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There are very few industries that have been adversely impacted by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns as severely as the restaurant sector. According to the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), 7 million direct employees of the restaurant industry have been hit by the pandemic and the industry body had approached the government of India for a bailout package to help sustain them through the worst phase of the pandemic. The situation is similar in other parts of the world, as people’s habits regarding eating out has changed since the pandemic.

Of the many changes the world has gone through in the past year since the start of the pandemic, consumer behaviour and evolving expectations from brands is an important one that is also critical for marketers and advertisers.

Kenya and Nigeria cautiously optimistic in their marketing endeavours

Covid-19 has turned the world upside down for almost every industry. The marketing industry is no exception. Globally, close to half of marketers have reduced their marketing activities for the meantime, aiming to increase them to full capacity again in the future. From a Sub-Saharan perspective, we see Kenya and Nigeria following this trend, while the South African shows more polarization: On the one hand some marketers have reduced their activities altogether while some on the other hand have actually increased them during the evolution of the pandemic.

With each passing day, there is a growing choice of platforms for people to consume news, entertainment, sports and engage socially on. At the same time, this leaves marketers and brands with a difficult choice of having to choose between the various platforms or prioritize one over the year. Thanks to the unusual year 2020, consumer habits have further changed, making the task of marketing and advertising even more difficult.

In the Middle East, when we look at brand and advertising reach, digital media sources strike a hard punch than the traditional avenues of radio and television. The move to digital platforms is more widespread in this region (looking specifically at the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia) than it is in other areas of the world.

The year 2020 has been an anomaly in all senses. This also applies to people’s interaction with various media platforms, both digital and traditional. The fact that for the first time a large section of the global population is spending a lot more time indoors compared to before most likely has had an impact on how we are consuming advertisements and other product and brand messaging.

In the United States, the response to the coronavirus has varied from state to state. Over the last 6 months, most stores and shops have opened up for businesses but subjected to change based on the situation, as explained in this report. At the same time, the pandemic has also had an impact on how people shop.

Finding ourselves in the middle of a global pandemic has been a shock. We’ve spent a lot of time fine-tuning ways in which we can prevent ourselves from catching the virus. COVID-19 has prompted many of us to examine our health, with 63% of people around the world reporting that coronavirus has encouraged them to seriously consider their levels of health and fitness. We’ve taken a closer look at global changes with regard to general health, hygiene and fitness, with a special focus on Nigeria and South Africa.

Worldwide nearly two-thirds of people claim to be taking their personal health and fitness habits more seriously since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. We have taken a closer look at how people living in the Middle East have altered their routines, with a focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.