment, forging
ahead with messaging like softer branding and loyalty while avoiding being tone-deaf with
hard-sell promotions

RESET GROWTH: Planning to resume pre-COVID business growth trajectories

MC&I SPEND OUTLOOK AND SHIFTS

AIMM also identifi ed a series of immediate and future spending and growth trends in MC&I:

Quarter 2 Trends: Marketers’ Response and Relief Efforts Have Largely Bypassed MC&I

• Marketers are 3.5 times more likely to have not implemented MC&I COVID Response and
Relief efforts yet in comparison to General Market efforts.

• Marketers are 32 percent more likely to have paused MC&I efforts in comparison to
General Market efforts.

• About 25 percent have paused MC&I vs. 19 percent among
General Market efforts.

• Three in 10 are already planning for MC&I recovery and reset.
• MC&I spend in Q2 was two to six times more likely to have been eliminated in comparison

to General Market efforts.

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