Like the 600,000+ incidences worldwide, the past few weeks have showcased how the communications industry has been far from insulated from the effects of Covid-19. Notable brands have stepped up with agile, intuitive acts of support in a world without rules. Whilst other big brand names have failed to read the national mood and mistimed their acts in ways that seem to suggest a greater focus on selling than solving. So what are the lessons that we as brand communicators can take from this?
Looking to the intuitive brand teams behind comms gold like LVMH’s perfume to protection pivot, Nike’s missive to #playinside and audible’s release of free audio books as schools shut down, the comm’s winners all offered human solutions. Their agility, ensured not only that they were first to pivot from selling to solving, but how being tuned into the issue, showcased that purpose and possibility run through their business.
As brands clamour to share their purposeful credentials, a crisis like Covid-19 separates the dreamers from the do-ers. Having a beautifully-crafted purpose that doesn’t translate into action, is a bit like a dusty crisis preparedness plan that isn’t lived in the quiet times. Not worth the pages that it’s written on. Just like the measure of a “civilization is how it treats its weakest members”, then the mark of a strong brand should be how it steps up to help an untapped need. And to deliver on this, it takes the marrying of purpose, possibility and perceptiveness.
Look to this week’s comms fails and it’s quick to see that any one of these alone, is insufficient. Richard Branson’s painfully slow fix to put employees first (in line with their values) cast shadow over not just the man but the brand that he has been so intertwined with. Mike Ashley’s cringeworthy U-turn showed that rushing out a response casts an unfavourable spot light on Sports Direct’s employee wellbeing practices. Whilst, the mighty brand missives from McDonalds and Coca-Cola faced criticism for big-buck virtue-signalling that diverted attention from the otherwise meaningful work they were undertaking.
Uncertainty is a profoundly human response. It can bring vulnerability, risk and emotional exposure, so when the path is unclear, the opportunity for communicators is to lead with a common-sense human-side:
1. Listen vigorously: tune into your audiences, see what’s coming around the corner, and create breathing space to do what’s right;
2. Question actively: in a time of business instability, be the voice of the unheard and challenge the status quo;
3. Sync up: get your brand experts pulling on the same team to avoid own goals and pull together.
The coming months will bring more challenges, but challenges present opportunities. Brands that listen, question their value and sync up, will earn the respect of future consumers, and that should make sound business sense to us all.
For a review of the communications winners and losers and best practice guidance for brands, email louise@ideascout.co.uk
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