Introduction
COVID-19 has made the force of digitalization inevitable. During the height of government-imposed lockdowns around the world, many businesses struggled to shift their brand strategy to meet the dynamics of the ‘new normal’. Brands that previously had minimal or no online presence had to pivot quickly to continue serving customers through different channels. Others that were already online had to shift their strategy to meet increased online demand and evolving customer attitudes and preferences.
While the most restrictive lockdowns have eased up around the world, the potential for second waves and correspondingly, second waves of restrictions, means that businesses should be thinking about how to make these changes part of a permanent, long term strategy.
Physical interactions now augment digital ones and not the other way around. With fewer opportunities to offer in-person experiences, brands that take a deliberate approach to understanding their customers and their changing habits and preferences, will be better equipped to create enduring brand resonance beyond the pandemic.
To position your brand amidst the uncertainty that lies ahead, here are some key questions to consider, and takeaways that you can put in place today.
Do you reach out to your customers with the messages that matter to them?
You wouldn’t send the same birthday greeting to your grandma as you would to your high school best friend. The inside jokes and references you share with the friend aren’t likely to resonate with grandma. Similarly, you should be sending different messages to different customers.
In fact, personalization is more important than ever. Individual preferences, taste and culture have always factored into strategy, to inform, engage and deepen customer relationships. But this is even more pronounced at a time where consumer preferences are in flux.
Personalization includes the ability to demonstrate customer “foreknowledge,” something you can learn through real-time data. Foreknowledge demonstrates consideration, care and concern for each person who interacts with your brand and allows you to anticipate their needs. If you know that a customer’s job has recently been impacted, you might avoid sending them offers and promotions for luxury items and instead shift the tone and focus of your communications to offer messages of support and deals to match.
This goes a long way to humanizing the brand, particularly in a climate where customers are experiencing job insecurity, fear of the virus and a host of other uncertainties.
Do you reach your customers at the right time, on the right channels?
The same goes for the timing of your communications. While mobile is an important channel for reaching customers and prospects, remember that you are asking for permission to enter a channel that is generally reserved for friends and family.
A combination of empathy and real-time data will help you avoid violating the spirit of the relationship. Apply this principle by offering opt-in and sending fewer rather than more marketing messages, being sensitive to the time of day – after all you wouldn’t welcome a message at 3:30am.
The platforms on which you reach customers matter too. A recent Adobe APAC Consumer Sentiment Survey found that younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) are more likely to unsubscribe from emails from brands, highlighting the importance of reaching this sought-after group on the right channels and at the right time.
Mobile apps, could also become a channel on which to communicate important messages and special offers. The recent Bain and Facebook study found that 28% of respondents tried a new eCommerce app during the pandemic and 77% of surveyed digital consumers tried a new app that they plan to continue using post-COVID-19. Successful businesses find ways to integrate themselves into customers’ daily lives while maintaining relevance and trust.
Do your brand actions speak to the values of your customers?
Gen Z and Millennials pay close attention to companies that demonstrate a commitment to serving their communities and are steadfast about supporting them. Connecting with today’s and tomorrow’s key customer age demographics through acting on shared values will cut through the noise.
The increasing role of the social and ethical considerations when choosing to support a brand came up in the APAC Consumer Sentiment Survey as well. Close to three quarters of APAC consumers found it important for brands to mirror the state of the world they live in. The key lies in tuning in to customer sentiment through the various channels you engage with them through, and tying messages and campaigns back to those issues in an authentic way.
At Adobe, we asked members of our creative community to design artwork dedicated to their personal heroes during the COVID-19 crisis – this could be anyone from healthcare workers and first responders to the delivery drivers and supermarket staff they interacted with. In Malaysia, digital media artist, Rames Harikrishnasamy, honored a frontline healthcare worker with his moving piece which generated a large volume of positive responses and feedback.
We then launched an #HonorHeroes video featuring selected works from all around the world. This was accompanied by a US$4.5 million commitment from Adobe to trusted organizations that, at the height of the pandemic, were providing vital assistance to our communities locally and globally. While the key objective of the campaign was to support frontline workers and community organizations, it was important to inject our brand purpose – ‘creativity for all’ – into it, and get our creative community involved as well.
Companies that stay true to their brand purpose while adapting consumer experience will thrive. Brands that innovate with purpose at heart and experience in mind will transcend time, place and industry to resonate with people around the world.