The Covid-19 effect
About 7 months ago, everyone thought Coronavirus was just the flu and would eventually go away (Unfortunately, including myself). Until it reached America, making us realize Covid-19 had caught us unaware. Our response was fast; staying home, social distancing, washing our hands frequently, and wearing a mask. But, that was our individual way of reacting to the circumstances. However, companies, restaurants, and many other businesses had to think thoroughly about the ways they would have to adapt to survive this pandemic.
During the lockdown, our only plans were working from home, a little bit of laundry, and watching the news on TV or our cellphones. Based on reports, 80% of US adults experienced an increase in their daily screen time, and yes, that included me. An opportunity for brands, to deeply connect with their customers through digital and remote methods, given the fact that they weren’t able to do so through physical stores.
The Digital Connection
One day while scrolling through my phone, I came across the account of one of my go-to places for lunch, Sweetgreen. And as they say, everything enters through the eyes, so of course, I was immediately attracted by the colors, meals, and graphics they posted. But what stood out was how they communicated “Coronavirus topics”, without affecting their aesthetics and brand essence. On March 19, their first Covid-19 Instagram post was published. They responded to the situation by being transparent (a true leader attribute) about the process and the time they’ll take to reinforce health and hygiene protocols to keep offering the quality product they did before. However, their transition was smooth, organic, and positive. In short, they rapidly adapted to the new reality.
They began this journey by straight away offering free delivery no matter what, incentivizing online orders. Followed by instant support for health care workers but, in a unique way. Additional to providing meals to healthcare workers and medical personnel (what most of the brands were doing), they enabled a webpage for them to submit their hospital for free Sweetgreen food! They never thought about the losses they would face, they were organically taking care of who was taking care of us. Finally, the brand’s message was all about positivity, hope, and safety, but not just by saying so, but with actions. Their deliveries were sent with written support messages on the receipts, lifting people’s moods.
Their Voice
As of today, where we are slowly getting back to normal, the brand has kept an awesome relationship with their customers, built during the pandemic. This is being done, by keeping basic communication such as sanitation guidelines clear, throughout their digital platforms. But, I do believe their communication has slightly changed for the better. Today, Sweetgreen and many other brands are not being reactive but proactive, to current events. They are aware and up to date on daily movements such as Black Lives Matter, voting, earth, gender inclusivity, and respectively act, opine, and support whatever they believe in.
In conclusion, they’re a restaurant that’s not waiting for challenges to knock on their doors just as Covid-19 did. They learned, as much as many of us did, and will demonstrate that they are good in what they do, and no pandemic or circumstance will stop that.
