Man, this is hard. COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. As if running a business wasn’t hard enough, now the rules have completely changed. What are brands supposed to do now? What should we say? How should we act?
I’ve been watching closely how brands—and people in general—have responded to this crisis. Are there trends we can identify and learn from? What’s working? Beyond the typical “We’re in this together” and “We’re here for you” messaging, there appears to be two very distinct buckets we’re falling into. Some people are simply reacting. They’re reacting to the “new normal” by adjusting their daily lives and coping with the cards they’ve been dealt. Companies have been caught on their heels and are scrambling to react to a situation that is overwhelming. It feels like all they can do is react, then pivot the best they can. There is no playbook for this.
Which brands get noticed? The creative ones. Which marketing messages do we remember and talk about? The creative ones. Who are the people over the course of history that have moved the human race forward? The creative ones.
Yet, some people are using this opportunity to reimagine a new way of doing things. Yes, out of necessity (or pure boredom), but also out of curiosity and ingenuity. Some brands have delivered a new level of emotionally engaging, empathetic and inspiring messaging. These brands have found a way to connect in a super authentic and memorable way. Social media platforms are spilling over with shared videos that remind us all that we can still believe in the goodness of humanity. We’ve all seen them (I’m not crying, you’re crying!). We’ve also seen the cool live performances from our favorite musicians in their home studios, or the Zoom screen-shared collection of choirs performing together, even though they’re not together. And the unique ways people are celebrating birthday parties from a distance and finding new ways to share a happy hour with friends they haven’t been able to gather with for weeks.
Where do these ideas come from? How do people think of this stuff? The answer is CREATIVITY. In order to reimagine, we must create. Now, in a time we need it most, it seems creativity is at an all-time high. In my line of work, creativity has always been the answer. It is always the path forward and always the difference maker. Which brands get noticed? The creative ones. Which marketing messages do we remember and talk about? The creative ones. Who are the people over the course of history that have moved the human race forward? The creative ones.
Creativity is a choice, not a trait. Everyone has the ability to be creative. The problem is, creativity is messy and scary and unknown. But creativity leads to innovation. And innovation leads to problem solving. And we need to solve problems, fast. So, we must create new ways of doing things, new ways of being. The power of creativity lies in the boundless possibilities it represents. That has always been the case, but we’re more attuned to it now.
So, we have a choice. We can either REACT to our current situation and be at the mercy of fate, or we can REIMAGINE how we do things—reimagine our businesses, reimagine how we live our lives—and let creativity lead the way. As for me, I choose the latter.
If you need guidance on how creativity can solve business challenges, shoot me a note at brentn@jschmid.com. It’s what we do.
Tags: branding, coronavirus marketing, Covid-19 marketing, Creative Strategy