Coronavirus has fundamentally changed the way we interact with each other. It’s been a while since any of us have danced at a live concert or cheered at a sporting event. In fact, most of our experiences over the last few months have been confined to the walls of our own homes. For brand owners, this can feel like a bit of a conundrum because brand equity is built on positive, powerful experiences.
But a global crisis offers brand owners a unique opportunity to redefine the way people relate to their brands. About 65% of consumers say that, during this crisis, a brands’ actions have a significant or major impact on their trust in that brand. People crave to be understood, and a brand that can anticipate a customer’s needs, especially in the middle of a crisis, is particularly valuable. As brands “get people right” when customers need it most, they’ll be able to provide experiences and memories that will outlive any virus.
Experiences matter to brands
A brand is often described as a network of associations that lives in a consumer’s mind. The size, richness, and structure of these associations can help marketers evaluate perceptions, relevance, preference, and, ultimately, whether their marketing strategy is working.
That network of associations is the result of a series of learned experiences our brains encode into our memory over time. Think of the first time you flew on an airplane as a child and the flight attendant let you have two snacks. Or the last time you interacted with an especially cheerful and helpful customer service representative. Maybe you follow a brand on Twitter because it’s genuinely enjoyable and fun. Even small experiences can work together to build brand affinity and loyalty over time. Ultimately, it is our overall brand experience that determines the product, services, or employers we choose.
But the most powerful brand experiences are those of personal and special significance. The first dance at your wedding may have only lasted a few minutes, but you will likely remember it for decades. Emotional events and experiences like those that occur during the current crisis can take root more deeply in our mental network of associations, making essential interactions more meaningful and memorable. Brands that take relevant action during critical moments have the potential of rewiring and strengthening the pattern of brand memories that can now accommodate enhanced perceptions.
Brands’ opportunity to make a difference
The global pandemic offers brands an opportunity to become more meaningful to their consumers and employees by fitting themselves into the important moments of life and supporting their needs during one of the most significant ordeals any of us will encounter in our lifetimes. The brand experiences, both on and offline, that people perceive as relevant will be flagged as “important” and will more likely be incorporated into longer-lasting memory structures that they draw upon when making future choices.
As budgets dwindle, it’s important to remember that brand experiences shouldn’t hinge solely on spendy advertising and marketing campaigns. Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, expressed it best in saying, “Just because your (marketing) budgets have disappeared doesn’t mean that your brand-building efforts disappear.”
Take trust, for example. It’s a feeling most companies hope customers and employees will associate with their brand, but it can be a difficult thing to earn. A recent Qualtrics brand study found that almost half (48%) of all respondents said they trust brands more when they know the brand is taking care of their employees.
Right now, trust is on everyone’s minds. Can I trust my dentist or doctor to sanitize the premises after every patient? Do I trust this restaurant’s hygiene or should I just get a meal delivered at home? Can I trust this airline or hotel to go the extra mile and clean cabins, seats, and rooms? In times of uncertainty, consumers want to trust the experiences being delivered by brands.
Strengthening a brand during a pandemic isn’t just about building trust. It’s also about recognizing salient needs, thinking through different perspectives, and reframing a problem into an opportunity.
UberEats moved quickly to offer doorstep delivery, biometric company Clear pivoted to COVID-19 screening at airports and businesses, and Google altered its maps to make it easier for people to order from restaurants. When brands take concrete action that unambiguously signals that they understand what their customers or employees want and need, they can reshape the overall brand experience and develop enhanced meaning that would otherwise take years to establish.
Experiences are crucial to building brands, but they don’t have to rely solely on human interaction or in-the-moment, sensorial experiences. Every touchpoint — from a tweet to a product download to an executive’s behavior — has the potential to shape experiences and memories that define the meaning people attach to a brand. Even small actions can have a powerful impact. And crisis, though devastating, offers brands an opportunity to innovate and revitalize the experiences they deliver.
