With the shrinking economy and unusual working conditions, many businesses are struggling to adjust to the new marketplace. They are becoming innovative in a way that they combat the imposed changes stemming from the pandemic, including employees who only work from home, clients with shrinking budgets, and management of projects that have suddenly turned almost entirely digital.

We spoke to A&E to discover some ways in which brand’s can get creative to maintain client relationships while adjusting to the “new normal.” They shared their story about how the current landscape is looking like in New York City when it comes to agency work and digital marketing.

RC: Have you increased your efforts for client-retention during the pandemic?

A&E: Yes – we had to completely eliminate parts of our digital marketing business. For example, we host events that can include hundreds of editors and influencers, and this service has become an obsolete form of marketing during the pandemic.

RC: What are the challenges you are facing in retaining them?

A&E: We had to deal with shrinking budgets and outdated deliverables. Some of the immediate challenges were how to restructure contracts so that they are able to be completed while ensuring tone appropriateness and relevance to new times. We also had to execute production in isolated areas to ensure social distancing and keep our staff safe . For example, photo shoots that were supposed to be done in the studio were suddenly shot in nature and models had to do their own makeup and hair.

 RC: Have you implemented new ideas/strategies to overcome these challenges? What are they?

A&E: We got creative and utilized technology to improve our deliverability. We created virtual events, i.e. zoom discussion panels with speakers, and we made them available for attendance to even a greater number of viewers.

RC: What is your best advice for companies struggling to retain their customers during this time? 

A&E: There is no one size fits all here, but we would suggest focusing on clients’ core activities and offering them assistance with their bottom line. As the economic turmoil reduces the size of some brands, they will be looking to cut some of their less profitable endeavors and focus on the strongest aspects of their business. For example, a dessert chain who once upon a time also used to sell roasted coffee may choose to expand their business by using their most well-known cakes. By focusing on their core business, you can help brands optimize their investment and receive the most value for their money.