The New Norm for brands - learnings from post-COVID

Whilst things are still looking pretty tricky from an economic, health and social perspective, if we look into the crystal ball of the future, are there any ‘macro’ trends (and maybe some positives) that might come of the global lockdown that brands can learn from? I thought I’d pick out a few: Data, Digital, Community and the Environment.

Firstly, data; Sir Patrick Vallance has become one of the most credible and respected individuals in the Governments’ daily briefings because he uses data to provide insights and trends for his predictions. Data is of course key to building credibility as long as the data itself is accurate and reliable. We live in a world of ‘big data’. But what is interesting in the current situation is that many consumer behaviour trends will need to be revisited; a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology suggested it takes on average 66 days to change behaviour. However, like never before, so many of us have had to change behaviours (think social distancing, move to digital, income pressures) the this is likely to be shortened. So historical data can no longer be relied upon as a predictor of future consumer behaviour. What’s going to be the ‘new norm’? Many brands are going to have to find out; new data will be required.

Secondly, and fairly obviously is the move to digital; as we’re all at home, this is now the main, or possibly the only channel for businesses to engage with their customers. The lockdown has forced us online more than ever before and is a definitely a ‘new norm’; we communicate via Zoom, Teams, Houseparty, we shop online (if we can), we watch Netflix, Disney +, Amazon Prime (did you read Jeff Bezos’s valuation has skyrocketed to £128bn?!), and even my mother has taken to online banking to pay the bills. For many retail brands this is now their only channel to be ‘experienced’; and this is causing a problem for brands that traditionally have relied on footfall. Take gyms; most have taken to posting their fitness classes online, but the ‘brand experience’ is now defined by the quality of their content; premium health clubs can’t afford poor quality homemade fitness videos otherwise their brand value will quickly erode. Digital is now the key channel (along with quality content) and brands that haven’t already, need to get improve their digital experience quickly.

The third macro trend is the importance of ‘Community’; we now rely on our local community for essential retail (our local butchers has never been busier), for keeping in touch with neighbours (Nextdoor App), helping those in need, even appreciating the local environment that we live in. Because we’re all in this together and because we have more time on our hands, I have noticed more politeness and patience afforded to others whilst being out and about. The ability to support your local community reaps huge rewards for feeling safer and a sense of ‘togetherness’. And community also extends online, where distance is of no consequence. Maybe it’s a London thing, but I hope that we don’t revert to being self-centred and that we remember the importance of community when we eventually emerge from all this. Brands that can harness, nurture and support their communities, both locally and online will be the winners in all this. Care for your customers, be relevant and genuine in your community and they should stick with you.

Lastly, a macro subject matter that hasn’t yet reached the front of the news agenda of late (and only seems to do so when disaster happens); the Environment. This is surely the best and only opportunity we have to measure, on a global basis, what a drastic reduction in CO2 emissions might look like for our world. Across the world we are benefitting from significantly less pollution with very few flights (and in living near Heathrow, this is blessed relief) fewer car journeys, less demand on energy as we work from home - breathing natural air rather air conditioning units draining the grid, and much less energy demand (and pollution) as manufacturing is paused. And that’s all before we start to mention the fact that we’re able to now appreciate nature; because we’ve slowed down and now have time to notice? This period of lockdown may be the best chance we have to measure the impact on the environment of being carbon neutral (or even carbon negative); because then we’ll know what we need to do to save the environment long-term. And let’s hope it reaches the headlines and that all brands sit up, take notice and do what’s right to put the environment at the top of the agenda. Maybe that’s the silver lining to these dark clouds.

Keep well, keep safe.