Moments of crises. That seems to be the time most brands reveal who they really are to their communities. This is not as harsh as it sounds. Today’s landscape is littered with crisis—ones that have tested the very foundation of who and what we are, who and what we want to me, and why all of that matters. A worldwide pandemic. Social unrest. Climate change. Political, science and technological upheaval. You name it and it appears as if the last 18-plus months have been delivered.
According to Deloitte's "2021 Global Marketing Trends Study," we are confronted with an amalgamation of uncertainty—an uncertainty that has the world collectively seeking answers. People, businesses and brands everywhere are seeking new ways to navigate this. Many of the answers have been found in how brands continue to pivot their messaging amid the madness.
This much we know: Today more than ever, marketing is about compelling storytelling, and then finding ways to amplify those stories. To gain trust, consumers must hear stories from sources of merit. Building this kind of trust is critical for wellness brands trying to connect with today’s ever-increasing health-minded consumer. Scott Anders McGillis, Strategy Principal at Jackman, a leading customer engagement reinvention company, says that if you build a deep understanding of your customers and their communities, success will come—it will come from knowing what truly unites members of a community, what brings them together, what motivates them to come back, and what else beyond the community matters to them.
“Ensure your brand shows up in a way that is genuine and authentic to your values,” McGillis says. “The pandemic, combined with all the other recent shared experiences and socio-cultural movements, drove demand for genuine human connection and authenticity. In our research, honesty and trust emerged as consumers’ top priorities, outranked only by health and safety.”
McGillis believes that listening and observing your consumers will help determine the type of role your brand can play. Regardless of the specific benefit a consumer is seeking from a community, if a brand is involved, it must show up authentically and in a way that adds value in the eyes of the consumer. “Be present, genuine and authentic. Keep a pulse on what’s going on and learn and refine as you go.”
That means understanding how and when to reach your community. According to Deloitte's "2021 Global Marketing Trends Study," more than 70% agreed they valued digital solutions that deepened their connection with other people, and 63% believe they will rely on digital technologies more than they did prior to the pandemic even well after it subsides.
To help deliver on your brand promises and meet your customers’ evolving value-based needs, you must align their intentions with their actions (or competency). Here are some steps that the Deloitte team say can point you in the right direction:
No. 1 — Don’t stay in your lane
While clear functional owners exist in most organizations, trust requires collaboration across the C-suite. This means developing cross-functional teams that align on trust-related KPIs, assigning ownership for those KPIs, and developing a road map for closing the gap between intentions and competency.
No. 2 — Choose your trust competencies wisely
How you demonstrate trust may be conditional on your organizational goals. If, for example, your customers value transparent and ethical data usage, it may be important to incorporate straightforward messaging on how your organization will use their data and ensure systems are in place to protect that data from both cyber risks and invasive data practices.
No. 3 — Expand your marketing toolkit
It’s hard to deliver on trust when the marketing department mirrors the skills of an ad agency. Delivering holistically on trust requires a wide ranging collection of skill sets, including expertise in product development, analytics, and a deep understanding of revenue models. Trust is the gap between messaging and delivery. The good news: Organizations now have the tools to close that gap, and in the process, create something people wholeheartedly trust to deliver upon their needs.
Story by Michael J. Pallerino, c0-founder of PCG biz media. Over the past 30-plus years, Michael has received numerous honors, including the "Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Award," recognized as the Pulitzer Prize for business-to-business magazines. He can be reached at mpallerino@pcgbizmedia.com.
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