Understanding Brand Communications in COVID-19
Many brands used the time to reach out to their wide customer base; few were successful.
what have we seen so far?
At the onset of the lockdown period for COVID-19, consumer-facing brands sent out communications outlining how they were handling the crisis with a focus on health & safety. Then came the onslaught of the ‘Stay at Home’ messages on all channels. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands are now testing out alternate ways of communicating and erring on the side of over communication, but is that reducing the effect of their messaging?
While the aim of these messages is to create transparency, reduce anxiety, and build trust with customers during the pandemic, the monotonous messages have become diluted after customers heed the same response from every brand they had ever interacted with. This leaves an impression of inauthenticity, as if companies had to ‘check the box’ with their communication. In other words, the tactics have backfired.
covid-19 communication survey
An early May survey conducted amongst global consumers, mostly based in the US and UK, concluded that 72% of people received too many health & safety emails and 69% only opened 1 or 2, deleting or skipping through the rest. Only 3% of people found these messages to be helpful, while 51% found them mildly helpful, and a whopping 46% felt that these messages were irrelevant to them entirely.
When asked if they felt the messaging around COVID-19 was authentic, 24% said yes, while 38% said “a bit” depending on the industry (e.g. grocery). Even for those who responded positively, there was a caveat that it felt like companies were trying to sell something. Alternatively, 27% said “no, brands were just reminding them to shop.” Further emphasising the ineffectiveness of the messaging, 75% of people did not shop after receiving these communications.
The results of the survey indicate that recent marketing and communication strategies have not yielded positive sentiments; however, further analyses show that consumers appreciate brands with a conscience, specifically driven by: (1) profitability with purpose, (2) two-way communication
balancing profitability with purpose
The DTC movement has been characterised by brands delivering products with purpose. And from the consumer angle, customers want to purchase products that align with their values. But what happens when businesses must make tough decisions between customers, employees, and their bottom line?
COVID-19 has shown that customers want businesses to exhibit empathy even when their bottom line is challenged. Empathy towards the situation, employees, supply chain workers, and the broader community in which they exist. Empathy must be demonstrated with both communications and actions. Because while a lot of brands might be communicating empathy, sometimes their actions contradict that messaging, as seen with the Draper James giveaway, resulting in a PR headache for the brand.
It should be noted that empathy doesn’t always convert to immediate purchases. It’s a balancing act. In order to survive, businesses must determine the most effective methods of driving sales, while simultaneously supporting their communities, employees, and customers. And while customers might not purchase product immediately, they may remove you from their consideration if you don’t stand by your, and ultimately their, core values. So these tactics need to be considered as long-term brand building.
The problem is how do you make communication genuine? The opportunity for a misstep is significant. Trying to capitalise on the situation without contributing to society is not a good approach. Your company’s choice of charitable action should align with one of your unique selling points. Another way to balance profitability with purpose would be to segment and personalise your messaging based on customers’ sentiments.
Brands have taken different approaches to address the COVID-19 crisis, each offering their own insights and takeaways. We’ve highlighted a few that resonate strongly with the iP team.
Reformation: A premium womenswear brand based in LA that focuses on making sustainable clothing and accessories, quickly repurposed its LA factory and partnered with the City of Los Angeles to make non-medical masks for essential workers. They’ve also shown customers how to make their own masks and given out proprietary specs and techpack for other factories to make masks.
Cult Mia: A retail platform, representing small, independent designers around the world, offered their global customers 15% of their purchase to be donated to food banks in the customer’s home country. Founder Nina Brener-Hellmund commented on the number of customers expressing their gratitude for such a thoughtful way to give back.
Brands x Better: A coalition of independent DTC brands have come together to donate 10% of proceeds to various charities alleviating the social and economic impact of COVID-19. They’ve raised $3.2M as of publication of this paper.
two-way communication
From inception, DTC brands welcomed customer engagement in all forms. It was a way to refine their products, give customers what they were looking for, and build a community of interactive fans. While most of their communication was inherently digital, brands still relied on traditional forms of engagement, such as events and retail. COVID-19 pushed companies to reimage what engaging with customers meant. No longer could ‘in real life’ experiences be relied upon for both brand building and sales. With everything forced to go strictly digital, how do we replace these experiences and emotions that come with them?
Companies quickly turned to Zoom, Instagram Live/IGTV, Facebook Live and YouTube Live as a method to virtually connect with their audience. And then, like the onslaught of emails, it was all too much. Everyone was doing it, and ‘Zoom hangovers’ entered our vernacular.
Effective two-way engagement contrasts with how most brands have been using the various virtual forms of ‘Live’. Joining an Instagram Live duo feels a bit voyeuristic, like you’ve happened to walk into a conversation in which the speakers might acknowledge you’re there (via responding to the chat feature), or, more likely, they’ll continue to talk as though you don’t exist.
The brands who are best at two-way communication break down the fourth wall. They do more than just include the viewer, but make the viewer imperative to the conversation, evoking emotion and buy-in. This is one of the reasons why influencers have such captive viewership. They’re constantly interacting with their viewers, making them feel more like friends than followers.
Most refreshing is when brands give space for customers to talk and brands to listen. With that in mind, three brands have evolved how they engage with their communities with powerful results. Other brands are now replicating their approach.
Glossier: The DTC beauty darling, who has been known to develop product by asking for feedback on Instagram, launched its Glossier Live Edit in April. Glossier offers clients 15 min 1-to-1 appointments to discuss skincare routines, favourite products, and ask questions. It’s messaged as “personal time and space for YOU;” sales seem to be an afterthought. Other beauty retailers, such as Violet Grey, have picked up a similar model.
Crown Affair: A haircare brand, launched in January 2020 by an Away and Into The Gloss Alum, has community and two-way conversations at its core. Recognising the disruption that COVID-19 has had on people’s career trajectory, it launched a professional development programme for women called Seedling. The programme includes group chats as well as 1-to-1 sessions.
Milk Bar: Christina Tosi, the chef, founder, and owner of Milk Bar, started a baking club on her Instagram account in March. She posts a shopping/ingredient list a couple days before, and invites viewers to bake with her on Instagram live. This method has become so successful that NYT Cooking and Chrissy Teigen have both copied this approach. It’s also inspired Zoom cooking classes between friends.
what the future has in store
1. what will product messaging look like?
With the initial anxieties of COVID-19 lessening and lockdown restrictions starting to loosen up in many countries, we’ve seen a return to normal messaging. Some brands have even added practical and relevant gift with purchase to promote sales (e.g. APL’s face shield). So don’t feel like it’s inappropriate to announce a new product launch, just reframe it in the context of what’s relevant.
2. how do you communicate strategic changes?
Companies will announce what their new normal will look like upon reopening. This should include descriptions of sanitary changes companies are making to improve hygiene standards (e.g. Soul Cycle’s new standard of safety) and any strategic pivots the company is making. Take the opportunity to mention how you’re rebuilding.
3. will businesses continue to donate their resources / give back?
Yes, we expect this trend to become ingrained in all businesses, not only from a CSR perspective, but also because the repercussions of COVID-19 will likely be felt for many years. If values aren’t something your company is known for yet, use this time to take a stand for something to believe in long term. Where to look? Ask employees what causes are important to them and survey your customers. But, ultimately, align CSR activities to the context of your business.
4. how can brands foster more two-way communication?
We anticipate long-term trepidation about IRL experiences until the vaccine comes out. This will be market specific, as each culture has its own tolerance for health & safety precautions. For now, build experiences that focus on two-way communication. Think about how you can speak directly to the audience virtually. This can include 1-to-1 consultations or Live ‘how-to’s.’ Or consider incorporating a DIY component to your product and increase engagement through online tips. Then of course, invite customers to share their experiences via social and repost on your company’s account.
5. where should brands put their marketing dollars?
While everyone is still working from home, look to other channels to diversity your marketing mix and spend less money with Facebook’s suite of products. This can include redeveloping some of your social adverts for TV (check for remnant inventory) and testing at home mailers — maybe even offer a pair of latex gloves to open it with!
This article was originally posted on in.Parallel’s market insights blog, in.TheKnow. in.Parallel is a DTC consultancy that helps brands with international expansion.
