9: What should brands be doing in the time of COVID-19?

The big question: how is a brand supposed to act during a pandemic? How can CEOs and brand owners serve their users in a meaningful way while still struggling to survive themselves? It’s a difficult situation that requires sensitivity, listening and an open mind. In this house episode, Jean-Louis and Jasmine survey the current brand landscape for examples of companies that are doing it right. From Marriott’s open display of vulnerability to Parsley Health’s implicit giving of permission and Cameo’s smartly aligned feel-good content - the answer to this dilemma is never as simple as “We’re here for you” founder letters and reduced prices. To really serve your users, you have to read the room and know one thing: business may be slowing, but culture is accelerating. While all of us are holed away in our homes and commerce quiets down, our norms and beliefs are silently evolving in the background. Among other things, automation will change our relationship to work, a retreat to nostalgia will further the divide between Gen Y and Z, and a sense of self-sufficiency will change how we view our most intimate spaces.  Throughout the episode we try to predict what the future may hold in a time of quarantine because, like all strategy, you can’t see your next move if you can’t envision how the world will change. Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:The Moral Meaning of the Plague (New York Times)Is This the End of Influencing as We Knew It? (Vanity Fair)Health care workers aren’t just “heroes.” We’re also scared and exposed. (Vox)What Everyone’s Getting Wrong About the Toilet Paper Shortage (Marker)‘You have to be hypersensitive’: As the coronavirus spreads, standard PR strategies are falling flat (Glossy)Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How. (Politico)Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.