In an era of disruption, are brands a safe haven?
Marketforce Strategic Planning Director, Nicole Cikarela, ponders the implication for brands of some recent events.
Uber has punk’d the taxi industry. AirBnB have re-engineered accommodation. Britain has broken-up with the EU. And Trump has won the big gig. The world is changing, and consumers are voting with their feet, their actions and their wallets for a new era of business, politics and society at large.
Things are uncertain and no one is quite sure where the next disruption will occur. In reviewing recent communications from our clients, and other major West Australian and Australian businesses, it has occurred to me that perhaps this constant state of change is taking its toll on brands.
It appears, on face value, that brands are returning to their traditional roots; broadcasting to their audiences that they are safe havens that can be trusted.
Qantas wants to welcome you to the comfort of home. At Woolies you can ‘pick up’ a lovely Sunday roast. Helga’s bread espouses the benefits of old-fashioned community care.
Are these brands making a conscious decision to provide sanctuary from disruption for their customers?
The emotional significance of brand communication is well documented, and marketing teams and agencies alike have long striven to evoke emotional reactions in their audiences for commercial gain. Neuroscience shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences) rather than information (brand attributes, features, and facts). Advertising research reveals that emotional response to an ad has far greater influence on a consumer’s reported intent to buy a product than does the ad’s content – by a factor of 3-to-1 for audio visual stimulus.
So, there is no disputing the power of emotion. But what type of emotion is a brand to strive for?
The aforementioned brands are currently espousing security, protection and comfort. Call me crazy… but aren’t they some of the same principles that just had Trump elected?
In an uncertain world, the security of ‘returning’ to an era, a political policy or a brand of the past may hold appeal for a growing section society. There is a real tug-of-war in play between the new and the old. A fight for progress over a fight for defence.
What kind of brand are you managing?