Brands must be fluid, change narrative & create new meaning during COVID-19 crisis: Kantar

People are being accustomed to waking up to the ominous ‘BREAKING NEWS’ notification – ‘COVID-19 cases rises to 12000’ or ‘Sensex Crashes 2,000 points amid global recession fears’. The tumult of the world is unfolding on our myriad screens. The looming notification no more induces a dopamine rush… it elicits a melancholy that sobers us down only to reset our hopes before the next notification.

In an addictive, concurrent cycle of hope and despair - you feel for the broken hearts in Italy, the trapped New Yorkers… also, pray for the nascent signs of hope in the devastating carnage – China is lifting lockdowns, dauntless doctors, pharmaceutical companies press to find vaccines.

Witnessing the rise of the nation-state as powerful signs of raw, human solidarity rise above divisive agendas. Revelling in the humanitarian crisis as ‘people’ with everything to lose.

The spirit to thrive and not just survive in this paradox of surrealism – the question some are asking of themselves is - are we the protagonists in the story of mankind or the antagonists in the story of nature? But to believe that nature is healing itself through human pandemic is anarchical.

In these times with more existential questions than answers, our response system is being shaped by two powerful forces.

These forces are changing our way of life and may influence how we live in the days beyond this crisis.

Introspection has been the immediate reaction during this period of lockdown

Humans have been like machines run by a systematic algorithm: Monday to Friday | Saturday - Sunday… the algorithm is halted. COVID 19 has encouraged us to abandon the programmed lens and find a new way of seeing the world beyond this crisis. Making people reflective, giving insight into who we are and what we need and what we don’t.

Despite living at a breakneck speed for so long, we are reminded of the old Arabic saying – that the soul invariably travels at the speed of a camel. Whatever one has gathered till now… books, memorabilia, memories are gaining attention. Lockdown days are being spent as a pitstop… revisiting life that has been spent… the experiences, the things we did and have missed doing.

Yet while we reflect, we also look towards the future beyond these uncertain times. Things may change and one needs to be adaptive to new realities. Borrowing from Umberto Eco’s Anti- Library, the unread books are going to be more valuable to our lives than the read ones – such is the sign of the times.

Fluidity is our response to the crisis

In Darwin’s words, it’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Fluidity is the new custom. Fluidity is our response to the crisis reflecting in the altered course of our everyday living. Now, and perhaps well beyond.

Creating a world within four walls people are constantly calculating the ‘fluidity of spaces’ and their multiple purposes. The new coping mechanism is to delineate mental microcosms from physical spaces.

New codes of connections are evolving as people reclaim their personal space. In queues, while taking a bus, during walks people are practising physical distancing. When the crisis passes, will we hold on to our newfound sense of private space and the decorum it brings with it? Will it change the physical codes of bonding, friendship?

Prudence and frugality are being practised by all demographics redefining the meaning of currency. The flex of money has temporarily lost some of its value while people sit at home sequestered from the world. All must partake in the weekly grocery run for essentials, all must wait in line at the ATMs and hospitals, and all must prepare for a tomorrow of uncertainty. “The virus does not discriminate” – an idea to jettison the political, socio-economic and wealth disparities and implore the people to fight a plague against ‘humanity’. The temporary redundancy of money is a humble equalizer. In this time, ‘immunity’ and ‘sensibility’ are the most powerful currencies.

This interplay of Introspection and Fluidity is leading to an interesting renormalization of identity. Deprivation is redefining the attitude and behaviour norms. Needs and wants, income and expenses and the list of ‘essentials’ are being revisited. Dave Hollis, CEO of the Hollis Company, that helps people build better lives, says – “in this rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.”  

The status quo has been challenged; requiring alternative ways to work, earn, love, nourish. A new change model is emerging for a new normal post COVID19.

This is also the time perhaps for storytellers and brands to practice the technique of introspection to rethink the new Need-Want matrix that is likely to emerge out of the change model.

In normal times, when people had too much time to broadcast their lives, and too little time to reflect on them; much of the consumer’s attention was on maintaining one’s ego; brands then could afford to allure; stoke the fire beneath the ego. The new normal may reveal a more humble, warm, generous side of the consumer’s personality – brands must be fluid to change their narrative; create new meaning in people’s lives.

In the immediate timeframe, brands cannot fall silent. Must initiate conversation. Give hope. Show solidarity. Messages that will connect the strongest will be those that make people believe that amidst all the uncertainty, the brand knows us slightly better than we know ourselves.