Content emerges as the most effective strategy in these difficult times: Amarpreet Anand of Diageo

For alcohol beverage company Diageo, the focus on content marketing has evolved from seeding the brand in culture to spreading inspiration, positivity and gratefulness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Explaining how this is the need of the hour for the consumer and society at large, Amarpreet Anand, EVP and Portfolio Head, Diageo India, told BuzzInContent.com how investments in content had increased amid the pandemic.

Over the years, content has evolved for the company, becoming one of its strategic pillars. It has its own music content platform as No.1 Yaari Jam under its brand McDowell’s No.1 Soda on YouTube and a devised content strategy for TV.

He said content distribution changed in the past few months given the change in consumption, with on-ground activations coming to a stop.

He believes the sudden changes due to the pandemic provided a new challenge for content marketers, bringing into focus the fact that there is much more besides the traditional methods and channels.

Content marketers, he said, already have had enough experience through these five months and there’s only looking forward to what can be brought onto the table.

Content emerged out to be the most effective strategy in these difficult times, he said. “Content emerged to be king considering that a staggering number of consumers were under the lockdown. There was not just an increase in consumption but also an increase in the need to explore new avenues based on consumer needs,” he said.

In the past few months, the industry observed newer brands investing in content. For others, the existing investments increased multi-fold.

“To maintain and build relationships with existing and potential consumers, there was increased investment in content marketing, resulting in a huge opportunity for brands across spectrums.”