Marketing in the times of Covid-19: Fujifilm India

• In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.
• Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India tells us how this experience gave the brand a chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change.

As the country is slowly opening up after close to 10 weeks of complete lockdown, businesses are exploring the best ways to make the future safe for both their employees and consumers.

For most brands, the closure of malls and showrooms meant business had to come to a complete standstill. However, it was this time that taught many of them the importance of pushing out effective and relevant communications, to ensure their connection with their consumers remained intact.

We recently caught up with Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India who told us that the early signs of consumers coming to them are positive as people have already started walking into their showrooms to buy products in non-affected areas. He also said that the last few weeks gave the brand the chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change and it will continue to do so in the future too.

Excerpts:

Q) How has the past 1.5 months been for brand Fujifilm? Considering business would have been on a standstill, what kind of business impact are you looking at?

The COVID-19 outbreak has left an enormous impact on brands across all industries. From a drop in consumer confidence, restricted mobility, and loss of jobs, it has caused a recession like situation with subsiding consumerism. With a top priority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the employees and communities. At Fujifilm, we have always aimed at creating meaningful advancements and in the last few weeks, we have taken several measures to ensure safety, both internally and externally. At the community level, we have introduced various online workshops for camera enthusiasts and even conducted an interactive INSTAX Doodle Art Contest to help our customers utilize their time and give our business a chance to forge an instant connection with them. This month, we also unveiled ‘Pari Layegi Parivartan’; a comic series to spread the much needed self-health awareness amongst mothers and the women in our lives.

While it is still early to predict the quantum of impact at the moment but there will be aftermath on the overall economy and consumption. However, in India with shops re-opening post the relaxation by the government, we are witnessing walk-in from consumers’ to buy products in non-affected areas. We are hopeful that recovery in demand will happen sooner as we learn to live with the virus and find different ways of marketing.

Q) It is imperative to stay connected with your consumers through a crisis situation. How have you done that since the lockdown?

We believe that brands are like humans and during such situations; it becomes imperative to build an emotional connection with your consumers, a relationship where both can balance and support each other. It may not be a business as usual but our customers still depend on our products and services at large. We at Fujifilm have always believed in a holistic customer experience strategy and during times like these we have drastically modified our approach. We have been conducting various online workshops through Fujifilm’s social media channels. Consistently engaging with our consumers through Q&A sessions like ‘Rendezvous’ with professional photographers on Instagram, organizing digital workshop like ‘Pathshala’ and ‘Roobaru’ on YouTube. To educate and share insight on camera features along with some tips & tricks on shooting.

As a brand, we encourage our consumers to stay safe and adopt social distancing guidelines and hence, we have also started a service of providing product demos at their doorstep. We are even organising health check-ups across rural in India, especially in remote areas with our advanced diagnosis technologies and associating with various hospitals to drive awareness around early detection of breast cancer. We are motivating people to stay strong and hope this pandemic ends soon with the minimum possible harm.

Q) What kind of communication have you been putting out? How have you made sure you stayed relevant?

There is no denying that these are stressful times and COVID-19 impact has changed the face of many industries. With most of the consumers now at home practicing social distancing, the amount of time they spend online has radically increased. Social media platforms have now become the primary means of communication for brands, consumers and the government as well.

At Fujifilm, we are following a similar approach and are using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to disseminate valuable messages to our consumers. Building on our customer experience, we recently virtually launched our flagship camera, the X-T4. We were the first ones to modify our product launch strategy in the camera industry keeping in mind our community first approach, especially during these times. As in the end, it is all about adapting your product offerings, marketing language, and availability according to the business environment.

Q) As the leader of the organization, what has your priority been these past few weeks? How are you preparing to face the post-Covid world?

There are certain traits of leadership which are timeless. You have to be trustworthy, transparent, and inspirational. These are a few traits applicable to all businesses and relevant for all times. But then there are nuances which have to change with the times. The days of command and control – the days of hierarchy - are long gone. We need to have flatter structures to bring speed and agility in the company. The other very important trait I believe that the industry should have now more than ever is resilience. In today’s fast-changing world and in the post COVID world, we will face difficulties and various hurdles. The question is not about failing. The question is how quickly we get up and start running. I tell my people, failure is not the opposite of success, so long as we learn from it, and so long as we don’t repeat it. So, resilience becomes very important just like speed and agility. In today’s world, where there is a trust deficit, it is very important for people in the company to relate to the purpose and values.

At Fujifilm India, we are adapting our offerings to the current times while testing new content online to identify future sales and consumption patterns. In conclusion, a delightful experience will ensure customers stay hooked. We will remain consistent with who we are as a customer-first company. We are evaluating trends and data daily and constantly seek and listen to customer feedback to ensure we’re providing the experience and value they want and need.

Q) Have there been any interesting consumer trends you observed during the lockdown period?

The Covid-19 has led to a paradigm shift in the consumer behavior. While some of these changes are no doubt temporary, some will be permanent. As the community moves beyond the survival mode, the digital-adoption momentum is likely to carry forward and become permanent. This inflection point will be primarily shaped by two major shifts in customer behavior - the reluctance to mingle in crowded public places and higher propensity for digital adoption.

Marketers across industries are trying to redesign their business models and the imaging solutions industry is no exception. Consumers are likely to opt for online shopping even after the outbreak ends, and this change will be seen in the imaging industry as well.

With our major business focus in healthcare sector, the health, hygiene and safety measures of people have been our utmost priority in today’s COVID world.The demand for online health content has been growing steadily for years. A positive by-product of the global pandemic has resulted in greater awareness of healthcare and the steps we can all take to safeguard our families and ourselves. From handwashing to exercising and eating healthy at home to prioritizing mental health, consumers are more engaged in healthcare issues than ever. To get smarter on health issues and guide decisions, consumers are turning to healthcare providers first as COVID elevates our collective esteem for doctors and hospitals on the front lines. We have seen an upward trend in self-diagnosis measures, where consumers want to be more aware of the health issues they’re tackling.

Q) As a brand, what is going to be your growth strategy going ahead?

Fujifilm’s mission to ‘Never Stop transforming themselves and the World’, focuses on how the company is leveraging its advanced and unique technologies (AI, IOT, IT solutions ) to create value from innovation and contribute to solving real-world challenges.Our effort is on offering healthcare solutions through AI and IoT solutions in remote areas by supporting radiologists with their imaging workflow and providing quality healthcare services and solutions for Indian people.

We have been constantly on a lookout on enhancing our consumer awareness, for which we are indulging in sharing DIY self-examinations tips and tricks for women, allowing one to diagnose themselves easily during these times when they can’t step out. Our medical division is further organizing various webinars for training doctors and health experts around Breast Imaging of FFDM, 3D Synapse, application training to technicians for better use of CRs and DRs, etc.We are also providing N95 respirators& surgical facemasks along with PPE kits to healthcare professionals at PGIMER, Chandigarh to help combat the spread of the disease.

With rising numbers of customers on the digital bandwagon, we are revisiting our approaches and making them more tech-savvy. Small but handy initiatives such as uploading the product manual online, price comparisons and detailing the features of our innovative technologies are few such strategies we are adopting. Social media platforms, websites and e-commerce have become the one stop shop for all our imaging technologies.

Q) The advent of smartphones with good cameras has made everyone a good photographer now. How are you as a brand trying to stay relevant?

The photography industry is changing dynamically with each passing year. New applications, mobile apps and printing technology are redefining the ways consumers experience images. The rise in consumption of smartphones with great quality cameras have made people think about the need and importance of owning a digital camera. In fact, the growing trend of capturing moments and sharing further on their social media handles has motivated individuals to click more pictures with cameras that deliver better image and color quality. Hence, leading to an increased adoption of digital and mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses.

The smartphones are becoming a starting point for us in shifting the interest of individuals to professional photography. Lately, we have also been witnessing photography as a hobby among today's new age millennials. Our range of Digital and Instant camera products are becoming a creative tool of communication and self-expression for them. Therefore, we at Fujifilm feel that smartphone photography has been a blessing in disguise that has created a culture of photography worldwide for us.

Q) What have your key learnings from this lockdown experience been?

The global pandemic of Covid-19 has left a dramatic effect on every aspect of our lives. The virus and state-imposed lockdowns have wrought changes that are not just short-term, but will change the world like never before. Being isolated from the world into our respective homes, we have learned various lessons during this lockdown period.

At Fujifilm, we believe that we should take this as a chance to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change. The key aspect to remember is that we are not the only ones fronting the problem and thereby we should “Never Stop” hoping for a better tomorrow. We have already stridden well with time and going forward we should keep pacing with determination and precautions. While we are embracing a never seen before and lasting impact of Covid-19, it is important for all of us to stay positive and strong for each other.

Q) Do you think you will be able to get back on track in terms of business targets once the lockdown is called off? How does the rest of the year look?

With the Covid-19, the first quarter of the financial year has been challenging for us. However, as a brand, we have tried to ensure that we are in touch with our customers regularly. Though the consumer’s mindset, attitude and behavior are always changing but the present epidemic may change them significantly and for a near future. We at Fujifilm are working towards newer strategies to navigate through these difficult times.

Following the overarching theme of ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, we will continue to keep innovating our ways and build for these altered consumer journeys in the coming time.