Series: 3 ways COVID has changed the way we market
If someone had told me in March that eight months later, the COVID-19 pandemic would still be impacting our lives this deeply I would have told them they were crazy. Yet, here we are nearing the Thanksgiving holiday with cases spiking and in many cities restrictions being reinstated. COVID isn’t going anywhere soon, and neither are the widespread changes to how and where we work, what we buy and how we buy it, and the many other aspects of our lives that have been completely upended. Just like the industries they represent, the pandemic has required marketing professionals to quickly adapt and find new ways to support their client’s missions and/or bottom lines.
Successful strategies have emerged from marketers rethinking their direction during these challenging times. Since March, I’ve observed that companies or organizations that are thriving share a few things in common, and will unpack each of them in a series of three posts. Here’s #1.
1. Tapping into reassessed values
Stay at home orders forced some into isolation, and others into close quarters with family members. Relationships that we previously took for granted have become treasured. As schools and daycares closed, many developed a deeper appreciation for teachers and caregivers. When travel shut down, some realized how much they value adventure, seeing new places, and trying new things. As values shift, marketers must re-assess their audiences to better understand how their motivations have changed, and find creative ways to incorporate new value propositions into their strategies.
Take Coca-Cola as an example (yes…an obvious but good one). Coke has a history of incorporating social issues and cultural consciousness into their campaigns. Their 2019 Super Bowl ad celebrated diversity and inclusion. When the pandemic hit, the company temporarily suspended new advertising and launched an ad campaign mid-summer which, according to the company, “celebrates the rediscovered joy of sharing a meal with loved ones.” While the verdict is still out on how this campaign will impact sales, it does represent a creative campaign that directly celebrates our changing value structures.
For mission-based companies, this is just as important but can be approached somewhat differently as they ‘sell’ impact, instead of a commoditized product.
COVID-19 has revealed just how interconnected issues of human health, environmental health, economic health, and social justice truly are. The devastating 2020 hurricane season for example illustrates the compounding effects of crises. Climate change has resulted in longer, stronger tropical storms, which are ravaging central America. Hurricanes Eta and Iota have displaced thousands of families, forcing them into shelters in close proximity during a global pandemic. It is estimated that more than 40,000 people have been impacted. Widespread power outages have left many in the dark, especially the most economically vulnerable who cannot afford back up generators or live in areas with aged infrastructure. A lack of economic resources slows recovery efforts. There are so many ways people looking to make a difference can help. But, do they know where to start and what the ripple effects of their philanthropic investment will be?
Non-profits don’t have to think narrowly about their value proposition. Instead, consider the pandemic as a strategic opportunity to assess how the value you create in the world can be expressed in new ways. This, in turn, can broaden your appeal to new audience segments and promote greater engagement and giving. The key is being specific and concrete. There is a big difference between claiming, “by working to solve climate change, we are reducing air pollution and saving lives.” You need to be clear about how, and how much (which we’ll unpack further in a future post).
One organization doing this well is 350.org who are successfully integrating the connection between climate change and social justice. Their video is a particularly good one on how they are orchestrating a shift in power to build more just and sustainable systems and communities.
My recommendation is to take the time to think deeply about your target audience(s)—who you are reaching now and who you aspire to reach—and assess what they value, and how they are motivated to act based on these values. Then use this to map out what I call your ‘value ecosystem’ and how the core impacts you create result in other interrelated impacts. Consider how these align with your audiences, how this is or is not expressed in your existing communication, evaluate what is missing, and create a plan to substantiate and stand up these impacts through creative storytelling, case studies, campaigns, even partnerships. At Node, we have some tried and true tools we use to walk clients through this valuable process.
Up next week, strategy #2: Designing ways to connect people with each other and with your brand. Follow me on LinkedIn or subscribe to email updates so you don’t miss it.