Day: June 4, 2021

As we round the corner on the pandemic and continue to make progress toward solving the many challenges of the last 15 months, marketers will need to acknowledge the role empathy plays in the reopening. While there is strong hope about re-emergence, it’s important for marketers to understand that because of the pandemic we have all experienced collective loss that we will need to continue to cope with in order to create a more resilient society. Brands need to understand consumers’ path to a post-pandemic life, with acknowledgement of loss in their messaging in order to connect with consumers. Working with SightX & ATCS Insights, we surveyed ~2,500 people & studied social conversations and found that: As a society, we share a common bond through loss and coping, and only after understanding that can we speak to re-emergence A healthy understanding of coping can be used by brands and publishers to play a key role in rebuilding a healthier and more resilient society Understanding what consumers want from brands is critical for how to  message and what to message RECOGNIZING LOSS & GAIN Many of us have spent years in marketing thinking about brand building, inspiration and aspiration. But as we discuss “what’s next” for marketing, today’s consumers are increasingly looking to brands for messaging that acknowledges our collective experience, including hardships, during the pandemic. With that knowledge, there is nothing more authentic and important than understanding the consumer through the lens of loss, coping and resilience.  Adam Grant wrote a salient article about how we all feel like we are “languishing,” and the belief that if you don’t understand what someone has lost, you can’t inspire them to re-emerge feeling better. In our work, we found that the vast majority of consumers, three-quarters, stated that this year brought some form of loss.  On average, a consumer stated that they experienced loss in three areas. Here’s how the data fell out: People felt the most loss around time, connection, and their own health.   Right now, people also feel closer to their families and have actually gained a greater sense of personal development and identity. HOW LOSS IMPACTS CURRENT MINDSET 66% state that they currently feel negative, choosing words like  “tired,” “frustrated,” and “tense” to describe the moment. We worked with research firm ATCS Insights and found that in early March 2021, there was a significant spike in social conversations around the concept of “pandemic numbness” on Twitter. At that time, consumers reacted to the excessive exposure to news around Covid-19 deaths by creating an emotional disconnect from the pandemic. People found it more difficult to focus, be creative, and live productive lives. As we re-emerge, this mindset of loss is important for marketers to recognize because we found audiences to half strongly believe life will “continue to be hard (46%)” with the added “pressure of going back to life as it used to be (45%).” THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF COPING Understanding loss is a start, but shifting the focus to coping is even more critical.  When we choose to embrace this nuance, we start to understand the consumer more fully, which actually unlocks our ability to  powerfully market. We utilized a well-defined psychological model, the Coping Circumplex Model, to understand how we are all coping with loss. The model is based on the assumption that individuals in stressful situations face two tasks: they need to solve the problems created by loss, and regulate their emotions during a tough time. We found that the experience of loss actually trumped the loss of something itself. In fact, regardless of the type of loss experienced, there was absolute consistency to how we coped. Further, if we experienced either a loss OR a gain, we had higher scores in coping than those who didn’t lose or gain at all. Using the Circumplex model, we saw that most consumers used “acceptance” to cope, followed by media, then planning. They also turned to connection with others, indulgences such as food and alcohol, and denial of the pandemic itself, though less frequently. ACCEPTANCE & LEARNING The first phase with any type of loss is acceptance, then learning.  Consumers showed a surprising amount of resilience, with about ⅔ hoping to learn and grow from the experience. MEDIA, A CRITICAL ROLE WITH COPING Within the psychological model, we sought to understand the tools one might use to cope.  We hypothesized that some would use media, some would turn to food, and others would turn to vices like drugs and alcohol. We found media was one of the major and most significant tools used to cope.  We escaped through TV, music, and social media connections, and gathered important information from news and podcasts. As marketers continue to contemplate responsible media, this data reinforces the ability brands have to be present, take part in, and even sponsor the activities happening around media as a coping tool. PROACTIVE PLAN OF ACTION Nearly half of consumers are starting to make detailed, focused plans. As we’ve seen in other work, like the post pandemic process and the re-emergence of gatherings, consumers are looking to marketers for guidance. CONNECTION, RELIGION, & EMOTION During this  challenging time, there have been moments where we’ve needed emotional support in both our personal and professional lives. This is where spirituality and  mental wellness may come in. OUR INDULGENCES: SOME GOOD… SOME LESS GOOD Our indulgences can play a major role in coping.  For two-thirds of audiences, they may be sugary sweets that recall childhood, or healthy activities like working out.  For others, it might be over-eating or drinking alcohol.  According to the model, a few of these are considered behavioral disengagement activities and are actually not about coping at all, but denial. DEFIANCE & REFUSAL Despite the fact that much of our coping can be positive, it should be noted that one-third of consumers continue to be in denial about their loss.  This reinforces the fact that for some, the world may be reopening, but their own emotional