EMPOWER issue 6 'community and togetherness' May 2020
This issue explores community and togetherness during the pandemic, how brands and consumers and responding to it and what we can do to plan for the future
Issue 6 - community and togetherness
Months ago, and in line with our agenda of brave together, we came up with this theme, then the virus hit and it became even more relevant. This issue our writers explore brand partnerships, creating communities, gaming and streaming, how humanity can build back better, hollow brands and cultural change, how togetherness comes from our differences, the future for sports entertainment, and how we restore consumer confidence.
Be brave and stay safe.
Michael Piggott, Editor
PARTNERSHIPS
How successful partnerships allow brands to be both refreshingly original and reassuringly familiar at the same time. By Katie Ewer, Head of Strategy at JKR Singapore
(5 MINS)
COMMUNITY
'We are here for you' is not a strategy. Engaging customers through content and community is, says Digital Strategy Advisor and Society New York board member Perry Hewitt
(5 MINS)
GAMING
With reference to Coca-Cola, Red Bull, McDonald's and Twitch, The Value Engineers' Simon Stokes explores the rise of streaming and gaming; and what brands should think about post-coronavirus
(7 MINS)
LOYALTY
Is building loyalty with customers the key to withstanding global shocks? Business Lead: Our Planet at WWF, Rhiannon Shah, investigates
(10 MINS)
DIVERSITY
'The new generation reveals to us an alternative definition of togetherness that comes from difference and contradictions rather than sameness', write Freeda UK's Jo Lyall and Livity's Katy Woodrow Hill
(7 MINS)
CONFIDENCE
How do we re-establish consumer confidence in people likely to be scared of getting together in cafes, cinemas and pubs? Asks Harbour Collective's Strategy Partner Kevin Chesters
(5 MINS)
LEADERSHIP
'To think of COVID-19 as a terrible disease is to underestimate its impact. It’s a disruption which has acted as a catalyst for a new era defined by responsibility.' Kantar UK's Dom Boyd on a new era of leadership
(7 MINS)
BELONGING
'Sport... for millions it provides an escape, not to mention a sense of belonging and community.' Leo Burnett Sport + Entertainment's Liam Hopkins on the future for sports entertainment behind closed doors
(5 MINS)
Marriages of convenience
How successful partnerships allow brands to be both refreshingly original and reassuringly familiar at the same time. By Katie Ewer, Head of Strategy at JKR Singapore
MARRIAGES OF CONVENIENCE
How successful partnerships allow brands to be both refreshingly original and reassuringly familiar at the same time. By Katie Ewer, Head of Strategy at JKR Singapore
Brand Partnerships
The most effective brand partnerships accomplish two things – they build long-term brand equity whilst achieving more immediate and tangible objectives such unlocking access to a new audience. They can be inventive and effective in the same breath.
Brand partnerships stretch across a wide spectrum of forms from truly crass to truly creative. At one end, we have the world of uninspiring and opportunistic promotional merchandising. The kind that threatens to a consume us in a toxic cloud of powder blue glitter every time there’s a new Frozen film (Frozen 2-themed Nordic Ware baking spatulas, anyone?). This kind of brand partnership involves one brand rubberstamping its logo across another brand’s products. It’s not so much of a partnership than a takeover.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have unions that are original, memorable and valuable. The Selfridges ‘Pantone 109’ capsule collection, which launched as part of its centenary campaign, featured a series of partnerships with brands including Levi’s, Ralph Lauren, Johnnie Walker, Converse and Coke exchanging their usual brand liveries for the iconic Selfridges yellow. Selfridges gained associative caché from brands with credibility in their own categories, whilst asserting its status as a confident and contemporary brand. Each of its partners benefited from the aura of the Selfridge’s halo, and from visibility in London’s most famous department store.
Brand value or just brand values?
Selfridges made their partnerships tangible and collectible – otherwise known as a limited edition product line. We have the fashion fraternity to blame for this convention. Collaboration with a fashion brand is like catnip to humdrum CPG brands looking to jazz up their brand positioning. Brands like Diet Coke and Evian are all habitual collaborators, partnering with fashion brands in an effort to persuade us that they’re than just a drink – they’re a lifestyle.
San Pellegrino’s union with Missoni is one such example. The partnership married two iconic Italian brands in a single, desirable objet d’art. The partnership gave Missoni media reach – in the form of thirty million bottles, rather than a series of overpriced print ads in Vogue. San Pellegrino hoovered up the stardust of an iconic fashion label.
Apple’s collaboration with Hermes to launch a series of Apple Watches with luxey-leather straps enabled a value exchange between two very different, but apparently complementary brands. The collaboration was billed by Apple as “the culmination of a partnership of parallel thinking, singular vision and mutual regard”. That makes the whole thing sound like a philosophical – even poetic - exchange of values. In truth, brand partnerships are much more pragmatic – they’re about evolving customer perception, reaching new customers, or driving value and profitability.
Apple, purveyor of the world’s most ubiquitous tech products, was able to elevate a product line to speak to a new set of customers who wanted to signal their unique status within the herd. Hermes, for their part, were able to weave the credentials of the world’s most innovative tech brand into the fabric of their own story: a fashion house whose reputation is built on legacy and tradition.
That’s not a values exchange, it’s a value exchange.
Tell me something I don’t know
But in truth, the old model of simply partnering with a brand that has a like-minded attitude or shared value set seems a little dull. What makes brand partnerships really sizzle is when they do more than simply affirm what you knew about the brand already, but communicate a new benefit, or reveal something previously unknown. Google’s partnership with Domino’s is one such example. In this activation, the Google Pixel phone was shipped to consumers with a Domino’s pizza – to demonstrate the hands-free capability of the phone.
2+2 = 5
Great strategic brand partnerships are more than the sum their parts. They augment the associations of both brands involved, advance their strategic agendas, and unlock new customer bases. Airbnb’s partnership with Blue Apron was the result of identifying a customer problem, then partnering with a brand expert to solve it. Many people staying in Airbnb rentals only stay a few nights, so don’t want to stock up an entire pantry to cook a couple of meals. Blue Apron solved that, giving the (struggling) brand access to a wide customer base, and polishing Airbnb’s perceived halo as a thoughtful metaphorical host.
Give me more, done better, with bells on
In the war for attention, another Supreme collaboration doesn’t really cut it anymore. We’re becoming more demanding. We want more from brand partnerships than mere brand wallpaper and opportunistic logo-stamping. We want KFC giving us chicken-flavoured nail polish in collaboration with OPI. We want Dolce and Gabbana SMEG toasters in our suburban kitchens. We want to log onto Airbnb and book a night in a Van Gogh painting. We want a man leaping into the earth’s stratosphere with a Go-Pro on his head, brought to us by Red Bull.
Fresh yet familiar
Here’s the paradox that brand partnerships can resolve. We live in a changing world, so we seek out continuity. But we are simultaneously addicted to novelty, so we value brand experiences that surprise us. Brand partnerships offer an opportunity for brands to respond to both these contradictory needs: to be disruptive yet reassuring; surprising yet constant; and multi-faceted yet single-minded. They are the perfect vehicle for balancing long-term equity with short term engagement - fresh with familiar.
Katie Ewer is Head of Strategy at JKR Singapore. Follow her @katieewer
Why are you selling when you could be serving?
'We are here for you' is not a strategy. Engaging prospects and customers through content and community is, writes Marketing and Digital Strategy Advisor Perry Hewitt
SERVE, DON'T SELL
'We are here for you' is not a strategy. Engaging prospects and customers through content and community is, writes Marketing and Digital Strategy Advisor Perry Hewitt
The human tragedy and uncertainty of COVID-19 have caused unprecedented economic impact --
-- and pose an immediate challenge for marketers. Marketing playbooks have been set aside, campaigns tossed, in-person events cancelled, and product launches delayed. No one wants to be blindly pushing products and services to anxious consumers and businesses right now. Smart marketers recognize this time as an opportunity to serve rather than sell.
What does service look like in this new context?
The fear and isolation caused by social distancing have spurred renewed desire for connection and community. Marketers can serve prospects and customers alike by:
Acknowledging the crisis clearly and succinctly
in outbound communications. This isn’t the time for generic “we’re here for you” messaging. Which initiatives is your organization launching during this crisis? What are the challenges you and your industry are observing and responding to?
Finding out the issues that are top of mind for your prospects and customers
You’ve shared your organizational view: what can you learn from other vantage points? That process might include analysis of search referrals, social media monitoring, emailed surveys, and even picking up the old-fashioned phone. This outreach will let your organization know where your audiences’ energy is currently focused. Which are the industry-specific concerns where you might provide insight? Where can you provide thinking to address those concerns -- even when they are not directly met by your products and services?
Delivering content in the context of community
People are spending more time than ever in front of their screens, physically distanced from others. The value of the content you share with them goes up exponentially when it’s expressed in a way that people can share reactions.
Think: Fewer gated whitepapers, consumed alone, and more digestible, interactive content served alongside others.
Community experiences on the rise are not limited (thankfully!) to endless Zoom sessions, but include LinkedIn Q&As, intimate invitation-only online events, and pop-up conversations powered by tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Getting the community piece right is critical. What makes for a successful community? Attracting and engaging right participants is always the first steps, and you have customer lists to segment and learn from.
As you get started:
Ensure you are regularly seeding your community
with high value content -- not the stuff your product marketing team insists you put in the FAQs, but the topics and insights that you learned your customers were concerned about in the near term. This is the time to experiment with different formats: More authentic video with lower production values. Live Q&A with your thought leaders. Recordings sent out to all participants -- without an email gate!
Use technology that encourages connection
among members, whether that’s threading or emojis or visibility of top ranked comments. This isn’t the era of the webinar where questions could only be submitted to the presented for consideration. Surface the engagement of others, and let them build upon their areas of interest.
Invest in community management best practices and people.
If you do not already have a community management capability, this is an opportunity to start -- perhaps using personnel shifted from other marketing activities in recent weeks. In addition to driving digital engagement, a community manager function distributes content, and also can provide a feedback loop on particular resonance.
Your community management capability provides an opportunity to build brand presence and trust, which is vital at a time where your broader brand advertising and outbound may be declining.
How will you know when your community is working?
Content performance (views, likes, shares) and feedback provide a few important data points. Rachel Happe, Founder and CEO of The Community Roundtable, advocates for a metric of “number of questions asked” as the most powerful sign of community health. Your customers may not be in a position to buy today, but will experience a greater connection to your brand when experienced as a place to go for answers rather than a sales engine.
As we emerge from the pandemic, consider the role service over selling will play in your future marketing. The current “social distancing” may or may not prove to be a unique moment in time, but the lessons around the value of community connection will endure.
Perry Hewitt is a Marketing and Digital Strategy Advisor and on the board of The Marketing Society New York. Follow her @perryhewitt
Stay calm and stream on
Simon Stokes, Director at The Value Engineers, on the rise of streaming and gaming and what brands should be thinking about for a post-corona world
STAY CALM AND STREAM ON
Simon Stokes, Director at The Value Engineers, on the rise of streaming and gaming and what brands should be thinking about for a post-corona world
Well, Covid19 has managed to do the unthinkable –
– all sports and events are cancelled; all bars and restaurants are boarded up; and (mostly) we are stuck at home, in the sunniest April in living memory. So, we are turning to other entertainment – streams and streams of the stuff. The lockdown is also one of the reasons why Disney+ in the UK has hit 50% of its five-year launch target in its first few months. And it has introduced millions of us to the joys of Zoom and Houseparty (and the very real risk of mixing up the unmute and hang-up buttons). Meanwhile Netflix added nearly 16 million new subscribers in the first quarter — double its forecast. The huge demand has meant that most streaming services have had to throttle the quality of their bandwidth to cope with the demand. Under normal circumstances, there would have been an outcry – but the reaction has actually been a quiet muttering of “please don’t go off air… please don’t go off air”.
Do you even game, bro?
It is not just streaming that is booming, games are likewise thriving. Some of this is due to “leveling-up” – light players becoming medium players, and medium users becoming heavy users, and existing heavy users not pausing to eat …
One brand that is loving this is Twitch, with viewing up on average about 30% (over 60% in some European countries in lockdown). For those that are blissfully unaware, Twitch.tv is the streaming platform of choice for videogamers and esports. A not-so-quiet giant of a channel for posting, streaming and sharing videogame content where all things gaming are shown to passionate, lean-in audiences. If you love videogames, check it out, but you may have to allow yourself some time (admittedly, that’s one resource we have got at the moment) – it’s a rabbit warren, an amazing maze of gameplay. (Warning: If you do not love watching others play videogames, it might not be for you).
However, at least anecdotally and from social media coverage, it would appear that it is not just current users engaging more. Lapsed users are returning to the fold, often revisiting the games they previously enjoyed, and non-gamers are now getting into games, even if they don’t think of themselves as gamers (an age-old misconception). My friend’s 85-year-old mother-in-law has become an avid Words with Friends player, regularly having at least 2 games on the go, with her daughters and her grandchildren. As we move forward, the gaming industry needs to think about how it can maintain at least some of the uplift and that probably means embracing alternative strategies.
Getting emotional
One way that brands may want to consider is tapping into the emotional benefits they provide (not just relying on more clips). Games are emotional. They are designed to drive deep and meaningful reactions – hair-raising excitement, pant-pooping fear, wonderous joy, competitive spirits or roll-on-the -floor laughter. They bring out the best (and worst) in us. Because they hit us right in the “feels”.
The virtually unstoppable rise of eSports
Another gaming sub-sector which was already in rapid expansion is eSports, where the market has moved from “why do people want to watch other people playing a video game?” to huge global tournaments and massive corporate sponsorship deals. Major mainstream sports sponsors like Coca-Cola, Red-Bull, McDonalds and (ermmm) Mercedes-Benz are now all ‘players’. The appeal of eSports is massive and that includes amongst the more traditional sportspeople – just look at the number and quality of the stars that the FA have lined-up for their Coronavirus tournament – the aptly-named 'Football’s Staying Home Cup'.
On your bike! Now cycling is joining the action - from 29th April, the BBC is showing the Digital Swiss 5 - the latest virtual cycling race - with 19 teams taking part in a mini-Tour de Suisse, keeping fans, and sponsors, virtually engaged.
Is it time to think if (or how) your brands should be seeking a piece of the action?
Rashford vs Sancho | The #FootballsStayingHome Cup 🎮 Round of 16 | England FIFA Tournament
Doing nothing shouldn’t be an option
In a world where speculating on “the new normal” is the new normal, Mark Ritson is resisting this siren call and - citing the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in 1996 which was predicted to be the end of the British love of Roast Beef - says he doesn’t think that human nature will change fundamentally. “It’s not going to change – the world will quickly go back to normal” adding that “People have been building their cognitive systems for millions of years; they’re not going to change because they can't go outside for a few months.”
I’m not sure I completely agree with him, other human crises have led to some pretty fundamental changes: many of us would now be surprised, and probably a little anxious if an airport didn’t send us through tight security measures when flying off on summer holiday, an expectation that fundamentally changed as a result of terrorism in the 90s and 00s. I think brands in and around the streaming and gaming arenas should be thinking about strategies for engaging and retaining users – beyond just a free month on a subscription or some extra lives (the current brands go-to digital discounts). I mean deep, emotional, engaging strategies that speak to our passions, and to the long term. Let’s get brands (and their ambassadors) involved. Virtual pro-celebrity Nascar and F1 races are already under starters orders. If they do nothing, or nothing new, brands may regret seeing things falling back quite quickly and this period will be a highly-engaged, but quickly-forgotten, one that was defined by…
“Staying home | Protecting the NHS | Playing more games.”
Simon Stokes is a Director at The Value Engineers – a brand strategy consultancy whose clients include PlayStation and King games. @ValueEngineers
eNASCAR: Replacements 100 - debut of the iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Can marketing help us build back better post-Covid-19?
Is building loyalty with customers the key to withstanding global shocks? asks WWF-UK's Rhiannon Shah
CAN MARKETING HELP US BUILD BACK BETTER POST-COVID-19?
Is building loyalty with customers the key to withstanding global shocks? asks WWF-UK's Rhiannon Shah
As COVID-19 is forcing millions of people into lockdown, how can the marketing community continue to adapt to a continually changing situation?
It is not yet clear which brands will withstand the pandemic. Entire industries are likely to be transformed, like aviation which won’t see a return to pre-Covid-19 flight levels for years. Where this leaves marketing will likely be complicated for some time. So how can marketing adapt to this shock and to future shocks likely from climate change and nature loss around the world?
What role should marketing play in the new normal?
One option, when the lockdown eases, is to ‘build back stronger, harder and faster’ and use all the techniques of marketing to get people to fly more, buy more and consume more – basically ‘a new super-charged normal’ to make up for the losses of the past few months. This strategy is no doubt favoured by those who see marketing as purely a commercial function. But there is another strategy that could have value for years to come and help brands withstand external shocks. This other strategy – already favoured by some progressive companies – will help brands to withstand shocks like covid-19, climate change and nature loss which are already showing their damaging effects on both livelihoods and the economy.
Instead of building back stronger and harder, marketing as a strategic function responsible for brand values can push the business to ‘build back better’ and not go back to an idealized ‘normal’. A better version of ‘business-as-usual’ ultimately will create business resilience against a variety of external shocks, build customer loyalty over time and achieve the holy grail of sustainable growth. Here’s why this is important…
Hooked on adrenalin of exponential growth
In the past 50 years, the human population has doubled, the global economy has grown nearly fourfold and global trade has grown tenfold, driving up the demands for energy and materials. How this reconciles with a finite planet is tackled in the 2019 IPBES report and is sobering reading. Our demand for resources is now so great that we only have 10 years left to reduce the impact of production and consumption before we trigger what scientists call ‘self-amplifying’ changes to the planet that will be devastating on our communities and on our economy. All of this matters fundamentally to marketing departments. Shifting huge amounts of stock and getting customers to buy more exponentially is eating into the natural capital on which the stability of our planet is based.
So what marketing does next is crucial
Make no mistake, the current health crisis is no silver bullet for the environment. Yes, we are in a period of slow living and we see signs that nature is at least getting a breather. But the way it goes from here totally depends on what we decide to do next. With figures based on the current enforced global lockdown, analysts from Climate Action Tracker predict the global slump from covid-19 will cause emissions from fossil fuels and industry to fall in the range of 4-11% in 2020.
Mike Barry, Director of Sustainable Business at M&S chats to School of Marketing
The International Energy Agency predicts emissions this year will fall by almost 8% reaching their lowest level in 10 years, declaring the crisis the biggest shock since the Second World War.
But recent analysis by the Carbon Brief states if we want to put the world on a path for less than 1.5C warming – which is what all countries and the business community supported with the Paris Agreement five years ago – emissions will actually have to fall 7.6 per cent every year throughout this decade. So that’s not just the next 6 months. Every year. For the next 10 years. Lessons learned from the 2008 crash show that emissions also initially dropped, but then surged back, quickly returning to pre-crisis emission levels as the economy cranked into gear again.
So how we stimulate the economy and get people back into work without repeating the destructive habits of ‘business-as-usual’ will take some serious visionary thinking and great leadership. If we don’t, scientists are warning consequences will be dire. Climate Action Tracker for one, projects that global temperature will reach 3C by the end of the century and others claim it will be even higher. Business visionaries like Paul Polman and Mike Barry are amongst many who are urging business leaders in all departments to learn from our slow living in lockdown and re-imagine business so it tackles the scientific challenge ahead. Their call to action is to use this time to double-down on sustainability and embed this into core business function so we can meet the challenges that science is telling us we will continue to face.
So what could be the ‘new normal’?
Interestingly, a recent YouGov poll showed that only 9% of the UK population actually want to return to ‘normal’ after the lockdown ends. Instead, 85% want to see some of the personal and social changes they’ve experienced continue.
- 40% feel a stronger sense of local community and 39% more in touch with friends and family
- 42% say they now value food more
- 38% say they are cooking more from scratch and 33% are throwing away less food
- 51% say they have noticed cleaner air and 27% more wildlife since the lockdown began
This poll identifies significant changes to our relationship with food, family and the environment, something which marketers should take note.
A green shift? Paul Polman
Is this just a stress blip?
Well, we already are seeing signs that many customers are likely to leave this crisis asking more questions of the brands they invest their time in. There’s been a lot of public critique of big brands (and billionaires) who are genuinely not ‘in this together’. And in marketing circles there are endless chats and evaluations on which brands are getting this right and which are not. Brands like Coca-Cola are being celebrated for getting the right empathetic tone and using social media to spread happiness (one of its core values). Then there are the pros and cons of socially distanced logos. But these marketing debates do not touch the fundamentals that marketing could engage with at this time to really transform the business.
Marketing needs to be at the table playing a key role in the strategic (re-)positioning of the business and gathering data on the increasing customer desire for authenticity and community that will support this transition. If a brand is built on fundamental values of protecting and serving society, that will help the brand survive and make marketing’s job far easier. Plus it will also be good for the planet. According to LinkedIn demand for green jobs has tripled in 2019, which also shows there is a growing body of employees who want the business they work for to also match their values support. So finding a more authentic purpose will also help employee retention as businesses build back to something both its customers and employees will find meaning in. Marketing can also use its skills to create sustainable growth, authenticity and longevity.
Sustainability is good for business resilience
Brands like Patagonia and Unilever make bold claims that sustainability makes their entire business more sustainable (and resilient) over the long term. Patagonia’s loyal community and innovative ideas have helped their business weather many storms over the past 40 years. And recent results from Unilever’s Sustainability Living Plan - Ten Years On has proved that sustainability can also drive profitability. Brands in their Sustainable Living group grew 69% faster in 2018 than the rest of the business. Some might claim it’s easier for B2C companies to do this. So let’s look at two brands from two different sectors not traditionally known for sustainability who are embedding it as core business function. One is a bank, the other is a B2B carpet manufacturer…
Can a bank be sustainable?
After the last financial crisis, the reputation of banks (and bankers) took a nosedive. Marketing has played a key role in re-establishing a version of normal for this sector. Faith in banks is a little higher today, but it remains low on the list of trust. Perhaps it’s not surprising to find out that 250,000 people in the UK have switched banks in the first three months of this year, thanks to a switching service which lets you change banks as easily as you can change energy suppliers. According to figures from the Current Account Switching Service, some banks like Bank of Ireland are losing customers at a rate of 30 to 1, whereas lesser known banks like Triodos Bank are winning customers at a rate of 13 to 1.
Triodos: Change your bank, change the world - Lily Cole
Triodos Bank however isn’t a new kid on the block like some of the others in this league table. It has been growing steadily and is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the UK this year. It has built a solid reputation on customer loyalty, investing in communities and sustainable growth, and they are seeing an increasing number of customers who share these values - their overall customer numbers grew by 14% in the past year. Added to this, it has scooped up a rare Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development which is awarded to an organisation that offers products, services and management that ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.
Awards like this show that both the business and the brand purpose are to serve society – which makes its marketing automatically more authentic. So while other banks are creating expensive new TV ads with socially distanced staff, or increasing the placements of ads crooning “I will look after you,” Triodos is running an awareness campaign to help transform the sector. Their campaign ‘Change your bank. Change the world’ taps into customer demand for more environmentally responsible products and draws attention to the flaws in the current banking system, which has seen UK banks invest £150 million fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement was signed. In contrast, Triodos is 100% transparent who they lend to – companies who deliver positive social, cultural and environmental change. This also means that in times of crisis, they don’t have to dial up the emotion or the empathy, they just dial up their reach. Remember 20 years ago, when many big brands didn’t take those ‘dot-coms’ seriously? If I was a big bank with a very glossy ‘I’ll be there for you’ marketing brochure, I’d be very worried by Triodos right about now.
Community of peers
Another brand who is working hard to change ‘business-as-usual’ is Interface carpets. Interface is a commercial flooring company who has built the foundations of their business on long-term value and have embedded sustainability into core business strategy. Very early on they noticed this was also great for business, because sustainability was an issue that their customers cared about. Their company mission #climatetakeback is to have positive impact on the planet and they consider the planet a vital stakeholder in the business. Their marketing department fully supports this mission and, as a result, doesn’t have to work as hard to win customers (or to keep them). Their mission is also good for employee retention with a proud inter-generational workforce in their US factories. But more than that, the solutions and issues they are tackling within their business – like how to eliminate damaging chemicals from their products, how to create an alternative fuel source to natural gas, or how to develop products that actually store carbon and combat climate change – are ones their competitors can learn from.
The knowledge they are gaining from their R&D is designed to be open source so that their competitors can accelerate change within their businesses too.
Their 25th anniversary report Lessons for the Future is inspiring reading. It is designed to help other brands accelerate change and build business (and planetary) resilience in the process.
The Business Case for Sustainability - Ray Anderson, Interface
Tony Milikin on why AB InBev is a leader in sustainability
Build back better
The covid-19 crisis looks likely to be with us for some time, so the marketing community will need to ask itself some tough questions. Socially distanced logos and TV commercials will soon lose their charm. Can marketing help the business build long-term resilience and re-imagine business-as-usual to fit within planetary boundaries? Can it use its expertise to support a more sustainable form of growth? Can it help to create new offerings which customers are demanding? Are there other metrics it can use to measure success? I believe the answer to all of these is yes. Businesses like AB InBev, Dell and M&S and are doing great things behind-the-scenes on sustainability, smashing through their targets and making their businesses more efficient in the process. For years they have invested in practices that support our natural world and our communities, but they aren’t yet shouting from the rooftops about the good work they’ve been doing.
But when they do, brands like this will be able to withstand fears of greenwashing, because their long-term track record of doing what’s right for our global community will shine through.
Marketing can definitely help us #buildbackbetter – if it wants to.
Our differences fuel a new type of togetherness
'The new generation reveals to us an alternative definition of togetherness that comes from difference and contradictions rather than sameness', writes Freeda UK's Jo Lyall and Livity's Katy Woodrow Hill
OUR DIFFERENCES FUEL A NEW TYPE OF TOGETHERNESS
Words by Jo Lyall, Country Manager at Freeda UK and Katy Woodrow Hill, Strategy Partner at Livity
The new generation reveals to us an alternative definition of togetherness that comes from difference and contradictions rather than sameness.
Gen Z womxn are driving this showing us the behaviours of a “new normal”, where individuality is embraced and showing up for yourself and others, even when they are nothing like you, becomes an act of tolerance and inclusivity. For brands to be relevant there is more work to do on authenticity and true representation of this new powerful generation.
Our recent experience of togetherness has been dramatically different to what has come before. Throughout lockdown our collective need for security, faith, belief and meaning has increased. Old-fashioned values like taking care of our local community, having relationships with our neighbours, stopping for meaningful conversations in the street have all become predominant parts of our day. Our ability to make the world better is dependent on our commitment to focus on what is happening on our doorsteps. Many brands are creating ads that show empty streets, empty stores and empty stadiums as symbols of our collective strength and achievement. As our world has gotten smaller, togetherness apart has become a binding reality that make us stronger.
Before our world changed so abruptly there were already new behaviours of togetherness infiltrating our society, driven by the values that GenZ hold, which have implications for how brands behave and market themselves. Togetherness is an expression of acceptance and belonging. GenZ are showing us new ways to think and behave and how to represent them and their ideas authentically. They are the new normal, we can learn from them because their behaviour is innate and a reaction to the way previous generations have lived.
In the past togetherness came from shared interest, like-mindedness, locality, style and music preference: we were tribes of sameness; subcultures were more distinct; to be “other” was to be excluded. Globalisation and increased access to travel have collided with the explosion of the social internet, social gaming, online communities and self-starting creativity (especially across music, fashion and design) to transform young people’s experience of diversity and redefine what belonging means.
Livity and Freeda Media have joined ‘together’ on a piece of research to understand better What GenZ Womxn want to see from brands. We’ve brought the findings from data testing across the Freeda community (470,000) and speaking to a diverse range of young people from Livity’s network to demonstrate the clear change in expectations for GenZ vs Millennials.
For many Gen Z womxn, togetherness and belonging can be found in the need to express individuality rather than conformity, as they push against outdated stereotypes and forge new identities for themselves. Identifying as “other” from a mainstream idea is something that increasingly connects young people rather than creating more exclusion. They can be experimental with their style and tastes, they can look and sound different to someone whilst still feeling deeply connected. The simple act of showing up entirely as you are, with the wish to be accepted and understood, has never been more important or more connecting.
'Self expression is something personal to everyone, especially in terms of gender. Everyone has the right to that and nobody should be able to say it’s wrong' Freeda community, 17
Increasingly for young womxn, connection comes not only from seeing someone with the same skin colour or same sexuality but from sharing a lived experience beyond these labels. They are able to feel affinity with people who share their daily struggles and values, like the experience of sexuality, sustainability and body positivity even if they (irl) actually live on the other side of the world and identify completely differently in other ways.
Freeda Illustration achieving 100% uplift in Engagement from GenZ vs Millennials
“I don’t need to actually join some kind of online community to feel part of a group. It’s enough to hear from someone with similar experiences to feel a part of something. Like, I feel an affinity to all the other people who want to see fashion become more sustainable and responsible.” Livity Network Insight Group
Freeda Illustration: 70% uplift on Engagement rate for GenZ. Freeda X Livity Womxn research
A new type of self expression emerges from this trend -
- the act of showing up and creating space for yourself, being an ally to others and celebrating difference are becoming the greatest expressions of connection. Living truly and freely, and embracing your own difference creates the space for others to follow and in turn brings a greater sense of acceptance and togetherness that connects young womxn.
“We need to normalise diversity in media coverage and what we see day to day to open our eyes and let us learn from each other about different cultures, traditions, ideas and religions” Freeda, 18
62% uplift on Engagement rate for GenZ vs Millennials. Freeda x Livity Research
Within the Freeda platform for example topics as varied as crying, mental health, body hair, gender fluidity, self love, periods, masturbation and strength are embraced as hot topics for personal expression that challenge expectations and therefore create the space for a new type of togetherness based on unique and different experience, not labels. The voices and role models who are most admired by this generation of womxn are those that live authentically, who show different dimensions of themselves and embrace true self expression. From this you get collaborations between people like Weekday and girlswillbeboys enabling womxn to showcase their differences and think beyond tokenistic gestures of ethnic or gender diversity and aligning to a joined up mindset. We see interesting examples of this from the disruptors in the beauty industry. For example how FENTY BEAUTY celebrates and embraces multiple definitions of what “beauty” is and who their products are for, whilst still connecting people through their love of make-up and experimentation no matter their age, ethnicity, gender or style.
Even though it’s fronted by a major star, everything the brand says and stands for reflects this idea that our differences can still deeply connect us in and of themselves.
50% higher engagement than average
If this new definition of togetherness is empowering a generation to show up and stand up for themselves and each other, then brands who want to talk to them need to make this part of their narrative.
“Real value comes from bringing people’s stories to the forefront. Brands need to be taking lived experience to the mainstream and celebrating whatever that might be so we can all learn from it.”
Sahra Isha, 19, Founder of Asra Club - Livity Network Insight Group
Key lessons for marketers
Three behaviours brands can adopt to embrace difference in their brand story.
(i) Create safe spaces where difference flourishes
Brands need to get more comfortable with representing difference - not just visually but by telling nuanced stories and bringing lived experiences from the fringes into the mainstream. Yours can be a brand that not only celebrates difference but also creates safe spaces for diverse audiences to connect around a shared mindset or value. Done right, and yours can be the brand that connects people in ways that they can’t experience anywhere else.
(ii) Visible activism
Show up for your customers - it is what you do not what you say that matters. For Gen Z womxn their awareness of brand tokenism or incongruent behaviour is heightened. The realities of social media and content becoming available in perpetuity has left brands vulnerable. Expectations of brands are higher than ever, stories must run deeper and with more nuance to resonate. Perfection is not expected, diversity is sought out and action is essential.
(iii) Embrace limitless self-expression - freedom comes from being yourself.
Recognising that self-expression is fluid and that it can change daily is important because it stops brands from moving toward extreme stereotypes of how a GenZ womxn looks. The lens you look through is as important as what you reflect, both sides of the camera matter when it comes to diversity. This generation want to be seen fully, they show up in multiple ways and are not afraid to experiment.
How you behave will be remembered, be activists for togetherness through difference.
Eggs, Edwina Currie and confidence after covid
How do we re-establish confidence in people likely to be scared of getting together in cafes, coffee shops, gyms, cinemas and pubs? Asks Harbour Collective's Kevin Chesters
EGGS, EDWINA CURRIE AND CONFIDENCE AFTER COVID
How do we re-establish confidence in people likely to be scared of getting together in cafes, coffee shops, gyms, cinemas and pubs? Asks Harbour Collective's Strategy Partner Kevin Chesters
To say that Covid-19 has been a challenge to every business and brand in the country would be something of an understatement.
Now we face the new challenge of the reopening of the UK economy, we are not short of opinions on what is going to happen and why everything will either stay the same/change forever (delete as appropriate). But one shared key challenge will be how to re-establish consumer confidence in people who will likely be scared getting together in cafes, coffee shops, gyms, cinemas and pubs. Lots of commentators are talking about what we can learn from past recessions. But I think that there is more to learn from looking at previous societal scares and how industries reacted to restore confidence.
And one in particular. The great 1988 Salmonella/Egg scare.
On December 3rd, 1988, the then Junior Health Minister Edwina Currie caused something of a stir with a statement she later claimed was a slip of the tongue: 'Most of the egg production in this country sadly is now infected with salmonella.' The result? Consumer confidence evaporated. An industry collapsed. The bottom fell out of the egg world faster than an egg falls out of a chicken. Sales fell 60% overnight. 4m hens were killed, 400m eggs were binned and Edwina’s ministerial career went the same way (sacked a fortnight later).
So, what does all this have to do with Covid-19 and how industries like cinema, fitness and hospitality can recover? And especially what does this have to do with the theme of community and togetherness? Well, quite a lot. Because the response of the egg industry can teach us a lot about what to do, and what not to do, to restore consumer confidence.
1/ Be united
As well as coming together to heartily put the boot into Mrs Currie, the egg industry also came together with a coordinated, collective response. This is a learning for Covid-19. Industries should put aside traditional rivalries and present a united message to consumers. If they want to establish safety and confidence for getting back together at cinemas or gyms or coffee shops then it’d be a good idea to present a consistent, united front.
2/ Be quick
The industry took some very decisive and public steps to reassure everyone that they were taking action. The unfortunate culling of 4m chickens and the messy dispatching of 400m unwanted eggs happened within weeks. The learning here for Covid-19 is to do the same to show the public that safety is paramount. There were/are 11 different companies in the British Egg Industry Council and they acted together. Perhaps industry bodies for the relevant industries in 2020 could coordinate in the same way.
3/ Be clear
Create a set of sensible and clear guidelines for what to do and not do when we return post-covid. The egg industry published some very clear advice about raw and cooked eggs within days of Currie’s words. A lesson to learn.
4/ Be committed
The egg industry didn’t just expect a swift return of confidence. It actually spent a few quid. It pooled some resource and ran a national advertising campaign with the slogan 'Eggs Are Safe' to reassure the public (it sort of didn’t, and I’ll come onto that in a minute). But, it’s worth the UK Cinema Association, BBPA or UK Hospitality thinking about investing a little in public advertising now to reap a lot in terms of consumer confidence.
5/ Be official
Having an official body to represent all egg producers definitely helped here. The industry developed and launched the Lion Mark to establish confidence in quality and safety (admittedly only in 1998) but such stamps do help. I’m not sure what the answer is for Covid-19 but maybe there is a cleanliness stamp, or an official 10-point checklist the government could endorse. Who knows? But the Lion Mark certainly acts as a mark of quality, confidence and safety for the egg world. And what was the result? Well... egg sales did return to pre-Edwina levels. But, here’s the punchline, it took TWENTY-NINE YEARS! It was 2017 before the full impact of Ms Curries ill-spoken statement was properly reversed. (Note: the government did subsequently prove and the industry reluctantly admitted that Currie was largely stating a fact when she spoke, but let’s leave that for the moment).
So, what could they have done better and what do we think we should do about Covid-19 to make sure confidence returns more quickly?
Three things they could have done better; Three lessons to learn for businesses and sectors in 2020 for (re) establishing confidence.
1/ Be More Transparent
The government were awful and the industry were a little opaque in 1988. In my opinion, the confidence could have been restored more quickly if only people had been a bit more honest. They weren’t, so rumour and fear filled the vacuum. Be open, honest and clear with people.
2/ Be More Positive
Covid-19 has been a proper, scary pandemic. And it has led to a massive societal shock and an appalling loss of life. But it is worth remembering that everyone knows that. The salmonella scare (and later BSE/vCJD scares) were both actually over-stated but importantly the language used to reassure often had the opposite effect. It is worth being very careful over the style and language of any post Covid campaigns to restore confidence. Be careful that you don’t have the opposite effect.
3/ Be Aware of Language
I’d argue that the wording of the ad campaign “Eggs Are Safe” was one of the worst things that happened in the whole sorry mess. It raises every level of human suspicion possible. My suggestion would have been to say something more like “Eggs are Delicious.”. Remind people what they liked about the product, not what they were scared of. For a post-Covid world I think you’re more likely to go back to the cinema because you love film rather than how often they’ve disinfected the foyer.
Hope that helped. This is a very unusual time. So, my advice is to look in some more unusual places for the answers.
But the main lesson from Edwina and the eggs?
Act collectively. United and coordinated action is likely to re-establish confidence quicker. And we need all the help we can get.
Come together, right now.
Kevin is Strategy Partner at independent communications consultants Harbour Collective. Follow him on Twitter @hairychesters
Beware the doughnut
Hollow brands, cultural change and the new era of marketing leadership, by Dom Boyd, UK Managing Director Insights at Kantar
BEWARE THE DOUGHNUT
Hollow brands, cultural change and the new era of marketing leadership, by Dom Boyd, UK Managing Director Insights at Kantar
As revolutions go, the signal for this one was relatively inauspicious.
An unmarked A4 letter through the letterbox.
It read: “Hi, this is Tracy from No 22 XXXX Road. I hope you are keeping well. If not and you need any assistance, please let me know. I’ve set up a WhatsApp group for our road’s residents, so that everyone can feel supported. Many have really embraced the spirit of community it’s offered. If you’d like to join, please message me on (mobile number). Thanks”
Covid-19 has done many things to so many people. But perhaps something that’s becoming clear is that this it’s more than a disease. It also marks a disruption. A fundamental shift not just in markets or new consumer behaviours, but in our collective psyche. A shift towards the importance of community. Of togetherness. And of responsibility and having a duty of care towards each other. We can see it in Kantar’s Global Barometer: for example 3/4 of people think that the No1 thing companies should be doing in this moment is worrying about employees' health. We can see it in brands taking positive actions during the COVID-19 crisis, for example:
- Iceland introducing ‘early hour’ for elderly customers so they can shop for food before the wider public – a trend other supermarkets quickly copied
- Just Eat providing 30 day emergency support package for restaurants on its platform to and waiving sign-up fees for new restaurants joining the platform
- Amazon getting customers essentials faster by blocking non-essential goods in warehouses and using Alexa to help provide diagnosis of COVID-19
- McDonald's in China providing corporate bulk purchases, to help cater for contactless eating
And I could see it in Tracy’s letter, turning the previously anonymous residents of a London street into something altogether more connected and vibrant. Each of these small data points marks something far more profound: Covid-19 has acted as catalyst not just for new social values, but for a new societal norm - we now expect business not just to be ‘purposeful’, but to actively shape positive behaviours both inside and out. To promote Responsible Business.
Not unlike having ‘Purpose’ - but with a more clearly defined point, because it’s up close and personal. Relevant right here in the here and now. Yes it will protect the planet for future generations, but it also helps protect me as an employee and as a consumer through empowering me to make positive choices rather than just convenient ones. Responsible business isn’t an entirely new ideas – it’s something Kantar has pointed to already in our 2020 Energie Report as a key dynamic. But Covid-19 marks a cultural inflection point which has propelled it into something bigger: an era definer. This is now the age of Responsible Business. And there’s every reason to believe this just the beginning, as we come to appreciate it, expect it, and quite possibly demand it.
The age of responsible business: implications for marketing
Be responsible not just responsive If the last digital decade and its headrush of big data, mobile-first social, dynamic creative optimisation, full stack tech and CX transformation programmes has shown anything then it’s that while being responsive is useful, it’s not nearly enough. As Peter Field’s IPA report ‘The crisis of creative effectiveness’ shows, creative effectiveness has declined as brand have become increasingly fixated on the short-term, and looked to drive ‘engagement’ through responsive digital channels rather than reach in traditional broadcast channels. Similarly, Kantar’s BrandZ databank highlights a brand crisis over a similar time frame as even top UK brands are seeing declines in Meaningful Difference and salience – the vital keys to driving brand value (£).
Source: BrandZ 2019, Top 10 UK brands Note: click on the graph to expand it
This indicates responsive digital and tech alone is not the value-driving utopia marketers had been promised. They need to look elsewhere to create real value. One that enables them to create a stronger emotional connection through strengthening EI, not just AI. Responsible business provides a strong platform for re-building that emotional connection at a personal and societal level, through delivering meaningful difference audience communities can believe in, buy into and perhaps even rally around. Brands that position themselves as responsible guardians are likely to emerge the winners come the recovery, by emotionally binding us together again and helping us collectively heal.
Provide enrichment not just enjoyment. The decline in BrandZ meaningful difference scores indicates a problem: looking outside to culture and consumers has left a generation of ‘Doughnut’ brands with throwaway audience relationships, born from superficial values and throwaway benefit-driven campaigns.
They’re hollow on the inside.
Responsible Business provides an opportunity to reverse that by creating a healthier business, born from a strong, sustainable core. A core with strong differentiating values that guide all their behaviours including its business model, its innovation and its operations and help enrich audiences’ lives. This an opportunity for marketers to create a strong social signal that their brand is intent on shaping a better future – a signal that can create a strong community of advocates, as brands like Patagonia have demonstrated.
But it’s also an opportunity for marketing to reshape its influence & value upstream by shaping a strong leadership agenda that binds internal stakeholders & advocates together around a common mission and set of behaviours.
Build your brand from the inside, through employees. Something Covid-19 has also shown is that that CX is a brand’s frontline, and there’s nowhere to hide: brands are as strong as their weakest experience, and unless you’re a 100% DTC business, that’s very often based around what your employees do (or don’t) do.
This not only highlights the convergence of brand with CX as ‘total experience’, it highlights the importance of a brand’s internal community – its employee culture – in successfully delivering its promise through powerful small moments. In the age of responsible business brands are built from the inside, through powerful enduring values that drive positive behaviours - not from chasing culture. The opportunity for the next generation of marketing leadership is to step outside of campaign treadmill and built deeper roots within the business – by articulating the values as something truly valuable, and translating those into behaviours which galvanise employee communities and trading practices. That’s a hugely important and visible value-adding role.
In summary
To think of COVID-19 as a terrible disease is to underestimate its impact. It’s a disruption which has acted as a catalyst for a new organisational era defined by responsibility. In this new era of Responsible Business brand value will be created by looking beyond sales to better serve internal and external communities through shaping positive behaviours, providing ‘role modelling’ which creates far stronger emotional connection and brand value. This is a pivotal moment for marketers to reimagine their role as organisational leaders, adding deeper value through inspiring sustainable innovation, shaping employee culture and driving a more purposeful digital transformation agenda.
Don’t just dream it, do it. It’s the only responsible thing to do.
The home advantage
'Sport... for millions it provides an escape, not to mention a sense of belonging and community.' Leo Burnett Sport + Entertainment's Liam Hopkins on the future for sports entertainment behind closed doors
THE HOME ADVANTAGE
'Sport... for millions it provides an escape, not to mention a sense of belonging and community.' Leo Burnett Sport + Entertainment's Liam Hopkins on the future for sports entertainment behind closed doors
Watching Sport. Some people hate it, but for millions all over the world, it provides a much-needed escape, not to mention a sense of belonging and community.
With the Covid-19 pandemic tipping the world upside down, we have seen sports brands leverage and maintain this sense of camaraderie, with home workouts and support for close-to-home charities. But, as we look ahead, what does sport behind closed doors actually look like? What do brands and rights-holders need to do now, to make sure their new-look products meet expectations? Most sport fans (and, in the UK, football fans in particular) will want normal service to be resumed as soon as possible, providing it is safe for everyone involved. However, how can we ensure that the service that is eventually resumed isn’t just a pale imitation of the real thing - dull and void of the atmosphere and performance-enhancing feedback that, until now, could only be provided by a real live crowd?
The drive-in will have room for up to 2,000 cars and also include an away section ( Twitter: @fcmidtjylland)
Danish football club FC Midtjylland, might have one answer to this. Recently they were reported to be planning a drive-in fan-zone outside the stadium, to help recreate this sense of atmosphere. Replacing the roar of the terraces, 94th minute winners will now be met with a rousing cacophony of horns. If sponsors (and car sponsors in particular) don’t find a way to get involved with these sorts of atmosphere-replacing activations, it will be a missed opportunity. Knowing there are hundreds, if not thousands, of passionate fans cheering outside of the stadium, may just add the edge of excitement that viewers and players alike will be craving. At the very least, it will certainly give global broadcasters more interesting reaction shots than those offered by an empty stadium, or a more exciting soundtrack than faked noise dictated by fans at home.
Beyond this, we will, of course, also see more and more experimentation with the augmentation of the in-home experience. For a truly thought-provoking example, we just have to look to Barcelona, who are already looking to enhance the viewing experience with VR possibilities. There has even been talk of using micro-cameras to allow fans to experience matches through the coach’s eyes or players’ points-of-view. Now this might seem niche, but if the tech holds any water at all, do not be surprised if we see start to see its more mainstream implementation by broadcasters or brands on social media, as they look to capitalise on 2nd or 3rd screening habits.
However, the most immediate and mass-market opportunity is undoubtedly now the one proposed by the English Premier League. As we hear that the greatest club football competition in the world may be free to air on its return, sponsors will surely be rubbing their hands at the prospect of the enhanced exposure. This increased scale will not only extend to on-screen reach, but also the audiences sponsors can expect for their associated activation campaigns, on digital and social media. As always, best in class campaigns, will leverage populist creativity to deliver added value to consumers pre, during and post-match.
Will we see brands allowing fans to give out their very own man-of-the-match awards via Zoom? Or will they adopt a gatekeeper-like role, allowing fans the sort of live access-all-area content usually only seen on documentaries like Amazon Prime’s ‘All or Nothing’? Only one thing’s for certain - the rules as we know them in sports marketing will be torn up, in the quest to create an entertainment experience that can engage fans with the same scale, intensity and reliability as its live equivalent. Who knows, some of these innovations may even prove popular enough to stay the course when normality resumes.
All or Nothing Manchester City | Amazon Prime Original Trailer
In summary, it is clear we are heading into an unprecedent era for live sports. It’s an era that no one really wanted and yet now, somehow, everyone is desperate for. Our thirst for its uncertainty of outcome and sense of belonging has never been greater, and it follows that the role for brands and rights holders has also never been more important.
The question we must all now ask is, what role can we play or what can we add to make this weird new era better for everyone?
Liam Hopkins is Client Partner & Head of Leo Burnett Sport + Entertainment. Follow them on Twitter @LeoBurnettLDN
