We asked people in the UK, USA & Canada about how they were responding to the changes impacting their day to day lives as a result of COVID-19.
Here’s what we learned.
The past few weeks have been a weird time for most of us, and the near term is likely to see that continue for a little while longer.
We sure did pick a great time to launch a new business!
It has been an interesting experience personally standing up a new innovation and strategy agency during a period of immense uncertainty, and while there is an immediate emergency for countries around the world to overcome, it also presents a really exciting opportunity to learn from what is changing right now and how that might influence our future.
We live in a world where incumbents of industries are swarming around the same things as their peers, new entrants are challenging the status quo and societal change continues to accelerate — throwing a pandemic into the mix adds a new dimension to that too! Many organizations have a short window, a moment, where with courage and guts, they can differentiate.
We call that a Now or Never moment, and while we may not have expected it to come about like this, it does present an opportunity for all of us to take a moment, learn, listen, look around and imagine how we can create a better future.
What we did
Over a few days between the 26th & 31st of March, we got on the phone, hosted video chats and WhatsApp conversations with 12 interesting people in the UK, US and Canada to learn about how they were responding to the changes impacting their day to day lives.
We talked to them about their new routines, what they were enjoying about them, the new challenges they might be creating, how they are thinking and feeling at this time as well as how they might be imagining this will impact their future behaviour. We touched on their home life, finances, work, family, health, travel, politics, news and brands that have recently stood out to them.
While we may not have carried out the most scientific study, we believe we learned more than any online survey could have told us about their thoughts and feelings. Here are a few highlights:
BUYING LOCAL, STAYING LOCAL
As many businesses were forced to close their physical locations, people quickly recognised the impact this would have on their communities. Many people are looking to #supportlocalbusiness, planning walks to pick up local craft beers, finding how they can order online from independent bookstores or support their local convenience stores.
Small retailers who once saw going online as a race to the bottom are now seeing potential in digital, perhaps not just for the short term.
Some are even rethinking international travel beyond the recovery, the staycation has appeal given the uncertainty around air travel, but don’t forget the feelgood factor supporting the domestic tourism industry getting back on its feet.
“We’ve cancelled our vacation for early summer, I just can’t see air travel being back to normal by then. We’ll still look to get away, it’s encouraged me to look closer to home, places in my own backyard I’d otherwise overlook. As a Canadian I feel like I should support those people who I know are going to be impacted by less foreign travel.”
James Carlyle also put it rather nicely for what we can all do to help our local economies.
MAKING DEEPER SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
Social distancing and being required to isolate away from day to day in-person connections has been tough for all but the most introverted. Despite that, many are forming deeper social connections with people compared to the ‘real’ world.
People have been connecting with those they might not be as close to in a world more used to physical connections, some have spent more time connecting with their families, with many hoping this becomes a new and more frequent tradition.
Video conferencing is no longer just for disparate office teams, gone are the enterprise IT requirements to make it work, Zoom, Google Hangouts and Facetime are all so intuitive that even the grandparents have figured it out.
A NEW, NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
For many people facing an extended period of time at home with lots of time on their hands, this is a chance to re-evaluate, perhaps consider how just a few months into the year those new year’s resolutions may have already been long forgotten. Gone are the excuses of lacking time to read more, exercise, find themselves, look for that new job, learn how to code etc.
Many brands have gone digital with their propositions, from workout classes, to therapy sessions now being hosted through a video chat, academics are hosting free classes online, some tools have waived their fees, while others have found there is still a market of paying customers helping them to cover their bills while physical facilities remain closed.
It’s been a boon to some companies too, indoor cycling trainer sales in the UK went up by a whopping 977%! Unemployment is going to rapidly increase in the coming weeks, however even people in relatively stable roles are using this time to prepare for a new job search.
“My lifestyle of travelling for work is really bad for me, I make excuses to not be fitter and healthier. I must have 20+ hours a week now I didn’t think I had before so now it the time for me to get in shape.”
THE GREAT WORKING FROM HOME EXPERIMENT
Many people have taken to working from home like ducks to water, blessed with simple technology setups and jobs that naturally lend themselves to how technology companies have operated for years.
For others, it’s been a painful experience thanks to legacy IT setups that never imagined such a scenario, or managers believing they need to be big brother. Family and couple struggles include overlapping conference calls with your spouse, fighting for space, handling childcare or just keeping the dogs under control during the workday.
For many it means a complete shift in workspaces — whether the lack of dedicated office space at home (the hallway for Seth Meyers didn’t work too well), poor internet connectivity or a change in energy levels compared to open offices. While some talk about this as the end of the office as we know it, we’re not convinced. The sustainable future isn’t an either/or.
NOSTALGIA DOES NOT TAKE LONG, BUT IT IS SELECTIVE
While these weeks might make it seem that an increasingly digital future is inevitable, many people are starting to realize what they miss when we bury our heads in our phones.
At first it may have seemed as if everything had to move to digital, that we always had to be connected and next to a laptop during working hours or that our phones serving an abundant streaming service would be the only source of entertainment.
But as time has gone by, many have rediscovered simpler pleasures from a time really not very long ago. Books give us greater pleasure than an e-reader, we reminisce about cinemas, gigs and bars that video calls and Instagram can’t replace. We are going for walks everyday. We might even be put the phones down.
That said, it doesn’t mean we miss everything about the old world, few people are craving to get back to the commute or mail DVDs back and wait for the next set to turn up a few days later.
“I don’t normally rent movies at home as it doesn’t feel like good value when I have a Netflix subscription. I’ve paid for a few things lately and it made me realize I miss things like the cinema, watching an old classic on my big TV isn’t the same as a good classic cinema.”
A GREATER CONSCIOUS TURNING INTO ACTION
For the most part, we’ve been aware of the impact we have on the world, the environmental movement has been going since long before Greta Thunberg was born, however even as our environmental awareness has increased in recent years, the action behind it from politicians, corporations and the public hasn’t matched the noise.
In just a few weeks the coronavirus brought us together, the vast majority recognised the impact of their actions, e.g. going to the store or making do with what’s in the cupboard, governments sacrificing the economy for their healthcare systems, companies doing the right thing over the profitable thing.
Perhaps to be expected in a situation with a short term implication, but with that, will it change the narrative when it comes to creating action on a subject the majority of the world accepts is part of their conscience?
“I didn’t think I’d see a British government lock down the country, we’re not used to action like that. I think they should be just as decisive when it comes to climate change. It needs their leadership to change behaviour.”
STOPPING THE SHIP FROM SINKING WHILE IT’S ON COURSE FOR THE ROCKS
A lot of companies are prioritizing short term cash controls or risk management over building loyalty with customers or taking advantage of the future. They are so worried about sinking the ship, they’ve lost sight of what lies ahead.
It’s easy in the middle of a crisis to get consumed with mitigation plans and trying to survive, but we are seeing a divide between companies finding a way to connect with and wow people (customers and employees) during this time, and those that are making decisions in isolation or selfishly.
People notice this, from employees frustrated that their employer isn’t thinking about the longer term impact on the business or opportunity to change through to customers angry at how some businesses are putting their short term cash needs ahead of doing the right thing.
“It’s a weird time, the business is going through a bit of a cash crunch, like every company. It’s also an amazing opportunity for our business to innovate, we said we needed to before but often it was lip service. If we can’t do it now, we may as well not bother.”
This article also summed it up rather nicely by Sean O’Toole:
THE BRAND & PR RECKONING
At first we were bombarded with emails from anyone who’d had the slightest sniff of our credit card details or email addresses, for us it was hotels we’d long since forgotten staying at, as well as software businesses, D2C sunglasses retailers and finally, weeks later, our insurance companies telling us we weren’t covered but they’re there for us nonetheless.
People appear to be able to recognise brands that are acting more out of capability and purpose than PR. Brewdog were called out in comparison to LVMH for the brand polish of their hand sanitiser. One interviewee questioned if companies announcements were genuinely helpful, for instance can a clothing company actually produce medical grade equipment quickly?
Likewise, brands who looked after their own people have shown that by treating employees right, customers will be much more likely to be looked after too under more normal circumstances.
“Every alcohol company is now making hand sanitizer, they should, and grocery stores should give priority to vulnerable shoppers. It’s table stakes now, I wish they didn’t feel the need to market it so heavily, It makes me think less of them.”
SO WHAT?
We hope you find these themes thoughtful and interesting. Right now, we know everyone is just looking to get through this time, but we’re also excited for what happens next.
Below you’ll find some more details on these themes and a few ideas for what we believe people, companies, agencies and politicians should be thinking about their implications.
Find us here: Now or Never
