As you change or pivot your business, maintaining a strong relationship with your customers and a broader sense of connection to your community will be critical. How can you better serve your current customers with new offerings? How can you highlight the positive aspects of the changes we’re experiencing in a way that will be perceived as a benefit to them, or to the broader community at large?
At BrandJuice, we’ve been tracking the permeation of anxiety into the collective conscience for several years — and its subsequent attitudinal shifts that have impacted the market and consumer purchasing patterns. Never have these observations been more poignant as we are faced with the first major global crisis in the digital age — where brands have a responsibility — and an opportunity — to respond to consumers in a heart-centric way.
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Perhaps the most positive side effect of COVID-19 is ushering mindfulness and mental health into the mainstream, where individuals and brands alike are reaching out to take care of one another, opening up the conversation, and doing away with long-held stigma.
As of one of the industry leaders in making meditation and mindfulness accessible, Headspace is leading the charge. The app features several free courses, meditations, and topics specifically tailored to addressing the feelings that have been aroused by the current epidemic: from live community meditations, coping and anxiety podcasts as well as sharing stories and photos from Headspace community members, reminders that we are all in it together.
A unique partnership between two brands that are undoubtedly experiencing an influx of users and engagement, Netflix and Instagram recently debuted a weekly live series titled “Wanna Talk About It?”, including soundbites from several beloved young Netflix actors from Noah Centineo (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) to Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things), as well as nationally-recognized mental health experts. This series targets young adults, featuring candid conversations about pandemic problems and addressing topics that directly impact the mental well-being of digital natives in the current climate.
A leader in open-sourced education, Coursera has made several courses free to the public in light of current events, with one in particular taking hold: The Science of Well-being, conducted by professors out of Yale University.
Brands x Better is a coalition of 20+ direct-to-consumer brands coming together on one platform as a show of solidarity and commitment to doing their part during the crisis, leveraging the loyalty of the consumer base that they cultivated. Each featured brand displays a unique discount code and where the proceeds from each purchase are headed. Each purchase does a world of good — stimulating brands to ensure that their employees are taken care of, providing an outlet for consumers to pitch in and mobilize, and direct funding to healthcare workers in need. A win-win-win.
For a little comic relief… Beyond brands, celebrities are chipping in and “going viral” to spread moments of positivity and laughter as we all go through unprecedented times together. Perhaps smiles are just as – if not more – contagious than the pandemic.
Drop us a line. Let us know how we can help your brand brainstorm initiatives for how you can connect with your community and be a beacon of optimism and hope for the future, through and beyond the current phase of this crisis.