Over the past 6 months, almost every sector has had to adapt at hyper-speed, reacting to often contradictory guidance and – especially for those in the wedding, events and hospitality industry that we all love – crippling restrictions that have left many without their livelihoods.

With the whole country in lockdown, media and marketing teams across the UK began scratching their heads, wondering how they were going to film new ads and other content to promote their products. Of course, the best marketeers out there will have asked this question: what can we do that will be of value to our customers during this trying and unprecedented time?

I’m sure you all noticed the shift not long after lockdown kicked in. No doubt following a series of fraught Zoom calls, a flurry of emotive ads began flooding our TV screens. Raw, unadorned footage, filmed at home, on smartphones, by the public, was the order of the day, with brands relying on customers and employees to provide content for their ads.

Meanwhile, on social media, increased usage brought on by lockdown resulted in skyrocketing engagement rates for all of our favourite channels – not least new kid on the block TikTok, whose hashtag challenges provided entertainment for the nation. Some DJs and event organisers also made the most of people’s increased screen time, running virtual events and live streamed DJ sets via Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms.

But a few brands got their marketing oh so wrong. Poor timing was a key offender, with some companies not willing to cancel ads that they’d already spent money on, resulting in jarring messaging, such as offers on cruise holidays that people couldn’t go on. Others attempted humour, but misjudged the public mood around coronavirus, resulting in a tumbleweed ‘WTF?’ moment on the London Tube.