Who is prepared is not surprised.

Without a crystal ball and for preventive reasons, we had prepared our company for full quarantine and immediate closure of offices before the Czech government declared an emergency. 

We managed to purchase hardware, connect all people, remote administration and full security in two days thanks to the commitment of everyone.

As a result we were able to switch to the 100% home office mode on March 13th while maintaining full service to our clients and colleagues in the field.

By this measure we protected all employees and made sure that all those providing service, including field service, received full support and we could also guarantee timely payments and rewards.

We were therefore fully available for all our clients from the very beginning of the emergency state.

Despite the complicated situation, ppm factum teams continued to provide full-service support at the stores. ppm factum Merchandising helped people in the front line of COVID-19.

The work of all merchandisers in a risky store environment was irreplaceable and helped to avert the collapse of businesses whose staff was at risk and under extreme pressure.

Like all people in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, our merchandisers faced the issue of protective equipment that was either missing or not accessible. All the more we appreciate their reliability and their commitment in the field, independence and flexibility in the home production of masks for themselves and shop staff, or spontaneous help to people in need in their neighborhood.

In support of these people, the well-known Czech singer Tomáš Klus with his wife recorded a song as a thank you for their hard work.

Despite the difficult times with COVID-19 that has affected us all in both our personal and professional lives, ppm continued to provide full storage and logistics services.

Mr. Teska, the warehouse manager, describes the measures as follows: “For preventive reasons, we have divided the warehouse team into two shifts. We have thus ensured the safety of operation and therefore we could respond to all requests from our clients for distribution, collection, repackaging, and promotions.”

Despite all the unknowns that certainly await us in the future, one of the positive aspects of the entire Corona virus pandemic was the unique experience and the possibility of real verification of how we are prepared to cope with extreme and unexpected situations.

Not only as a company, but above all as people.

Not only as a supplier, but above all as a partner.

Not only as a service, but above all as a comprehensive and reliable service.

We stood the test together with our clients. We have confirmed in real time and life that our clients can rely on us unconditionally. In addition, we saw for ourselves that our clients will support us as their strategic partner.

The graphs below summarize our (181) clients' responses to how they coped with the crisis and how satisfied they were with our services during this situation.

At full blast again this summer.

The last months have been marked by debates from marketers, analysts and media planners - all decision makers have been in dire straits.  Should we spend money on advertising now or wait for the fall?  How should we communicate? Should we ride the wave of compassion and solidarity or pretend that nothing is happening? Only retrospective analyses will show who made the right or wrong decision … or maybe it did not really matter because both decisions had the same result. The question is who gets the jump start in foreseeable future. The one who communicated with the customer all the time keeping the brand visible and available, or the one who waited?

For us at PPM, however, the situation is becoming clearer now at the beginning of May. In any case, summer will bring relief, there will be more open retail areas, the number of shoppers will grow (not that it has fallen much so far) and the usual headlong flight abroad will definitely not take place this year. Even a possible decline in family budgets will not have a significant effect on buying, as in the vast majority we are used to promoting everyday consumer goods. And only very few people can do without them. That is why we are looking forward to the summer and preparing for the onslaught during the otherwise neglected "low season".

However, of course, we see a change in customer behavior and we change with it. Offline activation changes over time, as does the way customers perceive it. Well established functional methods are becoming less effective in today environment. That's why we joined forces with creatives from the field of Czech marketing and innovation to form a team that is looking for new ways to give customers a real and memorable experience with their brands.

We are preparing campaigns that reflect social changes while keeping in mind new hygiene standards. We also thoughtfully incorporate digital communication into offline campaigns.

The novelties from our workshop are technologies (sense motion, virtual assistant, QR, AR / VR and others), which we can use in activations in both retail and beyond.

In this year´s special summer we will be happy to prepare concepts for our clients that will be really effective and hard to be overlooked. Keep in mind that this year´s fall will not be inflatable, but many budgets are still being stalled until then; it will be difficult to stand out in the "crowds".