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Examining the change in brands’ marketing communication during COVID-19 from crisis communication perspective

Mustafa Murat Cerit

Mustafa Murat Cerit

  • Graduate School, Istanbul Technical UniversityIstanbul, Turkey
  • Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Turkish-German UniversityIstanbul, Turkey
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Cerit, Mustafa Murat
 et 
Elif Karaosmanoğlu

Elif Karaosmanoğlu

Management Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical UniversityIstanbul, Turkey
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Karaosmanoğlu, Elif
  
26 juin 2025
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Catégorie d'article: Research Article
Publié en ligne: 26 juin 2025
Pages: 23 - 46
Reçu: 03 févr. 2025
Accepté: 13 avr. 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mmcks-2025-0009
Mots clés
© 2025 Mustafa Murat Cerit and Elif Karaosmanoğlu, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Figure 1

Illustration of a theme identification process.
Illustration of a theme identification process.

Figure 2

Step-by-step thematic analysis.
Step-by-step thematic analysis.

Figure 3

Text data preprocessing steps.
Text data preprocessing steps.

Figure 4

Metadata and topic relations prior and during COVID-19.
Metadata and topic relations prior and during COVID-19.

Figure 5

Metadata and topic relations during and after COVID-19.
Metadata and topic relations during and after COVID-19.

Figure 6

Relative sentiments in marketing messages.
Relative sentiments in marketing messages.

Figure 7

Relative sentiments in digitalization-related messages during and after COVID-19.
Relative sentiments in digitalization-related messages during and after COVID-19.

Top topics discussed during and after COVID-19_

Topic category Topic proportions (%) Topic label Top ten representative words
Digitalization 20.5 Online transactions Money, digit, payment, hour, easy, mobile, long, Türkiye, trust, today
13.9 Mobile banking House, covid, banking, transactions, ziraat bank, mobile, term, days, may, payment
Messages covering special day(s) 5.4 International women’s day March, woman, women, violence, women, world, November, today, directed, generation
3.2 National and/or religious festival celebration Festival, happy, relatives, relative, wish, festival, healthy, full, festival, peaceful
3 New Year celebration December, new year, year, year, house, website, relatives, legend, relatives
3 Father’s day June, father, love, day, today, world, happy, long, trust, future
3 Commemoration of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Kemal, atatürk, mustafa, commemorate, war veteran, respect, atatürk, respect, may
Solidarity 3.2 Earthquake Present, communication, earthquake, free, emergency, talk, need, region, customer, needs
3.2 Forest fires Citizen, getting well, affected, life, experienced, august, forest, sadness, coming, mercy
National achievement 9.3 National achievement National, olympic, sponsor, Europe, athlete, being, congratulations, pride, tokio, games
Marketing messages 7.4 Seasonal communication campaigns September, October, autumn-winter, opportunity, season, missing, autumn, you, beautiful, collection
Working in global the pandemic 3.5 Working conditions during the pandemic Health, term, employee, vacation, April, night, days, coronavirus, daytime, pandemic

j_mmcks-2025-0009_tab_003

Theme Quote Participant Industry
Benefitging from the COVID-19-driven circumstances we are aware of the fact that digitalization increases marginally Participant A Participation banking
As a corollary of a significant increase in individualization in the last 15-20 years, consumers had expectations such as “show me the things in which I might have interest, which are special for me, which I need.” The pandemic has accelerated this
In addition to the products, services and transactions of banks, customer acquisition has now been moved to digital channels with the regulation implemented on May 1, 2021. In the next period, we will talk about the innovations that will enable us to provide services and consultancy only through our mobile application to our customers who have never seen a bank branch Participant I Banking
For example, when implementing a kitchenware campaign, we apply filters to ensure that the campaign is exclusively visible to our female customers within particular age range Participant B Home decoration and furniture
[…] typically, a furniture sale necessitates greater energy and a greater number of announcements. However, as individuals began to stay at home, they began to contemplate “whether I should replace that sofa… Consequently, we redirected our marketing campaigns towards promoting the message of “Stay at Home! Life is better at home; Comfort at home is better
[…] we made an effort to effectively utilize the time spent at home. People were at home and we thought, “What should we do ? We need to make them drink coffee!” and we proceeded. It can be asserted that the coffee business has experienced a favorable impact as a result of the pandemic Participant C FMCG
the pandemic – it might be wrong to say that but – presented a favorable situation for the food industry. This is because the increased time spent at home during the pandemic led to growth in the FMCG industry Participant F Discount market
Societal benefit individuals … are inclined to pay a higher price for environmentally friendly products due to their organic nature… we will actually promote this value in this period. we will evolve our communication language towards this point (implying the promotion of organic products and production) Participant J Ready wear and textile
sustainability-related works have emerged recently and increased with the pandemic . to be more sensitive to the environment. I am not solely referring to a product that poses no harm to the environment, but rather to the elimination of potentially detrimental procedures … during production processes… Our organization has made significant efforts in the areas of sustainability … and we consistently strive to effectively communicate these initiatives
individuals had exhibited heightened sensitivity towards the natural environment during the pandemic. From now on, sustainability topics like as water saving, green areas, and electricity saving are not something “nice-to-have” for brands, but rather a “must”. it may be argued that sustainability, when employed as both a sales tool and a marketing strategy, is an irreversible phenomenon Participant G Laundry and home care
consumers’ awareness of social responsibility campaigns and purpose-oriented business has grown Participant H FMCG
we had a theater for children … we converted this work into the digital format. We were taking children to theater performances before the pandemic but we subsequently transitioned to online broadcasting. We have adapted our current social responsibility initiatives to align with the prevailing trends of this era
we have segregated our corporate social responsibility initiatives. prior to the pandemic, we supported the foundation (the participant talked about a foundation that aids children affected by cancer) by constructing new facilities. During the pandemic, our focus shifted towards fundamental needs like hygiene requirements. In other words, our communication around CSR exhibited variations following the epidemic Participant A Participation banking
Circumspect and peaceful communication during short-term crises, we tend to exhibit heightened awareness and consciousness in our transactions. For instance, the cessation of campaigns is promptly implemented in response to disasters such as extensive forest fires or instances of martyrdom resulting from acts of terrorism Participant C FMCG
[…] we see that brand discourses and tones have changed since consumers expected brands to be more sincere
this sensitivity also comes to the fore here. There is a disease, people are trying to protect themselves from something, and on the other hand, some people are trying to sell something and acquire customers. The balance we try to maintain here is to avoid creating antipathy Participant A Participation banking
from the start of the term, we consistently progressed with the appropriate messages. In the stores, we implemented the requisite precautions. We actively watched our competitors. We made a conscious effort to avoid engaging in any actions that could potentially provoke raise consumers’ eyebrows. We were always cautious […] Participant B Home decoration and furniture
we communicated more calmly without disturbing people
[…] we also created messaging that is discreet, calmer, and cooler Participant D Online platform
the communication model has evolved from being more entertaining and pleasurable to becoming more discreet, more capable, and more dignified
I observe that brands that persist in their communication in times of crisis by employing appropriate tone and that continue to express more strongly and sincerely what their commitment is come out of this period even stronger Participant H FMCG
we preferred communication that would reduce the fears and concerns of our customers Participant J Ready wear and textile
An anxious consumer wants the feeling of control back … we advised all brands to modify your communication strategies in order to enhance the perception of control… Consequently, all brands (the ones that the company provides consultancy services), began to communicate a sense of control and endeavored to alleviate anxiety Participant E Brand consultancy
the prompt communication decisions made during the initial stages of the pandemic led to the implementation of a procedure primarily centered around three domains: moral, hopeful, and emotional communication Participant I Banking
it is now necessary to produce things that can touch people emotionally Participant G Laundry and home care
COVID-19 related precautions we tried to make prominent hygiene and health-related themes in response to the widespread spread of the pandemic Participant D Online platform
we prioritized health, hygiene, and quality, emphasizing, “we have taken measures to protect your health.” as the pandemic spread, we communicated expressions such as “we possess the high-quality product,” “we offer the healthy product,” “we conduct 100 s of tests to ensure this quality.” We reflected this communication in our stores and in TV ads… Consequently customers realized that there was a serious effort to ensure quality and produce safe products Participant C FMCG
As the hygiene concern gained prominence, we engaged in extensive promotion centered around hygiene and prominently featured our hygiene items …. Given our assortment of items that align with hygiene, we adopted a strategy that specifically targeted the marketing of those products Participant K FMCG and consumer goods
since people attach more importance to hygiene and cleanliness than ever before, we highlighted the performance of these products. There has been a rise in communications that emphasize hygiene and cleanliness[…]” Participant G Laundry and home care
Consumer orientation During the pandemic period,. personalized content. increased. the axis the world is heading towards is this: “benefit-oriented”; consumers say, “I don’t have time; tell me clearly what is useful for me … There was brand loyalty. but now there is benefit loyalty. Specifically, young individuals tend to gravitate towards where benefits are existing, independent from the brand itself.” Participant A Participation banking
there is a growing appreciation for activities that prioritize the comfort of customers. It is anticipated that these activities will not revert to their pre-pandemic state. In the previous period, customer-focus was one of the most fundamental approaches. However, we added to this the concept of “customer experience” in the aftermath of the pandemic… “customer-focus” (or) “customer satisfaction” is nice, but “customer experience” is just a little different. due to factors such as constantly improving customer experience procedures. creating customer loyalty...
We have simplified our communications pertaining to our products and services to cater to consumer benefits and needs, and we have provided messages on how consumers can satisfy their fundamental banking necessities without the need to physically visit a bank Participant I Banking
Suspension of marketing campaigns we consistently emphasize “health” and have temporarily stopped our marketing campaigns Participant B Home decoration and furniture
as you know, during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, strict restrictions were implemented. Naturally, as a multinational corporation, these requirements were 2-3 times stricter for us… we were unable to engage in commercial broadcasting, production, and creative marketing activities for an extended period Participant K FMCG and consumer goods
What actions do you take during those periods (referred to crisis periods) – as numerous brands did – ? You take a break from your communications. They avoid making assertive statements. If there are any, the launch and new campaigns are postponed, because the consumer is not ready to receive new information at that particular moment…regardless of the amount of budget you spent Participant C FMCG
we prioritized specific actions through which we made consumers feel that we support them… During that period, numerous brands released new communication content that implied “how can we navigate this period more effortlessly together?”
instead of focusing on product-based advertising … we aimed to address issues that would foster greater trust Participant F Discount market
Diversification of communication channels the pandemic has revealed new channels... digital has become much more important. You know about “influencer marketing.” Participant C FMCG
you know “influencer marketing”! They are the prominent figures whom the brands are positioning as brand ambassadors. The significance lies in the fact that customers perceive influencers as sincere
there exists an influencer impact. We want influencers to experience our product…we are shooting, for instance, Food Style short videos…Due to the fact that we conducted these shoots with authentic products, without any promotional elements, and with a genuine experience, we received favorable responses Participant B Home decoration and furniture
brand’s approach has transitioned from focusing on streaming, production, and shooting to prioritizing influencer communication and digital content communication. These phenomena persisted until the resumption of the production era, which I posit is the underlying cause for the current surge in influencer marketing Participant K FMCG and consumer goods
one of the channels we want to increase our focus on is digital ones... both social media platforms and digital activities …. While maintain our presence in conventional channels... we are striving to strengthen our digital capabilities Participant G Laundry and home care
You see us often on TV... and we also endorse all our brands digitally. The digital platforms that we use … include Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. We support our 23–24 brands of each year with TV ads Participant H FMCG
[…] (we) focused more on digital, TV, and radio Participant A Participation banking
television remains the most important medium in Türkiye and globally, particularly in the realm of “mass media.” Considering the cost per person, it remains the cheapest channel. In Türkiye, television is also associated with the concept of “trust.” Participant D Online platform

Top topics discussed before and during COVID-19_

Topic category Topic proportions (%) Topic label Top ten representative words
Marketing messages 8.2 Communication campaigns Design, practical, starting, competition, award-winning, catch, country, house, students, even
Solidarity 3.5 Earthquake Life, earthquake, emergency, citizen, mercy, region, experienced, get well, customer, existing
Digitalization 14.5 Online transactions COVID, house, ziraat bank, todays, transactions, digit, coronavirus, timeframe, support, social
Messages covering special day(s) 2.0 New Year celebration December, obstacle, effective, new year, year, simple, magazine, small, sleep
4.4 National and/or religious festival celebration Festival, happy, relatives, wish, peaceful, success, healthy, happiness, year, full
6.6 International women’s day World, march, violence, day, woman, women, life, women’s property, today
4.1 Commemoration of Atatürk Kemal, commemorate, mustafa, may, respect, warveteran, respect, thankfulness, atatürk, leader
Langue:
Anglais
Périodicité:
4 fois par an
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