The events of 2020 have resulted in an unprecedented shake-up of businesses in nearly ever industry and marketing organizations are at the forefront of needed change. Here are some key ways marketing has responded to the crisis and found ways to connect with customers.
1.Convey safety and security. The news is a constant cacophony of grim tidings. It’s like watching the trailer for that “Contagion” movie on a loop. To address this, Hilton Hotels partnered with Lysol and the Mayo Clinic for its CleanStay program that includes contactless mobile check in and rooms adhering to certified clean protocols. RVs hit record sales with the appeal that you can travel and avoid hotels altogether by living in your own mobile self-contained space. Anything your business can do to allay fears and demonstrate that you have prioritized customer health and safety is key. If your message shows how you can help people feel “normal” for a while, it has a good chance of grabbing their attention.
“Marketing brings this very unique perspective of understanding the intersection of business, consumer psychology and culture. Very few roles do that. “
2.Double down on digital. While tens of thousands of restaurants have closed, Chipotle went all-in on mobile marketing to promote curbside pickup and delivery. CMO Chris Brandt said the restaurant chain’s strategy “poured the gas” onto digital and tripled third quarter sales by building a hundred drive-through “Chipotlane’s” and engaging with millennial/Gen Z customers via TikTok. Lowe’s dropped nearly half of their marketing budget on digital from personalized messaging to their community-building “Home is what unites us” NFL tie-in campaign. “Marketing brings this very unique perspective of understanding the intersection of business, consumer psychology and culture,” Lowe’s CMO Marisa Thalberg told Marketing Dive. “Very few roles do that.”
3. Offer a change. According to a McKinsey study, these days 75% of Americans are open to swapping brands. If you are a well-known established name, you can build on this opportunity and bring customers back with a value proposition of familiarity and dependability. If you are a smaller company it is a great time to get creative and share what you have to offer since customers are open to hearing about it. As Aer Lingus demonstrates, the key is to serve instead of sell. Rather than touting airfare deals, they offered a heartfelt video invitation: “When you’re ready to fly again, we’re here.” People are receptive to a genuine outreach that conveys confidence and instills trust.
“We have seen an acceleration of people asking Marketing to anticipate where things are going.”
4.Re-work existing products and services. Hilton realized that while there is a reduced demand for rooms due to decreased travel, there is an increased interest in remote work options. The hotel brand responded by creating “Workspaces by Hilton” offering daily rates for rooms that can be used as offices. The appeal is a distraction-free clean, private space with room service amenities including lunch and happy hour beverage options. Think about how you can leverage your existing offerings by pivoting to meet a current need.
5.“Direct to Consumer” is taking off. Nike began its DTC approach in 2017 and COVID-19 has accelerated it. “The key to expanding our competitive edge continues to be our total commitment to the consumer through the consumer-direct offense,” Nike CEO Mark Parker said on a recent call with investors. Brands like HelloFresh, Dollar Shave Club and Warby Parker have ramped up service to people staying home and boxes are piling up on doorsteps. Now might be the time to explore how DTC can work for your business.
“We feel proud that we have this responsibility to try to help. There is a deeper sense of purpose, and all the reasons we came to work are only heightened now.”
6. Listening matters. After nine months of talking to the family Labradoodle, people may appreciate some additional interaction. That’s why engagement and feedback—from old school live representatives to AI-powered chat technology—is more important than ever. According to a study by Siegel+Gale, the global brand experience firm, listening is vital especially since customer needs and experiences vary depending on the pandemic status in their region. “We leveraged new digital and market listening capabilities to measure and assess real-time consumer sentiment,” says Hubertus Devroye, Global Marketing Director for DOW. “We have seen an acceleration of people asking Marketing to anticipate where things are going. The power is in combining different data sources and translating these into actionable insights.”
7. Renewed emphasis on “purpose.” Customers are looking for products and services that align with their values and organizations want to believe they can be part of the solution, whether they are making beverages or medical supplies. Coca-Cola’s new version of their popular “share a coke” campaign recognizes “everyday heroes”—from caregivers and teachers to donors and nurses—with personalized bottles and shareable content. And Pfizer is working to protect these heroes through a vaccine. “We feel proud that we have this responsibility to try to help,” says Deborah Scarano, VP Global Marketing of Pfizer in the Siegel+Gale study. “There is a deeper sense of purpose, and all the reasons we came to work are only heightened now.”
The path forward…
Will elbow-touching permanently replace shaking hands? Probably not. Is contactless purchasing here to stay? You bet. Will we have live events again? Sure, but with a hybrid streaming approach. While there is no crystal ball with the answers, it’s clear that marketing can help lead the way.
The British royal family is a regular fixture in the headlines and Prince Harry and Megan symbolize the “new” monarchy evidence that it attempts to re-brand itself amid changing times and demographics. But re-branding isn’t a new thing. The royal family had undergone a re-branding in the early 20th century.
As the 20th century dawned the royal families of europe were all related through intermarriage. England’s King George IV was first cousins with the German Kaiser. But as the tumult of impending great war sweptthrough europe, the royal family was “Saxe-Coburg Gotha” as they were closely related to German monarchy. As anti-German sentiment rose, the people questioned the King’s loyalties and motivations due to the royal family’s blood kinship with German leaders.
Things worsened when air raids conducted by German Gotha aircraft dropped bombs striking a school. The Gotha bombers happened to bear the same name as the Royal family was a PR nightmare.
Royal family strategists deliberated and considered various options until they hit upon the idea of changing the royal name from “Saxe-Coburg Gotha” to the British-sounding “Windsor” after Windsor castle. Windsor castle had stood for a thousands years of British monarchy and the name was a s solid as the english stones of the castle itself. King George issued a proclamation on July 17 1917 relinquishing the use of all German titles and declaring the adoption of Windsor as the new royal family name. The proclamation also made clear that all German Degrees, Styles, Dignities, Titles, Honours and Appellations,” were to be ceased.
The change worked, and the people embraced their “British” royalty as their own and do so to this day.
–Selecting a strong brand that represents who they want to be and represent (“Windsor”)
–Strongly proclaiming the new brand as the new reality. (Authotritatively stated by the one who can speak to such matter, in this case the king.
–Backing it up with actions (from top to bottom british surnames to replace german names and titles).
–Carry it forward. Queen Elizabeth II is the fourth member of the House of Windsor. Since she is likely not going to be using “23 and Me” anytime soon her name, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, is British through and through. And
Speaks to the power of re-branding and how performed successfully, it can manifest itself and becomes the new reality.
By the time the progressive rock band Rush called it quits in 2018, the Canadian power trio had been rocking for over 40 years, sold over 40 million albums, received a pile of awards and cultivated a devoted fan base that helped drive them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
While all three band members — including guitarist Alex Lifeson and keyboardist/bassist/lead singer Geddy Lee — have enjoyed high regard for their musicianship and devotion to craft, drummer Neil Peart has served as captain of the ship, not only keeping time and dazzling the audience with a crescendo of drums, but writing the band’s eclectic lyrics. Peart died in January, and as musician, writer and adventure traveler, he left behind a body of work that includes 19 studio albums, dozens of compilations and nine books.
To mark his passing, what can be made from Peart’s prodigious output? Turns out there are a few takeaways you can benefit from even if you don’t bang on things with sticks for a living:
Commitment to craft. Known for his stamina and technical proficiency, Peart constantly ranks among the best rock drummers in the world. Fans and peers lauded his innovation and showmanship. Peart has said that he was never born with a talent for drumming, so he channeled his fierce determination for the instrument and coupled that with incessant practice. In the early years he took every opportunity to play and treated each opening act like it was his big break, until of course it eventually was when he joined Rush in 1974. There’s no magic to it, decide what area you want to improve upon and apply a consistent, disciplined cadence to your approach and you’ll hit your goals, too.
“I can honestly say I’ve never been bored for a second in my life — but I’ve always found a way not to be.”
Neil Peart
Stay restless! “When people talk about boredom I can honestly say I’ve never been bored for a second in my life — but I’ve always found a way not to be,” Peart said in an interview. He talked about thwarting boredom by “cultivating restlessness.” When he found himself with down time in between shows on tour he would ride his bike and check out new neighborhoods. Like everyone else, Peart found himself in doctor and dentist offices for appointments and always carried a book with him to use these blocks of time.
Take care. Peart referred to “care” as “an unfashionable word” but he used it to describe his perspective on everything he did. Approaching his song writing with care meant using a four words out of every five stanzas of draft lyrics. Deciding to write non-fiction meant riding a bicycle through Cameroon to live the experience he wanted to write about. Playing a show meant giving every audience his best and not just coasting through the show based on the band’s fame. “A performance will have as much care as I can give it, we never played a show where we didn’t give it 100%.” You don’t need to be rich or famous to impart care in all that you do, either, and doing so pays dividends.
Cultivate resilience. In 1997, Peart tragically lost both his wife and young daughter within the same year. He told his band mates that he was quitting Rush and he embarked on a 55,000 mile motorcycle road trip through North and Central America to deal with his grief. Along the way, he found a new voice as a writer and published Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. Eventually, he returned to the band to start anew and recorded three more albums and tours as well as a number of books. While life deals us a steady drumbeat of tragedies and setbacks, the key is to foster an ability to recover, adapt, grow and return to the stage with renewed vigor.
Always a student. By the early 1990’s Rush had made millions of dollars and was at the top of their game. It would be easy to sit back and relax and bask in the glory of being the best. But Peart thought differently. “What is a master but a master student? And if that’s true, then there’s a responsibility on you to keep getting better and to explore avenues of your profession.” Peart took his own advice and became the pupil of an acclaimed jazz drum teacher to further augment his skills and perspective. Whether you are at at a career high or low, you need to keep moving forward through learning and continuous improvement.
Fire it up! Rush’s Geddy Lee once remarked of Peart’s penchant for practice, “You’re the only guy I know who rehearses to rehearse.” When it came to living life Peart was all in. Instead of a standard five piece drum kit, he used a 360 degree set up with over 30 pieces. He didn’t just ride his BMW motorcycle on Sunday afternoon drives, he logged a hundred miles before breakfast on thousand-mile sojourns. Peart says it all comes down to passion. “The literal meaning of ‘enthusiasm’ is infect them with the gods,” Peart said. People can sense your enthusiasm—or lack of it— and respond accordingly.
As Rush cribbed from Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage and we are merely players,” so no matter what you’re role in this big show called life you can choose how to approach it, and choosing to do so with care, commitment, resilience and passion can lead to a memorable performance.
Need some inspiration? Here are selected quotes that can help you put pen to paper.
Cut the boring parts
“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” — Elmore Leonard
More than ever, you need to fight for the attention of your readers. There’s no point in publishing content that isn’t useful and interesting.
Eliminate unnecessary words
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete itand the writing will be just as it should be.” — Mark Twain
Write with passion.
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” — William Wordsworth
The pro-tip here is that if you’re not excited about what you are writing no one else will be, either.
Paint a picture
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” — Anton Chekhov
This dude gets it. Simply stating something is fine, but when you need to capture attention, using similes, metaphors and vivid imagery to paint a picture creates a powerful emotional response.
Squash your inner critic
“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt.” — Sylvia Plath
Regardless of your endeavor, you’ll face criticism, so why do it to yourself? Create your best work and put it out there.
Keep it simple
“Vigorous writing is concise.” — William Strunk Jr.
Maybe it was all of those late nights, struggling to fill out mandatory 10 page papers, but many people still seem to think that worthwhile writing is long and drawn out. It’s more difficult (and effective) to express yourself in the simplest possible manner.
Do it for love
“Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.” — Mark Twain
When you’re just starting out it’s hard to decide where to begin. So don’t. Just start writing. A blog is a good place to start. The most valuable benefit is the feedback.
Learn to thrive on criticism
“You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance.” — Ray Bradbury
Writing means putting yourself at the mercy of hecklers, sycophants and haters. Learn to make the most of the insults and be skeptical of the praise.
Write all the time
“The way you’ll define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn’t behave that way you would never do anything.” — John Irving
Write what you know…or what you want to know
“Learn as much by writing as by reading.” — Lord Acton
Successful writing is all about trust and authority. It makes sense to write about your area of expertise. If you don’t have a particular expertise, reading and writing is the best way to develop one and put it on display.
The power of persistence
“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” — Octavia E. Butler
Nothing good comes easy, perseverance and consistency makes it look easy. Everyone watches the Olympics, but no one is at the skating rink at 5AM seeing the work that gets put into the performance.
Be unique and unpredictable
“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” — Oscar Wilde
Following what works will only get you so far. Experiment with new styles, even if it means taking criticism. Without moving forward, you’ll be left behind.
There’s an old Latin saying, “Qui docet, discit.” (He who teaches, learns.)
The best teachers don’t preach to others, they learn from others.
You don’t need to wait until you have a teaching certificate, a particular degree, enough gray hair, or a 100k followers to pass on knowledge and skills or inspire others.
You know more than you think you know; you bring your own unique set of skills, point of view, and life experiences to the table.
Don’t worry about not having all of the answers, you never will and neither will anyone else. Instead, approach each day with the question, “I don’t know but I’ll find out.” Then share what you learn.
Negotiation is a cornerstone of business, and like business, it’s an ancient art. There are many books on the subject, from Robert Cialdini’s Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion to Trump’s Art of the Deal. But while watching the History Channel I realized that some key business essentials can be gleaned from the show, “Pawn Stars.”
In the program, a Las Vegas pawn shop is run by a cast of colorful characters including a curmudgeonly “Old Man,” his affable son Rick, and his rebellious grandson “Big Hoss.” The show incorporates a blend of historical insight, humor, and good old fashioned business wheeling and dealing.
Here are some takeaways:
Start with a firm number, not a “hope.” If you are interested in selling something, and asked for your price, don’t say, “Well I was hoping to get $5,000.” No one cares what you are hoping for, and right then and there they know to stick a pin in your balloon of hope and hit you with a lower offer.
Know all you can about a situation. These days there’s no excuse not to run a search on the item you want to sell (or buy) and the people or organization you’ll be dealing with. I’m amazed to watch people walk into the pawn shop without knowing anything about what they want to sell or what it might be worth. P.T. Barnum had a word for people like that and how there’s one born every minute.
Don’t be wishy-washy. Often, sellers on the show say they are “looking to get $400 or $500” for their flea market find. If you say that then the $500 is immediately off the table because you’ve already negotiated with the other side by saying you’re open to $400. Don’t let the other guy help you decide where to start a deal.
Remove emotional attachment. Do you want to sell something or not? Once you have decided to sell then you have moved into the realm of a business transaction, and any sentimental value the item has to you will be irrelevant to the buyer. (“Well, you know, my grandmother used to keep this in her kitchen…”)
Always be ready to walk away from a deal. The Pawn Stars guys regularly turn down unique, cool items not because they don’t like them, but because acquiring them makes no business sense.
Know your business. Business owners can only stay in the black if they can readily sell an item for more than they bought it. If they can’t do this they can’t buy your item no matter what you think it’s worth. Whenever they deviate from their core business and think they can invest more money in an item to fix it up, they increase the risk of losing money.
Retain SMEs (Subject Matter Experts). For Rick and his crew, the job is to run a pawn shop, not to be be experts on esoteric obscure objects of historical interest. That’s why they are quick to call in experts on vintage guitars, toys, currency, or antique weapons. Build your own network of subject matter experts you can call on, legal, tax, sales, marketing, real estate.
Finally…Never underestimate the power of a good poker face.
