Forget the crystal ball attempts to predict a post-COVID-19 future, start creating it
COVID-19 has upended our lives and fragmented the way we live. As we slowly put the pieces back together, brands need to find ways to lead the recovery and actively shape the new normal. To do that, according to M&C Saatchi’s Justin Graham, we need to engage in the five Rs: resolve, reconnect, reinvent, re-skill, and reignite.
For months now, we’ve been glued to the news, fuelled by minute-by-minute updates on the rapidly-evolving pandemic. There’s no denying that a crisis of this scale has the potential to reorder society permanently. Nobody knows exactly when, how, or to what extent things will change, but a new normal is inevitable.
And that means brands and marketers must adapt. Let’s forget the idea of neat, tidy phases. Being bound to phases risks being out of tune with a rapidly changing environment, and can distract us from what’s really happening.
The same is true of trends. There’s no denying that adland loves trends and using its crystal ball to see into the future – a quick scroll through LinkedIn could tell you that much. However, in times like these, there’s a risk that if we lean into trends too much, we begin to perpetrate and instil negative behaviours instead of helping customers move through them.
Exactly – don’t try and predict what will change, focus on what will stay the same:
https://tinyurl.com/y9d6ejns
An industry’s fate depends on the general health of the economy, changes in government policy, deep cultural shifts and substantial technological changes.
What makes very little difference is a series of war chants connected by the letter R.
As a single player, even one of the biggest ones, you’re unfortunately powerless.
Post Covid…
When’s that again?