The insidious, terrible and unbearable war has affected everyone in our glorious country, turned life upside down, and for many people it has had extremely tragic consequences, unfortunately. For a while, absolutely everything stopped. It seemed like forever.
During the extremely long days of military operations in Ukraine, the home front and the front began to emerge. It became clear that the rear should help the front in any way it could. And very gradually, businesses began to move to safer places in Ukraine, rebuild their processes and revive. And agriculture is no exception. For reasons known to all, there is a very large emphasis on it in Ukraine. This is fortunate. Fortunately and thanks to our Armed Forces and the Government.
Маркетинг завжди першим підпадав під скорочення, «на паузу», звільнення під час будь-яких форс-мажорів, а під час війни – тим паче. And this fact is connected not only with the economic situation in the country, but also with millions of existential questions among people that are not easy to answer, and therefore not at all to marketing, targeting, viewing advertising campaigns on social media, or good design solutions. We are not talking about a strategy at all - the planning horizon is at the level of a glass of water or tea.
And yet, there are marketers in our country, and they are powerful and cool specialists. Before the war, marketing in agribusiness began to gain momentum and develop its professionalism. So, what should we do, what should marketing look like in wartime, and is it even needed?
In wartime, on the home front, marketing must exist and must be humanistic. I think that in Ukraine, after the victory, marketing will forever have a humanistic touch, no matter what we do here in terms of business. Because everyone realises the value of life, mutual assistance, flexibility and speed in business restructuring, plans A, B, C...
Components of humanitarian marketing during the war:
- From the very first days of the war, a cyber army started operating in Ukraine, because in addition to military operations, we still need to win the information war, which is mostly about marketing. All marketers can still join any regiment of cyber troops and make designs, write texts, shoot videos, edit them, set up targeting in support of Ukraine in different countries of the world, manage social media accounts, create digital plans, and so on. This will be an integral contribution to the victory
- If you have the opportunity, you can create your own separate regiment that will help our country continue to win the information war, using all your marketing knowledge. There are examples like this, and they are growing in number in Ukraine
- On all pages in social networks and websites, businesses should talk about the catastrophic consequences of the war in Ukraineask for help for our country, highlight what has already been done in the country and what still needs to be done to win. Especially if you have foreign partners and clients. And this is about marketing and the work of every marketer
- Letters should be sent regularly to all foreign partners with the same appeals and information as in the previous paragraph. And this is the job of a marketer in wartime
- If a business has foreign clients who can work at the price of Ukrainian business BEFORE the war, this is a jackpot. Choose for your business the % of profits that you will donate to the needs of the Armed Forces and people in need. Do this regularly, before the win, and maybe for some time afterwards. It is imperative to tell foreign partners about the use of the profits of a Ukrainian company, and that they help the Ukrainian economy as a whole by paying taxes and providing jobs. And communicating with foreign clients on the above topics is a regular, daily job of a marketer. And also, reporting on the results of using all the aid money.
- Coming up with initiatives, engaging in projects that will help our frontline, constantly searching for them and proposing them to management is the daily task of a marketer in wartime.
- We need to review the company's entire portfolio of services and products and understand which ones help all Ukrainians save, grow, and rebuild in this difficult time;which ones help to further raise the patriotic and fighting spirit, which ones help the country unite everyone in the fight. And then - to convey these messages with the help of marketing tools to those who are relatively safe in Ukraine. This is the task of a marketer
- You need to talk to your Ukrainian customers using all existing platforms. Not to sell something, no. But to support them, provide useful information, give them advice, share the experience of rebuilding the business, tell the stories of people in the company, and show that you are not just a brand. You are a humane brand. Guess whose work this is?
- If you are a freelance marketer and have been left without any orders and clients, or without a job because you were laid off because of the war, do your best to volunteer, remember what books you have not read but always wanted to, what courses you have not taken and now have time, register on all foreign platforms for finding clients, and work in this direction. Every day. The result will not be tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow, but keep going. You will do a lot for Ukraine, for Ukrainians and for yourself. In the end, you will become a true humanistic marketer, and you will get a great result
- If you've ever thought about changing your marketing profession to something completely different, it might be time to listen to these thoughts, think it over, and start learning. After all in life, you should only do what you are ready to do, even when everything is destroyed - literally and figuratively. And it will be humane. In relation to a person to himself.
I think that in conclusion, it will be important to emphasise the qualities that every marketer needs during a war: flexibility, quick orientation in space, communication skills, discipline, a high focus on operational tasks, will, and a desire to continue with everything no matter what.
Marketing will always be there, even in difficult and dark times. In such an important industry for Ukraine as agribusiness, it is even more so. It is only necessary to understand how a marketer can be useful to bring light and goodness closer.
Source: AgroPortal
