This post first appeared on Bibhash Banerjee’s Linkedin page on 28th March 2020

Covenants for brands during these stressful & difficult times.

Right at the outset, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and are taking all the extreme measures seriously during these difficult times. #stayhome #staysafe #isolate #distance :)

Like there are simple guidelines for ensuring we do not get infected like washing hands and not touching face. Below are some guidelines we've been discussing with our clients, my hope is these simple guidelines act as a reminder and maybe a playbook for us during these difficult times.

If you've been doing them kudos, here is another reminder. If you haven't then think about how these can be done for your brand.

So here we go,

1. Authentic messaging backed by genuine acts of value

These are times of heightened suspicion. Everything, every act is looked upon with as an act of opportunism. But genuine actions taken by brands which have value or sensitivity embedded automatically set themselves apart and will be remembered well after this situation passes (it will pass). If we are to advertise, market or in general communicate, let's ensure we do so with absolute authenticity without any shadow of profiteering and opportunism.

2. Will this add value to my customers TODAY?

If not, then we don’t need to talk about it, share it or even discuss it any further. There is a lot happening, all over the world. There is a lot of noise, and the last thing we need our customers to do is stop listening to us and categorise us a spam. Know thy audience, what they want and find something of value for them and only talk about that. Nothing else.

3. Have a point of view. One view.

Identify and articulate the brand’s point of view, could be optimistic, pragmatic, supportive, encouraging or anything else which is right for the brand, and stick to it. Some businesses with varied interests/products might find the need to market to ensure business continuity. But it is critical that all speak the same language and share the same POV. The last thing we want right now is to come across as fickle and confused.

4. Ensure your tone & messaging of every piece of communication is sensitive to the sentiment of the audience

This is a no brainer, but it seems we easily forget when we are excited to ride on the “trend train” during these times. #stayhome #Covid-19 are both trending, but one can own funny content, the other cant. Humour, tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, witty etc. are to be avoided during these times, unless you are dead sure that’s who you are as a brand, and will not face any backlash. Which WILL come strong and fast.

5. If you are a leader in your industry, act like one.

This applies to large brands with clout and in leadership positions (this isnt about market share, but brand equity). We are the captains of the ship, leaders in the industry. Just like we expect the leaders of nations to share an informed POV with us, to show that they are acting to help, are leading in both thought and action- the same is expected of you regarding your respective industries. In unprecedented times, there is no absolute truth, but a grounded and wise perspective is appreciated and quick assertive action is lauded.

NO, its not too late.

6. Small group of smart people – The Covid-19 central team

We know chaos is inevitable, it’s the nature of being, but we can design for it. Creating a cross-functional team that would be responsible for planning and taking timely decisions should be of utmost importance. A single POV, voice, messaging, policy decisions internally and assertive actions externally at speed is only manageable when a small group of smart people are managing it.

The biggest one though;

7. Build a better product and brand

A period which doesn’t allow for sales and business growth presents an opportunity we may not get again anytime soon. For instance, What are the things we’ve put on the back-burner because chasing targets was more important?

Revamping our website or building a new one, adding e-com capabilities, a mobile app, cleaning our database, re-looking at how we manage our inventory, or processes…

Every business has a huge wish-list which we keep pushing, let's look at this time as an opportunity to ensure we introspect, prioritise and improve our product/service and I am quite confident those who do, will come out stronger on the other side of this.

BONUS

Write yourself a short sci-fi novel.

This pandemic has and will continue to have lasting changes to society and people. How we look at things, prioritise, interact, shop, engage will not be the same once we come out on the other side. This is a great time to do a little bit of sci-fi novel writing and crystal ball gazing, to imagine what the world will be and how it would be different for us as businesses. This is not a factor of a few weeks or months, but the impact of this will surely last for all the generations who've experienced it.

How should we be different to adapt to this new paradigm that will walk into our stores a few months from now? or not.

-------

Let me know what other covenants are good advice from brands. These are unprecedented times and for those of us who cant fight in the front lines, sharing good advice is our service. At a safe distance of course. :)

Thanks for reading and I hope you find some if not all of the above guidelines useful.

Bibhash Banerjee is a Principal at Dentsu India Tomorrow Lab & Member of the DAN South Asia Planning Council.