How Brands & Businesses Have 'Connected Emotionally' With Us During The Pandemic - 2020 Year In Review

Google search data reveals how brands & businesses helped us 'CONNECT EMOTIONALLY' in 2020 since the the coronavirus pandemic commenced.

Many Canadians are found themselves doing things that they wouldn’t have anticipated due to the coronavirus in 2020. Search interest in “do it yourself” has spiked globally in the past few months. And while some of this is about making hand sanitizer or protective equipment, there’s also a rise in topics like sprucing up your patio or building a greenhouse.

All organizations will be touched by this pandemic. Consumer behaviour is changing daily, and many marketers are asking how they can be more helpful to their customers in these fluctuating moments.

Google data can give insight into that. At a high level, there are 5 behaviours that played out in Google data across markets last year, reflected obviously in how people were searching 2020...

Let's take look back on the year!

5 Behaviours Reflected In How People Searched Due To COVID-19 in 2020

1. Assembling Critical Information and Content They Need To Get By

The coronavirus has made normal life anything but normal these days. With retailers adapting to delivery or online models, schools closing, and much of the workforce staying home, people are looking for clear, specific information about where, how, and when to get the things they need.

Search interest related to online grocery has spiked in Canada over the past few months as people try to find new ways of getting food.  And as people limit their trips to grocery stores, there’s been spikes in search interest for things like "can you freeze" and “home delivery” in Canada.

How brands can help consumers: Be useful as people’s needs evolve

• Acknowledge the new reality.
• Give people credible, detailed, and current information about your operations. Reinforce that you’re there to help.
• Regularly update communications across your website, blogs, social handles, and even your Google My Business page to ensure people are in the know.
• Be flexible. Help customers with cancellations, refunds, and customer service.

For example: Ford Canada is encouraging their customers who are leasing or financing and impacted by COVID-19 to reach out for help.

2. Discovering New Connections and Nurturing Relationships

Even as people physically distance themselves, they’re discovering new connections and nurturing relationships, whether virtually or in their own household. On YouTube, for instance, there has been a rise in “with me” videos, where people film themselves going about ordinary tasks like cooking, cleaning, or shopping. Since January, global views of videos containing “study with me” in the title are over 50% higher compared to the same period last year.5 And YouTube creators are inviting audiences to join them by creating content like “bulk cook with me” or “disinfect with me.”

People are also looking for new ways to connect with people from afar. Search interest for "multi-player video games" has spiked in Canada in the past few months.  And global search interest for “virtual happy hour or zoom drinks” has spiked in the last 365 days.

How Brands & Businesses Have 'Connected Emotionally' With Us During The Pandemic - 2020 Year In Review | Troy Kahler | Treefrog Inc. | Growth Optimization & Brand Specialist

How brands can help consumers: Forge new communities and connections

• Look for ways to connect your customers, locally and globally.
• Consider if your brand has a role to play in creating or enhancing shared experiences, virtually or otherwise.

For example: Ikea Canada is tapping into the emotions associated with home to encourage people to stay inside.

3. Adjusting To Changes In Their Routines

As routines and schedules change to meet the demands of isolation, so do people’s online habits and expectations. In Canada, search interest for “at home” has risen as the home has become the reference point for exploring new routines. For example, search interest in "how to cut hair at home" has spiked as Canadians consider how to change their grooming habits.

Workout routines are getting an overhaul in Canada too. There’s are spikes in search interest for “bike”, "skis" and “dumbbell set” over the last 365 days all dependant on new restrictions and lockdown phases.

One noticeable adjustment, whether consuming local news, national news, or even late-night shows, is that production value is necessarily taking a back seat as people film in their homes. And people have an appetite for “scrappily-made” content, as seen in the “Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble” COVID-19 stay-at-home concert (featuring Canadian artists such as Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne) that raised money for Food Banks Canada. An authentic production style has long been a hallmark of YouTube creators and is now shared among brands and celebrities.

So How Do Brands Help Consumers: Adjust To People’s 'Non-routine Routine'

• Let people know that solutions are available whenever, wherever.
• Assess when people need you most, whether through your own first-party data (like site analytics or email opens) or Google Trends, and adjust your communications strategy accordingly.
• Update or publish often. There’s a need for content that informs, entertains, connects, and promotes wellness. Production value doesn’t need to be perfect.

For example: In their latest video, Destination British Columbia pivoted from their typical messaging strategy and is encouraging travellers to follow stay- at-home orders so people can experience the beauty of travel sooner.

4. Praising Everyday Heroes

There has been a growing appreciation for the new everyday heroes among us. Whether health care workers on the front lines or cashiers and delivery people keeping Canadians stocked up, many are risking their own health or safety to help others.

The notion of “thank essential workers” has taken a sudden upturn in search interest in Canada.11 In addition, national monuments around Canada including the CN Tower paid tribute to health care personnel and essential workers.

How brands can help consumers: Support heroes

• Look for people who are helping, and find ways to support or celebrate them.
• Consider who the heroes are among your employees, your customers, or even your local community.
• Consider whether you have nonhuman heroes that can contribute, like your technology, your operational rigor, or your equipment.

For example: Bauer has begun manufacturing protective visors for doctors, nurses and first responders. Dove Canada also paid a tribute to health care workers, thanking them for their courage and care.

5. Taking Care of Themselves and Others

As boredom, anxiety, and uncertainty set in, people are taking care of their own physical and psychological needs as well as those of friends and loved ones. In April, we started seeing a spike in search interest for “puzzles” in Canada compared to last year.  We also started seeing spikes in search interest for “virtual tour” as well as “zoo tour” in Canada, as people look to experience something beyond the walls of home. And even outdoor home projects seem to be trending, with rising search interest in "gardening" compared to last year.

How brands can help consumers: Find ways to enrich people’s lives

• Facilitate virtual collaborations with outdoor spaces and the cultural institutions people yearn to visit.
• Join the conversation about home-based health and well-being.
• Pivot to platforms and formats that make sense for people staying home.

We all know this past year has been trying for all of us. Whether it has impacted your career, business, education, relationships & family or your health and fitness. What brands have shown us is that 'CONNECTING EMOTIONALLY' in marketing is more important than ever. We gravitate towards feeling, sometimes in not correct ways, but feeling something towards a brand, business, commercial or advertisement builds brand recognition and keeps that brand top of mind ... even in the crazy time we live in now!

A brand’s response in the crisis will have a huge impact on their likelihood of purchasing it in the future. The more helpful brands can be, the better they’ll fare now — and even more importantly, in the long run.

3 QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS & BRAND....

1. Do you have brand guidelines and standards set-up for your business?

2. Have you run a true branding exercise for your company or you business?

3. If so the world has changed dramatically in the past 12 months ... Have you refreshed your brand since the pandemic began in March of 2020 to make sure you keep that emotional connection to your customers and clients?

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE WITH YOUR 2021 GROWTH OPTIMIZATION & BRAND STRATEGY FOR YOU BUSINESS....

CONTACT ME TODAY ... OR ... IF NEED A QUICK QUOTE?

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HAPPY 'CUSTOMER-CONNECTING' IN 2021!

TROY KAHLER | Growth Optimization & Brand Specialist

TREEFROG Inc. (E) [email protected]. | (O) - 905.836-4442 | (M) - 905.955.3917

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