Marketing Through Massive Disruption
It’s a question no marketer ever thought they’d have to answer: How do you build your brand during a pandemic? Furthermore, who are you marketing to during a time of so much uncertainty, disruption, and turmoil? Because, when history looks back at 2020 as a whole, it will show that it wasn’t just COVID-19 that turned the world upside down. Sociopolitical unrest, massive supply chain delays, and natural disasters not only changed the way people live, but how they purchase.
Before the pandemic, marketing would simply begin with knowing the customer. However, with what seemed to be the “New Normal” in 2020, marketers found themselves having to know their customer segment. Brands have always had to communicate in very local and precise terms. But in the wake of the aforementioned turmoil, marketers were forced to target specific consumers based on their circumstances and what is most relevant to their beliefs (e.g., political, environmental, and social). That meant truly understanding the situation on the ground, country by country, state by state, zip code by zip code.
The Power of Empathy, Relatability, Transparency
Although the trend was increasing pre-pandemic, a recent Harris Poll found that a staggering 82% of shoppers want a brand’s values to align with their own. What’s more, consumers are clearly willing to act on this sentiment with over 75% of shoppers surveyed saying they had parted ways with a brand over a conflict in values. This meant and continues to mean that brands have to be transparent with their ESG principles, as well as how they align with sociopolitical unrest. Doing so, however, is extraordinarily tricky.
To remain empathetic and relatable to their customer base means marketers have to walk a fine line between aligning and alienating. For example, if a brand was to endorse or align with a social cause, they’d have to do an immense amount of research into how their customer base feels about said cause so as to not alienate and turn off a large segment of said base. But not all topics are so treacherous for brands, as those who incorporate environmental concerns and sustainability efforts in their marketing efforts are finding a huge payoff in increased customer loyalty. This is backed by a CleanLink study which showed nearly 80% of US consumers consider sustainability when making at least some of their purchase. All in all, it comes down to market research, awareness, and transparency.
How Long Will This “New Normal” Last?
For many industries and teams, the “New Normal” of 2020 is vastly different than what it actually is today. For marketing teams, however, this “New Normal” is better labeled as a “New Reality.” Before COVID-19, it was a matter of competing with competitors. Now, with customers knowing what they want and expect from brands, as well as a heightened sense of what they expect/demand from their shopping experience, marketers are competing with the last best experience their customer had. Consumers today expect every experience to be frictionless, anticipatory, relevant, connected, and aligned. The onus for marketing teams, then, is to deliver exactly what the customer wants – on every level of their journey. And that is the “New Normal” for brands and marketers not only in 2023, but beyond.
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