July 15, 2020

For the first time, we are having to lead with empathy, and start to understand and adapt to evolving customer wants and needs.  This has become the new competitive advantage.  The brands that get this right will recover post-COVID.

Brands are looking to emerge from the past 4 months and continue to do business. Moving forward, the approach will need to show that they know who they are, they understand customer concerns and their desires, and are adaptable while helping to build relationships. It will be humanity that helps us re-engage with the world when we get through this fully.

Customer behaviour isn’t what it used to be.  People are behaving in ways we never could have predicted and this is not going to change anytime soon.  Brands are now faced with this challenge and must re-learn who their customer is and what they care about at this moment in time. To do this, they must connect directly to real customers and listen to them to understand how to adapt on a regular basis.  No decisions should be made on ‘what could work well’, as it is more important than ever to regain customer loyalty.

Customer insight and research is paramount into developing a new or adapted strategy during this fast-paced and ever-changing situation.  Customer empathy must be brought into the marketing strategy.

By understanding your customer’s feelings and desires, you’ll be confident in launching new marketing campaigns that will be received well and get you back on the road to business success.