Brand Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Crises? ?have? ?a? ?tendency? ?to? ?focus? ?people? ?on? ?what? ?is? ?truly? ?important.? ?For? ?many? ?brands,? ?the? ?coronavirus? ?pandemic? ?poses? ?a? ?fundamental? ?challenge.? ? ?

My? ?business? ?partner? ?Nicolette? ?Robinson? ?and? ?I? ?have? ?over? ?50? ?years? ?of? ?branding? ?experience? ?-? ?both? ?agency-side? ?and? ?client-side.? ? ?

 ?And? ?while? ?nobody? ?working? ?today? ?has? ?seen? ?anything? ?quite? ?like? ?the? ?situation? ?we? ?find? ?ourselves? ?in? ?now? ?before,? ?we? ?thought? ?that? ?together? ?we? ?might? ?have? ?some? ?valuable? ?ideas? ?and? ?lessons? ?to? ?share? ?with? ?brand? ?managers? ?and? ?strategists? ?in? ?these? ?unprecedented? ?times.? ? ?

Let’s? ?be? ?clear? ?at? ?the? ?very? ?beginning.? ?Many? ?businesses? ?are? ?going? ?to? ?need? ?to? ?do? ?whatever? ?it? ?takes? ?to? ?survive? ?the? ?next? ?six? ?months.? ? ?

 ?If? ?you? ?don’t? ?prioritise? ?short? ?term? ?business,? ?you? ?may? ?have? ?no? ?business? ?at? ?all.? ? ?

But? ?the? ?key? ?to? ?emerging? ?from? ?the? ?crisis? ?as? ?well? ?as? ?just? ?surviving? ?is? ?to? ??do? ??that? ?in? ?a? ?way? ?that? ?is? ?true? ?to? ?your? ?brand.? ? ?

 ?The? ?normal? ?advice? ?to? ?brands? ?in? ?the? ?face? ?of? ?a? ?public? ?health? ?emergency? ?would? ?be? ?“stay? ?out? ?of? ?it? ?if? ?you? ?can”.? ? ?

 ?Today,? ?many? ?brands? ?feel? ?that? ?the? ?overwhelming? ?scale? ?of? ?the? ?COVID-19? ?crisis? ?demands? ?that? ?they? ?do? ?or? ?say? ?SOMETHING? ?-? ?anything!? ?-? ?to? ?appear? ?relevant/sympathetic/concerned/etc.? ? ?

Just? ?take? ?a? ?look? ?at? ?your? ?email.? ? ?

 ?All? ?the? ?brands? ?that? ?have? ?cluttered? ?your? ?inbox? ?with? ?emails? ?telling? ?you? ?how? ?much? ?they? ?are? ?caring? ?for? ?you? ?and? ?your? ?welfare…? ?What? ?is? ?this? ?accomplishing?? ?

 Newsflash:? ?This? ?isn’t? ?about? ?you.? ? ?

You? ?should? ?only? ?get? ?involved? ?if? ?you? ?are? ?actively? ?changing? ?your? ?behaviours? ?as? ?a? ?business? ?to? ?benefit? ?the? ?lives? ?of? ?your? ?customers? ?or? ?their? ?wider? ?communities.? ? ?

There? ?is? ?code? ?in? ?many? ?marketing? ?departments’? ?DNA? ?that? ?makes? ?them? ?do? ?things? ?simply? ?to? ?be? ?involved? ?-? ?maybe? ?even? ?to? ?make? ?themselves? ?feel? ?busy…? ?

 ?Now,? ?more? ?than? ?ever,? ?making? ?noise? ?to? ?get? ?yourself? ?heard? ?is? ?pointless.? ?Possibly? ?even? ?damaging.? ? ?

 ?Most? ?brand? ?owners? ?are? ?not? ?responsible? ?for? ?the? ?overall? ?well-being? ?of? ?their? ?customers.? ?If? ?you? ?make? ?donuts,? ?you? ?are? ?unlikely? ?to? ?be? ?viewed? ?as? ?the? ?fourth? ?emergency? ?service.? ? ?

 ?People? ?turn? ?to? ?their? ?communities? ?and? ?government? ?in? ?times? ?of? ?crisis,? ?not? ?the? ?company? ?that? ?tries? ?to? ?flog? ?them? ?confectionery? ?on? ?the? ?way? ?to? ?work.? ? ?

• If? ?your? ?business? ?is? ?wallowing? ?in? ?spare? ?cash,? ?you’d? ?do? ?better? ?to? ?give? ?it? ?to? ?those? ?who? ?need? ?it? ?rather? ?than? ?splurging? ?it? ?on? ?promoting? ?messages? ?that? ?are? ?already? ?out? ?there? ?like? ?“stay? ?at? ?home”? ?and? ?social? ?distancing? ?
• If? ?you? ?have? ?spare? ?time? ?or? ?energy,? ?focus? ?on? ?getting? ?quietly? ?better? ?at? ?what? ?you? ?do? ?so? ?that? ?when? ?you? ?emerge? ?from? ?this? ?catastrophe? ?you? ?are? ?wiser? ?and? ?stronger? ?than? ?you? ?were? ?in? ?March? ?2020? ?
• With? ?many? ?people’s? ?needs? ?now? ?contracting? ?to? ?day-to-day? ?essentials,? ?ephemeral? ?brand? ?clutter? ?has? ?little? ?meaningful? ?role? ?to? ?play? ?

Now? ?is? ?the? ?time? ?that? ?companies? ?will? ?find? ?out? ?whether? ?their? ?brand? ?purpose? ?and? ?brand? ?values? ?are? ?worth? ?the? ?paper? ?they? ?were? ?written? ?on.? ? ?

Because? ?a? ?value? ?is? ?only? ?a? ?value? ?if? ?you’re? ?prepared? ?to? ?lose? ?money? ?by? ?sticking? ?to? ?it.? ? ?

The? ?strongest? ?place? ?to? ?be? ?tends? ?to? ?be? ?that? ?closest? ?to? ?the? ?truth.? ? ?

If? ?deep? ?down? ?you? ?are? ?a? ?good? ?company? ?with? ?decent? ?values? ?and? ?strong? ?leadership,? ?you’re? ?more? ?likely? ?to? ?do? ?what’s? ?best? ?for? ?your? ?colleagues,? ?customers? ?and? ?communities? ?-? ?whether? ?or? ?not? ?you? ?shout? ?about? ?it.? ? ?

The? ?brands? ?that? ?really? ?mean? ?it? ?are? ?the? ?ones? ?that? ?don’t? ?release? ?a? ?press? ?release? ?saying? ?how? ?generous? ?they’ve? ?been.? ? ?

For? ?example,? ?the? ?Co-Op? ?has? ?always? ?been? ?an? ?organisation? ?that? ?genuinely? ?has? ?the? ?well-being? ?of? ?its? ?communities? ?at? ?the? ?heart? ?of? ?its? ?decision-making:? ?supporting? ?food? ?banks,? ?providing? ?house?s?? ?and? ?buying? ?locally-sourced? ?produce? ?half? ?a? ?century? ?before? ?other? ?supermarkets.? ? ? ?

Early? ?on? ?in? ?the? ?crisis,? ?East? ?of? ?England? ?Co-Op? ?lived? ?up? ?to? ?those? ?values? ?when? ?it? ?all? ?but? ?shut? ?down? ?its? ?head? ?office? ?so? ?that? ?executives? ?could? ?be? ?reassigned? ?to? ?work? ?in? ?stores.? ? ?

Other? ?supermarkets? ?are? ?playing? ?catch-up.? ? ? ?

Tesco’s? ?￡30? ?million? ?community? ?support? ?package? ?is? ?a? ?welcome? ?instance? ?of? ?the? ?walk? ?matching? ?the? ?talk.? ? ? ?

But? ?exactly? ?what? ?Morrisons’? ?sudden? ?declaration? ?of? ?a? ?new? ?core? ?purpose? ?to? ?“feed? ?the? ?nation”? ?means? ?in? ?practical? ?terms? ?is? ?unclear.? ?It? ?raises? ?eyebrows? ?by? ?being? ?one? ?hell? ?of? ?a? ?pivot.? ? ?

At? ?the? ?other? ?end? ?of? ?the? ?spectrum,? ?Uber’s? ?offer? ?of? ?free? ?rides? ?to? ?NHS? ?staff? ?is? ?a? ?welcome,? ?practical? ?benefit? ?but? ?it’s? ?likely? ?to? ?draw? ?scepticism? ?because? ?of? ?the? ?company’s? ?predatory? ?reputation.? ? ?

T?o? ?continue? ?to? ?offer? ?something? ?like? ?this? ?once? ?the? ?crisis? ?is? ?over? would? ?reveal? ?their? ?true? ?colours? ?and? ?potentially? ?to? ?shift? ??perceptions? ?of? ?the? ?company.? ? ?

The? ?simple? ?message? ?is? ?this:? ?If? ?you? ?have? ?no? ?better? ?reason? ?than? ?FOMO,? ?don’t? ?get? ?involved.? ? ?

If? ?your? ?company? ?has? ?assets? ?that? ?can? ?be? ?deployed? ?for? ?the? ?greater? ?good,? ?do? ?it.? ?But? ?be? ?led? ?by? ?the? ?action,? ?not? ?the? ?perception? ?you? ?think? ?it? ?will? ?generate.? ? ?

Channels? ?that? ?enable? ?authentic? ?communication? ?will? ?be? ?critical? ?in? ?the? ?coming? ?months.? ? ?

The? ?value? ?of? ?social? ?media? ?now? ?is? ?beyond? ?question? ?-? ?although? ?the? ?perils? ?it? ?presents? ?have? ?been? ?made? ?clear? ?too.? ? ?

Just? ?look? ?at? ?the? ?backlash? ?against? ?JD? ?Wetherspoons’? ?treatment? ?of? ?its? ?staff? ?or? ?at? ?the? ?ridicule? ?McDonalds? ?Brazil? ?faced? ?for? ?attempting? ?to? ?promote? ?social? ?distancing? ?by? ?splitting? ?the? ?Golden? ?Arches.? ? ?

 ?But? ?my? ?personal? ?belief? ?is? ?that? ?radio’s? ?time? ?is? ?now.? ? ?

The? ?medium? ?offers? ?unique? ?attributes? ?because? ?of? ?its? ?main? ?limitation? ?-? ?blindness.? ? ?

With? ?so? ?many? ?people? ?restricted? ?to? ?engaging? ?with? ?the? ?world? ?through? ?screens,? ?radio? ?has? ?an? ?opportunity? ?to? ?engage? ?different? ?parts? ?of? ?our? ?brains? ?and? ?imaginations? ?in? ?a? ?very? ?distinct? ?way.? ? ?

However,? ?branding? ?can? ?only? ?do? ?so? ?much? ?heavy? ?lifting? ?right? ?now.? ? ?

 ?As? ?we? ?said? ?at? ?the? ?beginning,? ?it’s? ?simply? ?not? ?going? ?to? ?be? ?sustainable? ?for? ?most? ?businesses? ?to? ?lose? ?their? ?customer? ?revenues? ??AND?? ?start? ?giving? ?away? ?free? ?product.? ? ?

Focus? ?on? ?your? ?business? ?while? ?being? ?true? ?to? ?what? ?it? ?stands? ?for.? ? ?

If? ?you’d? ?like? ?to? ?talk? ?to? ?Nicolette? ?or? ?myself? ?about? ?any? ?of? ?the? ?points? ?raised? ?here,? ?please? ?comment? ?or? ?send? ?me? ?a? ?connection? ?request.? ? ?

Mimo? ?Brands?? ?is? ?a? ?leading? ?brand? ?strategy? ?agency? ?based? ?in? ?London.? ? ?

 ?We? ?work? ?with? ?brands? ?big? ?and? ?small? ?-? ?from? ?household? ?names? ?to? ?early? ?stage? ?businesses.? ?

Our? ?clients? ?are? ?ambitious? ?UK? ?and? ?international,? ?B2B? ?and? ?B2C? ?brand? ?owners.? ?

We’ve? ?helped? ?to? ?launch,? ?mend? ?or? ?transform? ?over? ?70? ?brands? ?across? ?diverse? ?categories? ?in? ?multiple? ?territories? ?since? ?our? ?launch? ?in? ?2012.?