PERPETUAL WEDNESDAY!

For most of us, this is not our first rodeo. We’ve all survived 9/11 and the Great Recession and we will survive COVID-19.

Each of these events presented its own challenges. As the calamities before, this new crisis will result in significant changes; personally, professionally, and globally.

We are experiencing some of these changes now that are unique to COVID-19:
24/7 lockdowns, virtual work, zoom meetings, and
the “Perpetual Wednesday/Hump Day” syndrome.

We can all agree that significant changes will result and a “New Normal” will present itself as a result of this pandemic. Our ability as marketers to identify the changes and adapt quickly will provide relevancy and competitive advantage as we move past the crisis and begin to compete for the future.

Below is my perspective on some things that are changing or will change as a result of COVID-19:

The point of these pre/post COVID-19 perspectives is that everyone’s values, interests and perspectives have and will change as a result of this pandemic. The challenge as marketers will be re-assessing our brand’s relationship with our customers, prospects and our employees. As we begin to emerge from the crisis, companies/brands will need to begin the process to:

• Determine what’s broken and what’s still working;
• Determine where your employees are:
  • State of mind;
  • Commitment to the organization;
  • Belief System.
• Customer and Employee Values/Perception shifts;
• Competition (reconfirmation of old and determination of new);
• Strategic partners (old and new).

“The Secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Mark Twain.  

Change creates anxiety and stress, both in terms of managing our lives as well as managing companies and brands.

As we emerge from this crisis, organizations will face a number of challenges. Whether a high-tech start-up or an enterprise firm, the biggest challenge, in my opinion, will be re-assessing where their customers and prospects are versus where they were prior to the pandemic, which I’ll refer to as the “Values Gap”.

Here’s a list of key questions that an organization should be asking to build their future-view within the context of the current crisis:

• Has your business changed or been redefined as a result of the recent crisis?
• What are your true core competencies? (Not capabilities, but attributes that result in true customer-perceived beneficial differences.)
• Who are your customers/prospects? (Have their profiles or personas changed as a result of the crisis, and how have they changed?)
• What do your customers value? (Have their values changed or been reprioritized as a result of the crisis…The Values Gap?)
• What are the brand and branding implications as a result of your answers to the above questions:
  • What is our brand’s value proposition?
  • How do our customers/employees/stakeholders perceive our brand? (Brand Image)
  • What is the gap between our brand image and its desired identity?
  • What is the intensity of our customers’/stakeholders’ emotional involvement in our brand versus our competition – Brand Health?

We at B2P have been working on these types of issues for over 20 years, within multiple industries and with small to enterprise companies.  As a result, we have experience and knowledge that we can share with you in helping you answer the questions I’ve raised here. In fact, we’ll be willing to spend time with you at no charge to help you think through the issues we’ve raised and how best to address them.

Starting to answer these questions now vs. later will give you a head start on marketing effectively in the “New Normal”!

Call us. We’re eager to help!