Reliability and consistency are important signals for consumers in times of crisis. In particular, brands that people have been familiar with since childhood can make use of this tool. "Because brands with tradition also promise to be able to survive crises," says rheingold psychologist Nicole Hanisch to the trade magazine Horizont.
However, communication should not be restricted to slogans of perseverance. "In the meantime, it has become very clear to everyone that Corona will accompany our lives for a longer period of time and that simply waiting and reassuring comfort will not be enough," says Hanisch.
In addition to offering comfort and emphasizing reliability or adherence to the tried and true, advertisers should take advantage of the changed situation of consumers. Many people have "switched to a kind of survival mode. They have developed a "Corona routine with everyday survival strategies" that enable them to cope with their daily lives despite a reduced radius and concentration on their immediate domestic environment.
In doing so, brands could encourage and inspire consumers and offer them orientation. They could also work with people on ways to a better future, for example on the subject of sustainability. "In this sense, brands are more in demand than ever, and consumers are very happy to enter into dialog with them again."
Advertising is also very much in demand. In general, brands are currently experiencing a renaissance, according to the Rheingold researcher. This is because brands often offer more support, reliability, inspiration and orientation than private labels and start-up brands. This advantage should currently be used.
In this orientation communication, brands could also emphasize their role model function: "They teach, motivate and support the redesign of everyday life. They model how to bring the restaurant home, travel in the bathtub, keep the family together, work against 'going bad' and create little highlights until life really gets going again."
