Brands, it’s time to show your real selves!
I glance at the calendar and I realize its August already! Can’t believe we’ve endured almost five months of lockdown as the country, economy and lives reel under the catastrophic impact of the pandemic, amid the constant threat of how it may surreptitiously make its way to you the minute you let your guard down.
With no immediate relief in the foreseeable future, waking up to the news of thousands of lives and livelihoods being lost every day has shown just how vulnerable humankind is to something that is not even visible to the naked eye. Much has been written about how this raging virus has set economies back by a couple of years, turned several industries upside down and disrupted life as we knew it.
However, what’s genuinely piqued my interest is how the past few months have lent themselves as a true test of character, of not just people but organizations as well. When the pandemic first hit India, a comprehensive analysis of India’s fragile and inadequate healthcare infrastructure revealed that we were ill-equipped to handle the gargantuan crisis. Response of the most advanced and powerful countries in fighting the virus wasn’t reassuring either. However, when crises and deadlocks occur, they have at least this advantage, that they force us to think (as observed by Jawahar Lal Nehru) — and this is what happened! Brands like Diageo, Mahindra & Mahindra, RIL, Tata Trusts etc. stepped up in no time and repurposed their facilities to empower the nation and its frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19. If that meant making 3 lakh litres of hand sanitizers or providing millions of masks and PPE suits or manufacturing ventilators to meet the gross shortage at healthcare facilities or even supporting the migrant crisis, organizations big or small and unlikely heroes in Sonu Sood, Vikas Khanna, Rana Ayyub to name a few, displayed highest levels of compassion with their earnest efforts and stood in solidarity with the people in times of need.
I was deeply impressed by the noble actions of these organizations and leaders who for once were not thinking ‘bottom-line’. As someone who belongs to the millennial cohort, my subsequent observations on perception-change towards these brands revealed that my fellow millennials and GenZers had started to fundamentally gravitate towards brands that had demonstrated empathy, meaningful action and agility during this period of utter crisis, uncertainty and hopelessness.
And this takeaway has made one thing abundantly clear — never before has the need for having a clear brand purpose been more crucial for organizations. In this hyper-connected digital world scrutinized by consumers, organizations that are more about their ‘ikigai’ or their reason to be and less about ‘opportunism’, stand a better chance of earning consumer loyalty and trust. There is no denying the fact that the more-aware younger generation tends to prefer brands that feel authentic and go above and beyond their core offering — implying that the brand purpose can have a major impact on how your brand is viewed in the market and therefore can be the steering force behind the brand’s success.
Some of the recent examples of campaigns like Nike’s ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ or even Barilla’s ‘Rooftop Surprise Tennis Match’ with Roger Federer for the Italian girls, that have raked in millions of views in under 24 hours on social platforms, are a testament of how brands can leave a lasting impact on consumers’ minds. Simple, thoughtful actions and words with a positive impact have the power to potentially transform consumer preferences. And communication is key in enunciating the brand purpose and forms the core of the reputation building process for all stakeholders — be it with your consumers, employees, investors or partners!
Brands that are open, honest and meaningful in their communication will continue to stay relevant and be welcomed with open arms by consumers. If the learnings from these past few months are anything to go by, the pandemic has truly transformed the way people will perceive and interact with brands in the future as well. Therefore, organizations must realize that reputation is a long-term investment with lifetime and legacy returns and they must focus on using their north star to better serve the community, both through actions and words!
