I am all too aware of the tragedy COVID-19 has caused the world over. The sheer scale and enormity of this crisis isn’t lost on me for one second.
However, in spite of the human health concerns and economic calamity, it’s important to recognise this crisis as an opportunity for growth and innovation across all aspects of our lives.
By definition, a crisis is caused by a major, temporary change. And as is always the cyclic pattern of life, death gives way to birth and destruction leads to creation. As they say, when something falls apart, that leaves room for a new beginning.
I’m currently reading ‘Simplicity Parenting’, by Kim John Payne. It’s a fascinating approach to parenting which asserts that children need time to be bored, as this is where creativity is bred. And I feel like we can all relate to this concept now as adults amidst a global lockdown. We’ve seen it in our (pre-pandemic) ‘past’ lives – when we’re buried in our own busyness and caught up in the daily chaos, we so often miss the opportunities and moments for ideation, innovation and creation. Just like our kids, us adults need stillness, space and a degree of boredom to be able to think creatively and expansively.
A crisis of this scale – not to mention a degree of boredom felt in self-isolation – presents major opportunity for growth, creativity and innovation. And we’re seeing it already, only weeks in. Brands across the globe traversing all industries are pivoting, reinventing and recalibrating to this new normal with grace, gusto and a strong inclination for long-lasting, well received transformation.
So, let’s talk about the ways in which you could use this time to stop and take stock, adopt a growth mindset and build out your brand for the better.
Get clarity on your mission.
As brand builders, we often get caught up in the day-to-day busyness, meaning the clarity of our brands’ core mission tends to fade into the shadows. Great brands – those building and equipping for longevity – are using this time to thoughtfully and strategically revisit and rethink their long-term trajectory and foundational brand purpose. They are looking to refine and distil their brand DNA and positioning, and tighten up their aligning comms and key messaging.
This crisis is a time for brands to reconnect with their core purpose, focus on what really matters, and embrace the opportunity to pursue business goals in a more meaningful, principle-driven way.
Develop a 3-6 month action plan.
Our brand plans for 2020 will absolutely need to be adjusted to accommodate the turbulence that is COVID-19. If you haven’t already, it’s imperative that you develop a plan for what the next 3-6 months will look like for your brand. This includes an overarching strategy, positioning, promotions, marketing opportunities and considerations for the unknown.
Consider ways you can adapt your offering to the current climate, whilst also anticipating changes in your customer behaviour as we move through the stages of this pandemic and what that means for consumers on a daily basis. Consider ways in which you might expand your offering to cater for what your customer truly needs during this crisis. This is a time for brands to take more risks and play a little outside their comfort zone, saying yes to opportunities they perhaps normally wouldn’t.
At Smack Bang we are building out 3-6month Brand Action Plans with our clients to ensure they survive, thrive and ride the momentum this crisis has to offer. We’re providing key insights, creative and opportunistic ideas to prove their value, ways to do good business that warrants lasting longevity and the ability to outshine their competitive counterparts. It’s about understanding the unique role our clients’ brands play in their consumers’ lives, how that has now changed, and how they can be of utmost value during this crisis.
Build community and connection
As humans, we’re programmed to seek out connection. While social distancing measures are absolutely imperative right now, they come with significant impact on individuals, communities and the world at large. Your audience is looking for alternative ways to fill this void and are connecting in ways they’ve never had to before. It’s a great time for brands to be supporting this notion, extending their reach and building true, genuine and lasting connection with their community.
Think about how you could extend your offerings to reach more people, how you could adapt your services to give deeper and more added value. What comms could you release that show how much you genuinely care and want to support your customer. If there was ever a time to go above and beyond for your customer, it’s during a serious crisis.
It’s important though, to consider ways you can connect on a more meaningful level, not just starting conversation for conversation’s sake. Think about ways you can rally your troops around purposeful concepts or thought-provoking ideas. How could you rally your community together to collectively give back in some way? Remember, how you deal with this crisis and the ways in which you support your customer through this will shape their view of you well beyond the end of this calamity.
Seize the social
There’s no denying social media proved its worth long before this crisis, but now, we’re realising its unparalleled value once again. As people are locked down with more time on their hands than ever, social platforms are seeing a huge increase in usage, engagement and overall growth. Brand engagement has never been higher. Instagram and Facebook have reported a 40% usage increase, with doubled ‘Live’ views and a 20% increase in stories’ impressions (source). The influencer agency (Obvious.ly) which analysed more than 7.5 million Instagram posts and data from 2,152 TikTok influencers, found a 76% increase in daily accumulated likes on Instagram #ad posts over the last two weeks. These stats are staggering, and if they don’t spur you into content action, then I’m not sure what will.
As we know, social is key to gaining and maintaining consumer connection. Make sure your present and pursuing content that creates compelling conversation, giving your brand the best opportunity to connect authentically with your audience.
Elevate your digital experience
Alongside social, there’s been an obvious and expected increase for ecommerce across the board with a reported 32% increase in online shopping, in stark contrast to a 35% decrease in bricks and mortar retail outlet shopping (source: Doyle Dane Bernbach). This acceleration of digitisation, as nations adopt self-isolation policies, shows how rapidly businesses can (and should!) be fulfilling customer demands online. We’ve seen a big shift to brands investing in their online experiences during this crisis, and rightly so.
At Smack Bang, we are adamant that a brand cannot and should not create an ecommerce platform without considering how their brand essence translates into an online experience.
Brand stories should be told, moods should be conveyed, and tone should remain authentic. Your online home should feel unique and relevant to the brand you’ve spent so long create in an offline space. The digital experiences we create are iconic to the brands themselves – a distinctive digital statement if you will.
Let’s face it, the proliferation of e-commerce, digital automation, virtual experiences, teleworking, and www enabled offerings are here to stay. COVID-19 is just the impetus to spring us into making the most of them.
Craft clever content
Use every opportunity of connection to support and serve your community, with your ‘sell’ very much being the secondary and more subtle sentiment.Be thoughtful about tone, sensitive to context and above all, just be human. Ensure you accommodate for the fear and anxiety that is felt by all, and communicate in a way that is not tone deaf to the situation.
As we navigate the intricacies of social distancing, content production may be a little more complex and time-consuming to create, but don’t let this stop you. With more eyeballs on your content than ever, it’s important you continue to develop strong, compelling and clever content. Although our process might be slightly altered, our photography studio is still creating content to ensure our clients don’t lose momentum. So, don’t be afraid to use this time to get creative. Be innovative with your content strategy and do something out of your comfort zone.
Image Credit: Jeff Hahn
