illustration of the number five, representing the five subscription business topics for this column, Five-on-Friday

Five on Friday: Concerts, Consumer Trends and Content Marketing

Featuring WHO, John Legend, Skift, and Convince and Convert

In this week’s Five on Friday, the World Health Organization gives us light at the end of the tunnel with a daily livestreamed concert series featuring John Legend and Coldplay. Also this week, Skift shares its predictions for consumer trends after the coronavirus,  Convince and Convert provides content marketing statistics we need to know, education companies offer free subscriptions to parents with kids out of school, and the NFL, NBA and NHL offer free subscriptions while live sports are canceled.

WHO and Global Citizen Partner to Bring Free Livestreamed Concerts During Pandemic

Artists like Coldplay and John Legend are performing virutal concerts as millions around the world are quarantined or sheltering in place. Photo courtesy of Bigstock Photo

In many areas throughout the U.S. and the world, quarantines and sheltering in place orders are in effect. Everywhere else, people are encouraged to practice social distancing, and gatherings of large crowds are prohibited. This can create a sense of isolation and fear. To help bring some light into our lives, the World Health Organization has partnered with Global Citizen to bring a series of free livestreamed concerts to viewers. The series, called “Together, At Home,” kicked off Monday with Coldplay’s Chris Martin who played a virtual solo concert on Instagram, taking requests from the audience.

“The right thing to do is staying home…and not buying too much toilet paper,” Martin said.

On Tuesday, John Legend followed suit, playing a virtual concert for fans around the globe which included his hit song “All of Me.”

“Coronavirus is affecting people all around the world and part of how we prevent it from spreading to even more people, and hurting even more people, is by physically distancing ourselves from people, including people who might be sick,” Legend said. “A lot of artists have decided they want to make staying home a little bit easier for everybody.

In addition to providing the free concerts, WHO and Global Citizen are hoping to create awareness of the facts about coronavirus and to encourage people to get involved, including donating to the COVID-19 Solidarity Respond Fund, started by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, reports TubeFilter. Other actions include taking a quiz to see how much you know about the coronavirus, supporting the U.S. response to coronavirus, tweeting and writing letters. Learn more at GlobalCitizen.org.

TrendWatching Shares Consumer Trend Predictions in a Post-Coronavirus World

We can already see the significant economic impacts the coronavirus is having on our nation, but what will it look like after the pandemic is over? TrendWatching has been tracking consumer trends, and Skift has shared predictions for what those trends will be in a post-coronavirus world.

Going back to basics could be a consumer trend in a post-coronavirus world. Photo courtesy of Bigstock Photo.
  1. Virtual experiences: During the pandemic, we are adapting to social distancing. We are taking virtual museum tours, watching virtual concerts, and obsessing over replays of our favorite sports games and matches. Our economy will continue this trend, leveraging physical assets and services in a digital way. Museums can leverage memberships by offering virtual museum tours as an added perk. Artists can monetize virtual concerts as a perk of fan club membership. The possibilities are endless!
  2. Online educational experiences: While many of us have the freedom to work from home, our minds crave a challenge. We want to do more than mindless surfing on the web and binge-watching the hottest new shows. We’ll seek out online educational classes, activities, workshops and webinars. Having seen how they work in a crisis, we’ll be more open to new ways of learning. There are countless free, freemium and subscription educational opportunities available. You are only limited by your imagination.
  3. Back to basics: Regardless of your generation, some have never learned – or enjoyed – doing basic chores around the home, including cooking, cleaning, gardening and home repair. As the economy shrinks and money is in short supply, tasks we may have outsourced before will come back into our hands, another opportunity for learning and growth. Never learned to master a crown rib roast or make your own chicken broth? Sign up for a cooking subscription to learn new culinary skills.

Read the remaining predictions in TrendWatching’s article, “After the Virus: 10 Consumer Trends for a Post-Coronavirus World” on Skift.com.

[Editor’s Note: Our friends at Skift are among the independent media outlets, striving to provide up-to-the-minute coverage on how the coronavirus is impacting the travel industry. In blog post, founder and CEO Rafat Ali asks for the support of readers, so they can keep doing their important work. You can help by reading their Skift Coronavirus Liveblog, subscribing to Skift Airline Weekly or making a contribution. Learn more at Skift.com.]

5 Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know Now

Image courtesy of Bigstock Photo

Anyone in marketing is familiar with the phrase “content is king.” In combination with other marketing strategies, content is very valuable. To help you maximize your content and to understand what works and what doesn’t, Convince and Convert shared some statistics from SEMrush’s “State of Content Marketing Report,” which analyzed 450K tweets, 700K blog posts, hundreds of thousands of Google searches and survey responses from 1,200 marketing professionals. Here are five key statistics they shared.

  1. Long-form articles of 3,000 words or more got 3 times more traffic, 2 times more shares, and 3.5 times more backlinks than shorter articles.
  2. Articles with headlines of 14 or more words got 3 times more traffic, 2 times more shares, and 5 more backlinks than those with shorter headlines.
  3. Lists get up to 2 times more shares, followed by guides and “how to” articles.
  4. 37% of Americans use their mobile devices to go online. In 2011, 35% owned a smartphone. In 2019, that number grew to 81%.
  5. The most read blogs use a mix of content including lists, Q&As, how tos and guides.

Get the full story, “10 Content Marketing Statistics for 2020.” by Kayla Matthews at Convince and Convert online.

Companies Step Up with Free Online Education for Kids Out of School

As of Tuesday, 44 states had closed schools to prevent the spread of coronavirus, reports Education Week. That leaves parents in need of childcare and educational opportunities for their school-aged kids. Some school districts are providing virtual learning, but that doesn’t work in every area or every situation.

To help fill the gaps, some educational companies are offering free subscriptions to affected families, says Good Housekeeping. Some have always offered free content, some work using a freemium model, and others use the subscription model.

Here are a few to check out:

Read Good Housekeeping’s roundup at GoodHousekeeping.com.

Online course. Online school. Pupil study digital technology. Educative content. Schoolgirl surfing internet. Parental advisory concept. Online schooling. Distant education. Watching video lessons

NFL, NBA and NHL Offer Free Subscriptions During Coronavirus Outbreak

Are you ready for some football – or some basketball? The NFL season may be over, and the NBA may be on pause for now, but both leagues want to give sports fans their fix. The NFL will offer free access to NFL Game Pass to U.S. users now through May 31, reports Digital Trends. Fans outside the U.S. and Canada can access the NFL’s premium product through July 31. Content includes replays of NFL games from 2009 through 2019 as well as original NFL programming and access to the NFL films archives. Interested fans can visit NFL.com/GamePass for more information, or sign up through the NFL Game Pass app.

The NBA is offering free access too, but they are doing it differently. They are calling their NBA League Pass offer a “free preview.” Through April 22, basketball fans can watch full length and condensed replays of all games from the 2019-20 as well as archives of classic games and NBA content. Interested fans can redeem the offer by signing into their accounts on NBA.com or through the NBA app.

The NHL is following suit. While its season is on hold, fans are invited to watch any 2019-20 hockey game for free by logging into their NHL.com account or going to NHL.com/tv to stream on their favorite device.

Have subscription news tips, story ideas or job openings? Email Dana Neuts at [email protected].

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