A WORLD IN RECONSTRUCTION INDUCED A NECESSARY BRANDS’ AGILITY

The Covid-19 health crisis will trigger many societal changes that will restore the power of "green consumers". More wary, more cautious, more responsible and endowed with greater reasoning and demands, consumers will change their relationship with brands.

The challenge ahead will therefore be to combine the company's economic objectives with customer expectations and their need for reassurance.

COMMITTED & RESPONSIBLE CONSUMERS WAITING FOR CHANGE

The path had already been mapped out with some major trends: organic and local consumption, the zero waste trend... Lockdowns have allowed in-depth changes in the responsible engagement of consumers, and should herald such a change also from brands! According to a study made by Think Forward Initiative in August 2020 in 5 countries a third of consumers are asking for more sustainable retail but are also highly considering health, energy use and products local origin, which is a consumption prime concern.

New trends will therefore strengthen, such as second-hand purchases and “eco-friendly” purchases. Obviously, pleasure buying, still has a bright future ahead of it, but brands will have to focus more on their customers’ feelings. More than ever, they must engage with them, demonstrate transparency, environmental responsibility and innovation to strengthen “wiser consumption” and anticipate the “after Covid-19” because consumers are the spearhead of financial markets’ well functioning!

FAMILY : A KEY FACTOR FOR REINSURANCE

With family models changing these last years, undermining the sacrosanct nuclear family-structure, lockdowns made it possible to put all families at the heart of a long sought-after balance.

According to a research commissioned by Channelmum.com in 2020, four in five parents believe the Covid-19 lockdowns have brought their family closer. For example, half of all families were spending more time playing traditional games together.

Consumers have been able to adapt their lifestyles and to be creative in order to maintain or recreate family bonds! Despite a harmed consumption, greatly slowed down and uncertainties about “tomorrow”, the family will be at the heart of all our concerns. The “Customer Centricity” that shapes our communication strategies must take into account the importance of people in the economic sphere.

Just as families have done, brands must redouble their efforts to innovate, surprise, propose experiences and customer contact (even through digital) to get them to believe in an “after Covid-19” more healthy and in tune with their need to reconnect with the world.

AGILITY, USE IT WITHOUT MODERATION !

On the agency side, our role will be to ensure this link between consumers and brands. For this “after lockdowns”, we need to be agile. This agility will allow us to create real affection between brands and consumers. “More than ever, brand need to have bottom-up communication from the consumer to the brand. Transparent and authentic communication ensures consumers’ confidence in the brand. And this is one of the primary needs of consumers today.