HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BRAND: A BRIEFING FOR MARKETING LEADERS
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BRAND: A BRIEFING FOR MARKETING LEADERS
HOW MARKETING CAN HELP?
COVID-19 represents a humanitarian challenge that is unprecedented in recent times. Nations, economies, supply chains, workforces, relationships, sanity and spirits are being tested. Brands have the power to help - both the public and themselves - through this crisis. This briefing is intended to share instructive examples and data to guide marketing discussions; specifically in how marketing can help, the ways it can’t, what your teams can be mobilised to do in the coming months, how to overcome production challenges and how to vaccinate your brand to emerge well on the other side.
A RAPIDLY CHANGING SITUATION
As different countries are at different stages of the curve and governments execute different strategies, each territory has its unique features. However, as of 23rd March the global spread appears to be accelerating 354k cases and 15k deaths. Many countries are now closing borders, self-isolating, closing schools and seeking domestic military support. This situation is expected to last many months.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BRANDS
1. Is any marketing live right now no longer appropriate? Are automated marketing systems wasting media and annoying consumers?
2. Is any marketing about to go out no longer appropriate? Or are you making opportunistic decisions now (e.g. price increases) that you will later be judged on?
3. Are you listening to your customers explicitly in social and through larger trends in the data to make sure any communications and actions are not tone deaf?
Most immediately, this is a matter of tone and behaviour for brands. You will lose if you appear opportunistic and crass. Of course brands will want to continue trading but marketing leaders may like to ask themselves these questions:
- Are any immediate actions you are taking couched in the benefit of people and their new needs? Not because you want to shift product.
- Have you turned off outdoor media and pivoted to in home media?
- Do you have a ‘Brains Trust’ to double check your marketing is appropriate as your team may be too close to matters? Assemble an unrelated team to put all major decisions by for a second opinion.
MASS ISOLATION AND RECOVERY
Epidemiological modelling currently suggests two broad outcomes.
1. Delayed Recovery. In this situation the US and Europe experience rapidly rising cases through April and recovery takes until late 2020 or early 2021. China and East Asian countries continue their current recovery by estimated Q2 2020. As of 19th March, China is reporting no new cases.
2. Prolonged Contraction, where China and East Asian countries experience a second surge of the virus as they attempt to restart economic activity. The virus may not be seasonal and mutate in late 2020. It is likely all countries will severely limit travel, social contact, whole categories of business will be muted and much of the population will operate from their homes.
Economically, quarantines, travel restrictions and lower consumer spending radically reduce demand, creating recessions throughout 2020 and potentially into 2021 with profound impacts on brands.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BRANDS
The most immediate tasks for businesses are clearly the more important tasks of caring for staff and ensuring critical supply chains remain unimpaired. McKinsey’s Covid-19 Briefing document suggests actions for business leaders here. The scope of this briefing is to look at the marketing tasks that can be executed in the following months to ensure maximum trading possibilities. We see the following questions being useful:
1. What are you hearing? Rapidly develop a new view of your customer, their new needs and new attitudes.
2. What are the implications on your product and service offering likely to be in the coming months?
3. What reassurance can you offer customers immediately through marketing that these will remain unaffected or improved?
- Is your marketing on the side of the people, playing into their new needs or assuaging their anxieties? Or are you flogging something?
- Have you updated your media plan to reflect people’s new media consumption?
COMMUNICATIONS
KNOW YOUR ROLE
You need to be radically in tune with what people are saying about your brand - stay in touch with public opinion. Consumers have changed massively.
ALWAYS BE REACHABLE
Your website, your lines, your social media. Make sure customers feel you’re ready and available to help them
BE CALM
How can you reassure and diffuse the panic - either in your own offer or generally in your tone.There are more than enough megaphone-style proclamations from brands. In moments like these, personal messages can work when public announcements fail. Admit vulnerability and ask for understanding.
SET ASIDE DIFFERENCES - WORK TOGETHER, WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER
Stand with your competitors to show you’re tackling this together. (At the same time: keep an eye on the category to see if you can learn from others.)
DONT BE OPPORTUNISTIC DONT CASH IN ON THE SITUATION
ADD CLARITY Ambiguity and unpredictability in a rapidly changing situation are huge sources of anxiety and “plague dread.”
ONLY if relevant (e.g. financial, medical, or news publisher brands), consider clarifying comms that help explain what’s happening and what’s likely to happen in the near future. Partner with experts to create, and make it open access.
LIGHTEN UP THE MOOD - MEMES
ONLY if your brand has credibility to be lighthearted should you explore this. But people will be looking for smile amid the sadness. In fact, ‘COVID-19 related Tweets only represent 1% of total Tweets now.
SHIFT YOUR MEDIA
Remove Out of Home from your plan and focus on personal at home media instead. Think online, mobile, streaming. Negotiate shorter contracts as Cost Per Mille (CPM) and available inventory will fluctuate quickly. Be ready to adjust to new habits.
HOW TO ACT
LVMH, the French holding company of brands such as Louis Vuitton, have repurposed all of their perfume factories into sanitizer production lines. This beats pure talk
If you have products or services that can actually help people, then actually help people.
Give away your margins and be supportive to keep up morale up
STAY IN YOUR LANE
This goes back to your brand, to your core competence, to your cultural authority. Step up and use the power you have for good or consumers are not going to forgive you.
CURATE UTILITY
It probably already exists. Avoid the need to build new utility if your value can be gathering it together for people. Stop the spread of misinformation by making verified facts easily accessible.
HELP PEOPLE HELP OTHERS
We all want to help at this time of crisis - but it’s hard to know how. Let’s make it easy for customers to help.
OTHER AREAS
P.R PUBLIC RELATIONS
KEEP IT LOCAL - work with local suppliers and manufacturers
REPURPOSE Can you help the ‘war effort’ and contribute to the people on the ground. Do you have outlets that can be repurposed?
BE THANKFUL
FIND THE PAIN POINTS Home life is going to be painful, boring, lonely, unproductive, no exercise, etc. How do your products or services help?
TURN THEM TO GOOD When life gives you self-isolation, what’s the upside? Downtime can be growth time. Education, entertainment, productivity, connectivity - a new normal will develop and people may look for more positive outlets.
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