As part of my job, I work with people across our global boutique. This is fascinating, as from our offices all over the world, our experiences are very diverse. But for the first time, we have found ourselves experiencing the very same thing at the same time, as we all adjust to life under lockdown.

This is a unique moment to understand how people across borders react in the same circumstances. So to explore this further, we bought together 30 of our Kadence colleagues to take part in a mobile community to understand the cultural differences in our experiences.

What is bringing people together during the lockdown?

The ways that people are expressing a sense of togetherness is very much driven by the national identity and history and culture of the country. Our study earthed some fascinating examples.

In Singapore, the Singapore spirit, encapsulated in the people and nation’s resilience has helped Singaporeans weather the challenges posed by the pandemic. The clean and green Lion City is known for efficiency and a drive for excellence – and this has been demonstrated in the nation’s response, including daily COVID-19 updates via WhatsApp and the introduction of a contact tracing app mobilized by the power of the people. Singapore has also been able to draw on well-stocked reserves and financial support decades in the making, driven by the survival instinct of a once thought of impossible independent nation.

It is also in times like these that the nostalgic longing for the kampong spirit – the sense of togetherness in a harmonious community of bygone days in the Kampong past – is felt evermore. People are writing notes of encouragement at their windows to raise neighborhood spirits, other are sending baked goods to one another for moral support, hawkers and social groups are actively organizing support for their foreign worker partners in need. Sing for Singapore, where people came to their balconies to sing ‘Home’, the unofficial love anthem of Singaporeans, was a very emotional moment for many of our colleagues. Indeed, take a closer look beyond the ‘hardware’ of an advanced, organized, efficient modern city-state, and you will find it is this mix of such hardy values of resilience as well as the ‘heartware’ of Gotong royong – which refers to a community coming together to things in unison – that binds the Singaporeans together during the lockdown.

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In the UK, memories of a bygone era are also contributing to a sense of togetherness. The story of Captain Tom Moore, a World War II veteran, aiming to raise money for the National Health Service, has brought people together. Captain Tom set out to raise £1,000 for the National Health Service by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday. He has now raised over £32 million and has become something of a national treasure, receiving over 125, 000 birthday cards from people across the country as he turned 100 and even appearing on a charity single which got to number 1 in the UK charts. The response to Captain Tom’s story reveals a lot about the British public’s reaction to the pandemic. In the early days, many comparisons were made to the Blitz spirit and British grit and determination to come together to defeat the virus. As someone who embodies these things, it’s no surprise Captain Tom’s story has found favor amongst the British public.

In the US, as in other countries there’s also a sense that we’re all in this together and that everyone has their bit to do to flattened the curve. That said, in America, protests against the lockdown have been more notable than in other countries, again driven by history and culture. With freedom such a core value in America, it’s perhaps no surprise that are some who feel a greater sense of umbridge at this being restricted, something that those in more collectivist countries find difficult to understand.

What does working from home look like?

In the UK and the US, many people have invested in home comforts to make working from home easier – with back support, keyboards, even desks all being common purchases. There an expectation that this is the start of a major shift in the way we work, so long-term investments in home working are justified.

In Asia, where multi-generational households are more common, working from home solutions tend to be more temporary, with a greater focus on finding areas that allow for the ability to carve out a personal space for peace and quiet. In Singapore, where there tends to be a clearer distinction between work and home life, working from home has indeed had an impact, leading to a re-evaluation of the work-life balance concept – toeing the line between the responsibility and purpose of work and the desire for family bonding time. Furthermore, working from home has an impact on office culture, and it is creating new ways to connect and learn more about colleagues, as people see others in the context of their home lives.

What are people looking forward to as the lockdown is lifted?

This is an area where attitudinal differences, rather than cultural differences, are clearer to observe. People tend to fall into one of two camps: those actively planning what they’ll do as soon as the restrictions allow, and those that are more cautious, worried about the implications of being around lots of people. As you’d expect, family and friends come top of the list, and there’s a renewed focus on experiences with the ones you love.

What do people think about the marketing they’ve seen from brands during this period?

Again, there are more similarities across countries than differences. Regardless of where they live consumers are quick to see beyond glossy campaigns and empty words and are instead looking at the whole picture – with a particular focus on how companies are treating their staff and contributing to the cause. People are also seeing a different side to brands in this period, as companies have had to show us behind the curtain to remain relevant in a period people can’t experience their product in situ.

This is an area that we’ll be exploring further in our Brand Exposed study, a piece of research that is designed help companies prepare for the ‘now normal’ as consumers emerge from the lockdown with new expectations of brands and a different lens on marketing. Visit the microsite to find out more about the study and sign up for the latest insights.

This week marks a change in the focus on many news outlets and governments. From protection, to productivity – as leaders grapple with the challenge of getting economies moving again. There is more confidence around some countries approach and communication (New Zealand) than others (UK, US – looking at you!). However, in all situations there is a agreement that the world we are returning to is not the same as we left.

The workplace is no different. The Straits Times last week carried a story from Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry about how ‘working from home will continue to be the norm for the majority’ even after restrictions are lifted. Forbes has taken this further and stated that “The Covid-19 coronavirus is becoming the accelerator for one of the greatest workplace transformations of our lifetime. How we work, exercise, shop, learn, communicate, and of course, where we work, will be changed forever!”

However, for those of us that have been able to continue our working life from the safety of our home, will the adjustment back to the office be harder than the adjustment to work at home? US Tech website BuiltIn quote a CEO who states that it takes “6 to 12 weeks for a smooth transition from on-site to remote working”. For many, this timeframe has already been met. People are working at home, people are productive, and…are people are starting to realise the benefits: lack of travel, more flexible hours, ability to help with childcare … With many positives to working from home, what does this mean for the future of work?

Certainly, in the short term, offices will be sparse locations. Governments are still advising those who can work from home to work from home. If you do return, social distancing measures will have to evident. Here in Singapore – if you are do not implement safe management of your workplace, the government can fine you or even shut down operations for errant employers. The Economist offer up an opinion piece on how that distancing may look. A 2m gap between desks could reduce capacity of workspaces to 30-35% of the pre-Covid lockdown. The piece also details a high tech solution before the lockdown in UAE, with contactless pathways from door to desk, relying on motion sensors and facial coding to open doors. Having a reduced workforce onsite, or investing in tech are expensive options for most firms – but what about the office itself. What role will it play?

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At Kadence, we have managed to retain productivity. Completing projects to time, and collaborating using video calls, Slack and online whiteboards and Google Docs. What we really miss is the unintended interaction with others. Overhearing conversations and adding some extra insights, hearing the chatter of voices and the energy in the room. At Kadence, we also have some onsite resources that are hard to replicate offsite. Focus group viewing facilities, a call center and workshop facilities will all be utilized in the future. However, the floor space may change. We might be more open to a higher proportion of staff working from offsite at any one time. Rather than whole team meetings and designated desks, perhaps our floor space will have more meeting areas. So that project teams can come together in an environment to bounce off each other, then return home to execute the required tasks. Vice talk of new rituals being formed to bring meaning to home working and The Atlantic talk about dress codes changing in life after COVID.

However, perhaps the most important change will be in HR, not in the physical use of space. If people are going to work from offsite more often, how does team bonding work? How will you help teams to prioritize their workloads? How will you manage line reports? These skills will require even more attuned social skills and people managers.

I would foresee offices being more flexible environments. Bringing people together when it matters, but keeping people apart for safety….and for their own personal preference. As a result, team dynamics will change. Mangers will need to juggle a wider array of pastoral matters. The corporate cultures that thrive will be flatter, more candid and more collaborative.

Perhaps the new normal is still being discovered, but the ‘now normal’ is all about flexibility and creativity.

According the Bellwether report, market research has taken the biggest hit of all marketing disciplines, as companies look to cut budgets in the face of COVID-19. But arguably market research is precisely the area in which companies need to be investing right now, as they grapple with a radically different business landscape and changing consumer needs and expectations. But against a backdrop of shrinking budgets, how should you approach market research to deliver maximum value in this period?

It comes down to the impact COVID-19 has had on your business. We tend to see that companies are experiencing one of two sales curves, and this will influence where to focus your market research spend.   

1.        Companies with a sales curve shaped like a ʌ

These are the companies that have experienced rapid growth as a result of COVID-19. As needs have rapidly changed, these companies have been the beneficiaries – think streaming providers, recipe box providers, digital platforms for health or education. For these companies, COVID-19 has brought about shifts in behavior which had been thought to take years, and as a result, sales have soared. Disney Plus, for instance, now has 50 million subscribers, in touching distance of its 2024 target, after just 5 months. But there’s a risk that as measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 are relaxed, sales and subscriptions  will decline.

Where to focus your research budget:

Your core focus will naturally be on maintaining the levels of sales you’ve seen in this period and avoiding a big drop off as we adapt to a new normal. To achieve this, invest your spend in customer satisfaction research to understand where your product or service is really resonating and what role your business can play in the ‘new normal’. This will help guide your marketing messaging to appeal to both new and current customers. Customer satisfaction research can also be a useful input for product development. By understanding where your product or service falls short, you’ll be able to make the changes needed retain customers when you go from being a necessity to a nice to have.

2.       A sales curve like a V

There are the companies that have had to cease operations as a result of lockdown measures and have seen a steep downturn in sales. As they’re able to begin operating again, they expect and hope to see business gradually return to pre-crisis levels. Restaurants, clothing brands, entertainment businesses all fall into this category. There’s a temptation to assume that for these companies, it’s simply a case of returning to normal but this vastly underestimates the radical shifts we’re seeing not just in consumer behavior but in expectations of brands.

Where to focus your research budget:

There are a number of types of research to consider when you’re planning your research spend. The first is customer and market understanding research. In the past two months, consumers have been forced move purchases online, to adopt new habits and hobbies and to try new brands. But which of these changes are here to stay? And what does this mean for the path to purchase? Understanding this will be critical as you look to develop an effective post-pandemic strategy.

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Brand and advertising research is also of crucial importance for companies experiencing this sales curve. As some brands step up their game, pivoting their product lines from alcohol to hand sanitizer, luxury fashion labels to scrubs, views of companies are changing. And expectations of marketing are too. We’ve seen magazine covers shot on smartphones, chat shows hosted from people’s living rooms and celebrities coming under fire, as they tell us that we’re all in this together from the comfort of their mansions. All of this will have a huge impact on the type of marketing that will resonate with consumers. We expect to see style taking a back seat to substance and authenticity coming to the fore. Those that plough on with pre-COVID campaigns risk appearing tone-deaf to this change so ad testing will be vital in helping brands to get it right.

Far from being an area to cut back on, market research is an essential investment, crucial for helping brands to navigate a new normal, and enabling them to establish a position of strength.

To find out how we can support you with any of the areas mentioned in this blog post, please get in touch with your local Kadence office.

A few weeks ago, something extraordinary happened.

We ran out of eggs.

There were, quite literally, no eggs to be found anywhere in our little corner of South West London.

I was devastated.

It wasn’t until I couldn’t get my hands on any that I really appreciated how fundamental eggs were to my daily diet. And it got me thinking about how (please forgive me) ‘eggs-traordinary’ this current time is, for a number of reasons.

I wouldn’t be able to tell you how many times I’ve asked a focus group, depth interviewee or online community what they’d do if a certain product or service that we are investigating suddenly disappeared. Deprivation questions are tried and tested qual tools. But they rely on respondents hypothesizing about how they might react in a scenario in which everyday products aren’t available.

The truth is, we’re now living in that scenario.

We’ve had many clients asking us whether they should be doing research now. But this is why, as strange as it may sound, now is the perfect time to conduct research.

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Consumers are now keenly aware of the products and brands they value in their lives – be that eggs, loo roll, or self-raising flour. They are more able than ever before to tell us why they are so important to them – because they have had to live through the realities of living without.

And there’s another, even more important dimension at play here too. Not only are we feeling the lack of products and brands more keenly – our expectations of the roles that brands play not just in our lives, but in society as a whole have dramatically shifted. As beer brands and fashion houses alike pivot towards producing hand sanitizer for health services, we’re seeing a shift towards an expectation that brands will pitch in to play their part in overcoming the pandemic.

For brands to survive in the post-pandemic world, they don’t just need to tap into an understanding of how and why their products matter to consumers, they need to understand how expectations are changing, and how that might affect their brand strategy in the future.

Infographic

If you would like to learn more about this study or our work with veterinarians or the animal health sector, please reach out to Hatty Gittins hgittin[email protected] or submit a research project brief here.

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In times gone by (which, despite feeling like years ago, I only mean the start of 2020!) if you were in the UK, and making small talk, you would reference the weather. In Singapore, you would ask “have you taken breakfast?” But there is now a new form of small talk. At the start of any news article, blog, meeting or catch up with family, it is now customary to reference the ‘crazy times’ that we live in – and you have to reference ‘the virus’. It begins with small talk, but make no mistake – what we are living through is the dawn of a ‘new normal’ and the sooner we start thinking about ‘what next’ and not about ‘what used to be’ the better countries, companies and consumers will be.

This is an anthropological examination, the likes of which has never been seen before. The ability to assess how governments and populations deal with the exact same crisis at the exact same time will be discussed for years to come. Hopefully, something is learned from this tragic situation, something to reduce the risk in the future. Writing in the Economist this month Bill Gates feels there must be dramatic innovations in vaccines, home diagnostics and antiviral drugs for us to be able to combat another pandemic. However, Gates also references Winston Churchill, speaking in 1942, as Britain had just won its first land victory “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Gates feels that things must change.

A global crisis is nothing new. Neither is the talk about ‘change’. The last recession in the late 2000s saw the rise of Uber, Airbnb and Pinterest. In fact, looking back through history, we can begin to notice a pattern that extends beyond the startup ecosystem: Apple, Microsoft, General Electric, IBM, General Motors, Burger King, CNN, and Disney were all founded during recessions. But this time, in 2020, all the rules have changed.

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In the past, even during recessions, there were those that suffered economically and those that prospered. Whilst this is still likely to be the case, the type of suffering that is hitting markets is unique. Retailers are shut. Restaurants are shut. Production lines are shut. Airlines are grounded. Every person has been impacted. And as a result how we think about brands, how we rationalize our purchase habits, how we determine what is now an ‘essential’ spend has perhaps been changed forever. As was stated in a Forbes article – How we work, exercise, shop, learn, communicate, and of course, where we work, will be changed forever!

Whilst the temptation is to throw hands in the air and proclaim that ‘nobody knows what’s happening’ is strong. If you watch, if you listen, if you immerse, brands will be able to pick up important clues as to how to navigate these changes. Social media groups are rallying round small businesses. Facebook groups are being set up to identify the brands that ‘deserve’ your money. Brands with billionaire owners, taking advantage of government support packages are being called out as immoral. Now is the time to look, listen and to plan. Whilst I am of course bias, now is perhaps the most important time to invest in your research and strategy teams. Seeking inspiration, insight and ideas from others is perhaps the best use of your time. There will be brands that get it right, and brands that get it wrong. That has always been the case, but somehow, now the stakes feel higher now.  None of us know when the crisis will be over. However, we can be sure that the companies that do survive, will be the ones that grasp what is the ‘new normal’ faster than those that don’t.

Kadence Boston, in partnership with 2020 Research, has been running an online community to understand the impact COVID-19 is having on US consumers. Before we launched this community one month ago, we thought long and hard about whether this was the right thing to do. We didn’t want this research to be perceived as taking advantage of the situation for our own marketing purposes. In the end, we decided to go for it, because we are market researchers and our job is to study, and help our clients understand, consumers. As expected, we are learning a lot, but what we didn’t anticipate was just how much our participants would also benefit from this community.

Participants in our COVID Community have been exceptional, in terms of the level of effort they put into their responses, as well as the time they have put into reading and responding in thoughtful, considerate ways to other participants’ posts. We expected participation in the community to be slightly more active than normal, given how many Americans are out of work and staying home due to COVID-19, but we’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of commitment and involvement we’ve seen.

After nearly everyone enthusiastically accepted our invite to extend the community into a third week, we decided to ask what they like about being part of this community. Their responses verify many of the benefits of communities and other online qualitative research methods, not only for researchers but also for research participants.

  • Expressing thoughts and feelings in writing requires greater introspection and thought, which fosters deeper levels of insight.

“By recording how I’m feeling or what I did today, I’m able to see patterns of behavior and thought in myself. I also like having questions that make me think of months ahead since that’s been tough to really visualize lately.” 

– Abby, NYC
  • Being remote and not knowing other participants provides enough anonymity where people feel they can be more open and honest than they might be with their usual circle of friends and family.

“Feel a bit freer to speak my mind on some subjects more honestly. With family or friends, it can be more difficult if they are having a hard time now or have very strong opinions that vary from mine.”

– Ralph, LA
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  • It can be difficult to navigate COVID-19 conversations with friends and family without venturing into polarizing issues, like politics. In highly emotional times like now, communities can provide a therapeutic outlet for consumers to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of damaging relationships. This would also be the case when researching a sensitive, personal topic.

“It’s therapeutic to share [my opinion] without having to hear an argument about why I may be wrong.”

– Patrick, LA
  • Like our obsession with reality TV, we enjoy sneaking a peek into the daily lives of others. Through the community, consumers can see how others are living and coping through COVID-19, which can be reassuring, inspiring, helpful, even entertaining.

“It’s also been so helpful reading everyone else’s responses, tips, tricks and stories. You can really get stuck in a pattern talking to the same types of people in your life.”

– Abby, NYC
  • Similarly, consumers are curious to hear first-hand accounts of others’ feelings and perspectives around the country. Exposure to other community members’ written and video responses each day can elicit feelings of connection and empathy. Realizing your similarities, and better understanding your differences, can bring about feelings of comradery and hope.

“It’s also good to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Everyone has a different perspective. They look at things from different angles and looking through the responses, you see the different fears. Their different beliefs, the different struggles that people have in how they’re dealing with them.”

– Michael, Chicago

“I was surprised to see that I have more in common with other people in this group than I thought.” 

– Diego, Houston

Especially now, at a time when we are craving human connection more than ever, online communities and other online qualitative methods are ideal for understanding consumers’ thoughts, feelings, behaviors, needs, expectations and for exploring new ideas.

If you are interested in learning more about these methods, tune into our webinar on April 15th at midday EDT. It’s not too late to register, just click here.

In the recent weeks we’ve been inundated with announcements by what seems like every company in America, large and small, announcing their approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. With much of the country at home, following the news, shopping online, viewing content and using social media more than before, American consumers are paying close attention to how brands are making them feel. Social media is swarming with consumer commentary on corporations’ responses. Brands have never been more in the spotlight and under such scrutiny. Now is a key moment for brands to define their identity and core values to consumers through their response.

As part of our COVID-19 qualitative market research study with 2020 Research, we asked our community of 30 Americans from Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York City to weigh in with their thoughts on how brands have responded to this pandemic.

Here are 10 key insights from our community for companies to consider as they strategize their ongoing response and communication in this new reality.

HOW SHOULD BRANDS COMMUNICATE TO CONSUMERS?

1. Avoid Email Overload

Early emails communication was appreciated but by mid-March consumers quickly became annoyed as corporate communication routinely flooded their inboxes day after day. Consumers have stopped reading them all because many seem to include a “blanket response”, explaining that companies are following CDC guidelines. Companies who sent their first email late into the crisis risk getting noticed for the wrong reasons. They come across as a disingenuous, “purely PR” response.

“I’ve been up to my navel in ‘response’ emails, seems like it’s anyone I’ve ever ordered from or used. I was fine with them at first but they’re getting a bit irritating as they continue to try to keep you updated.” – Boomer, Houston

Consumers do appreciate emails that personally affect them, like updates from local grocery stores and restaurants notifying customers of their closing, shopping hours, new safety measures and sales notifications for needed items.

2. Actions speak louder than ads

Brands that have made a memorable, positive impression on consumers have responded by taking real action and implementing change, not through passive communication. Consumers recall hearing about companies’ positive actions in the news, social media, radio, or podcasts. They find secondary reports more credible than hearing about a company’s response through ads or direct marketing communications. However, consumers’ first-hand experience with brands, in store or online, can completely derail or reinforce their perceptions of a company’s response.

HOW SHOULD BRANDS RESPOND TO COVID-19?

Consumers expect companies to be aware of how this pandemic is impacting our lives and empathetic to how this crisis is making us feel. They appreciate brands that have responded in ways that align with their prioritized values, putting people first and contributing in helpful ways.

3. DO: Prioritize people over profit

Above all else, consumers appreciate company leaders that have shown they care about their employees, like paying them though the shutdown, distributing executive salaries, giving raises to front-line workers, providing protective gear to staff.

“Patagonia and other retailers are continuing to pay employees while stores are closed…I think Patagonia’s response to COVID-19 will continue to motivate me to shop there more and support their brand.” – Millennial, Chicago

4. DON’T: Put business first

In contrast, consumers have negative perceptions of companies that put off closing or implementing equipment and efforts to protect the health of their employees and customers.

“[One shipping company] have kept regular all day business hours, they are not providing their front line staff that deals with the public proper cleaning or safety gear…They haven’t implemented any social distancing rules and at any moment it gets crowded.” – Gen X, Chicago

Consumers are especially critical of major corporations that, despite rising stock prices, are not increasing compensation for their over-extended employees, or paying employees for extended time off due to COVID-19. Some even go out of their way to investigate workers’ perspectives and will write off companies for not treating employees right.

“I’m frustrated that many lower wage workers are getting screwed over when they need the most protection. It’s difficult to see [some delivery] companies … rising in the stock markets.” – Gen Z, NYC

5. DO: Contribute to the solution

Companies and wealthy individuals that have donated generous resources to support the greater goal of saving lives have made a very positive impression on consumers, stimulating feelings of optimism, hope and American pride.

Consumers are most impressed by company leaders that are repurposing their operations to produce or acquire much-needed medical supplies, like Microsoft, Tesla, Apple, GM, Dyson, Medtronic, MyPillow.com and Gap.

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“Corsair turned their gin bottling process into making hand sanitizer … I love the ingenuity, creativity, and response in a time of need. I had never tried their liquor products before, I went straight out and bought a bottle of their gin and one of their whiskey products.” – Millennial, LA

They also admire brands in hard-hit industries, like Hotels.com, that are proactively supporting the greater cause despite their losses.

6. DON’T: Be passive

Consumers are critical of major corporations and moguls that have not donated money or resources towards sourcing medical supplies, judging them as greedy, unethical, and reassessing their relationship with these brands.

Similarly, many are angered by brands that are not taking any action or trivializing the pandemic.

“One specific company that I buy from weekly did not say anything about it. I had to ask via Instagram comments. The owner finally did answer after many comments…called it a “virus scare” which was annoying and turned me off from her company. I felt like she was downplaying what is actually a pandemic.” – Gen Z, LA

7. DO: Adapt to customer needs

Consumers applaud companies that quickly recognized people’s changing needs and adapted to meet these needs in creative and thoughtful ways. These businesses have revamped their operations processes to protect customers and employees and created innovative new services and solutions to help customers. While other companies are adopting these trends, the early adopters and innovators made a memorable impression.   

“With contactless shopping services.  I’ve always enjoyed shopping at CVS over Walgreens but this move that they’ve made has made me take another look at them.” – Gen X, Chicago

8. DO: Support non-customers

Brands that are also extending their services and offers to non-customers are bringing in more potential customers and improving their overall brand image. Consumers view these companies as caring, generous, thoughtful and report intentions to support them in the future.

“CorePower Yoga made a number of their on-demand videos free for anyone so people who do boutique classes can still keep active. I usually can’t even afford yoga normally in NYC, but I’ve been using it! It makes me want to invest in them in the future when I can!” – Gen Z, NYC

9. DON’T: Disregard customer needs

Consumers are put off by companies that have been insensitive to their needs. Grocery stores and retailers that were slow to follow the changes and safety measures taken by their competitors are seen as uncaring and profit-driven. Large retailers that have increased prices in the wake of COVID-19 anger consumers who now view them as greedy and profit-driven. Communication that is irrelevant or insensitive to consumers’ feelings and needs in this new reality negatively affects consumers’ perceptions of the brand. 

“I have received a few emails about “you need to schedule an appointment for us to upgrade/install new HVAC” to protect your air quality.  I found this unprofessional and unethical…trying to play on people’s fears to earn some extra bucks is wrong.”  – Gen X, Chicago

10. Remember, we’re all human.

While consumers recognize that companies are run by people who, like all of us, have never experienced this amount of change and uncertainty; in a matter of weeks, we set expectations for how brands should and should not respond during this unprecedented crisis. Now, more than ever, consumers crave connection and they are connecting most with companies that have shown they care more about people than profit, through their actions, not just their words.

In this highly emotional time, consumers are likely to remember brands that really stood out through their response, both positively and negatively. How brands are responding to COVID-19 is influencing consumers’ perceptions, awareness, consideration, usage, loyalty, and their future intentions with brands.

But it’s not too late to take action to improve brand perceptions. It is critical that companies stay aware of what consumers are currently feeling, thinking, needing and expecting from them right now. Play offense and engage in conversations with consumers. When companies care enough to respond directly to critical consumer feedback in places like social media, perceptions can shift. Connect at the human level in ways that demonstrate empathy, care and support, not just for your customers, but for everyone in the country, for humans around the world.  

For additional insights by industry, or additional information on our community or capabilities, reach out to [email protected].

Disclaimer:  Quotations from community participants have not been fact-checked and are not necessarily representative of the views of Kadence International.

In this unprecedented time of COVID-19, the world around us is changing daily, hourly, even by the minute, as news is near-instantly disseminated online and circulated via social media. In America, as in many other countries, the coronavirus has upended our economy, healthcare systems, jobs, and our daily lives. Our behaviors, feelings, needs, perceptions, attitudes, and hopes are different now than they were just one month ago, and more change is inevitable as COVID-19 cases continue to increase across the nation. Now, perhaps more than ever, real-time insight into consumers’ lives and minds is critical for businesses and organizations to understand how best to move forward in this new reality.   

Thankfully, online communities are an ideal method for conducting consumer research right now. Communities are conducted remotely, offering consumers privacy, flexibility and time to participate at their convenience, which results in more honest, thoughtful, less biased responses. Highly flexible, communities facilitate qualitative deep dives, quick quantitative checks, and ethnographic approaches, as consumers can give us a detailed peak into their homes, behaviors, and feelings through videos and photos.

Kadence International’s Boston team recently launched our own insight community, in association with 2020 Research, to get a deeper understanding on how COVID-19 is really impacting Americans. Our Pandemic PoV Community includes 30 adults, representing a broad range of ages, from four geographically dispersed cities: NYC, Chicago, Houston and LA.

In this time where people are social distancing and isolating from others, our community members have welcomed the opportunity to socialize, frequently engaging in conversations, sharing their daily thoughts and feelings in writing, along with videos, photos, memes, articles, media content, tips and more.

What’s immediately clear from our community is that people are very emotional right now. Some feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, sad, frustrated, angry, or bored. But across the board, regardless of age, gender, or location, everyone is feeling anxiety, worry and fear.

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What is the primary source of Americans’ fear and angst? Uncertainty.

We fear the unknown, and right now there is a whole lot that is unknown. COVID-19 is elusive, often compared to a snake or alligator in our community. In the media, we even hear some of the “experts” openly questioning their understanding of the virus and the extent to which this will impact America.

Americans have so many unanswered questions right now surrounding COVID-19. Our community questions:

  • The statistics: How accurate are the latest numbers? How many people actually have it but haven’t been tested? How long has it been in the US? How many people had it before we had available tests? How many are asymptomatic?
  • The media: What information/news can I trust? Is anyone in the media impartial?
  • Our resources: Are there enough tests available? Can our healthcare system really not handle the current/future demand? When will we have effective drugs or a vaccine?
  • The virus: Did I or someone I know have it earlier this winter before I even knew about it? Can I be tested to determine if I previously had it? How do I know if I really have it vs. allergies, a cold or the regular flu?
  • Our behaviors: Do I really need to be isolating or in quarantine? Am I doing enough to protect myself and my family? Was I ever in close contact with someone with it? Do I really need to wash my groceries and packages? Did I wash my hands enough?
  • The future: Is this going to be over soon? What will life be like then? How many will die? Will anyone I know get it? Will I get it? How will this affect my finances? What is going to happen to our economy? How will I pay my bills? How will this affect my kids? Will it come back again?

With so much uncertainty, exacerbated by around-the-clock news alerts, on top of the upheaval of our normal lives, our sense of stability and control has been toppled by fear and angst.

But there is light in the dark. Americans are proactively finding ways to cope and combat these negative feelings. Many in our community have discovered multiple silver linings in this new way of life. They are embracing this quality time with their spouse and kids, slowing their pace, connecting more with others in new and creative ways, creating, crafting, cooking, baking, learning, completing projects, working with their hands, helping others, exercising more, eating less, practicing self-care, spending less, reprioritizing what’s important and finding new appreciation for all of the freedoms we used to take for granted.

By sharing insights and implications from our community, like this, we hope to help companies and our society as a whole better understand how to support people through this period of rapid change. We also urge companies to consider conducting their own branded communities to not only learn from, but to better communicate with, their customers. If you would like to learn more about our communities, please contact me at [email protected] or download our online methodologies best practice guide.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to spread across the world, it can be a little hard to be optimistic at times; doctors and specialists still do not completely understand the virus itself, containment efforts have not been 100% effective, and the negative economic fall-out in many markets is massive. It is not the first time the world dealt with a fast-spreading virus, and indeed, pessimists like to point out that this only goes to show that the global community has not learnt one thing about epidemic control from any of the past occurrences

That said, though, the ‘glass-half-full’ set can also confidently say that depending on where you look, there are potential learnings that can be made even as the situation does not seem to be improving anytime soon. We at Kadence like to believe that every problem presents an opportunity for ‘kaizen’ (the Japanese concept of ‘constant improvements’), as we present 3 examples to prove our case:

1.     The opportunity to road-test Advanced Technology in Medical Science

It is sometimes the case that technological breakthroughs are created before a real-world use case exists, which means said breakthroughs are not necessarily relevant or have a strong market need until much later. In the case of COVID-19, however, the speed and pervasiveness with which the virus is spreading means that technological solutions are needed urgently, on top of advances in vaccination creation. From the examples below, we see that the ‘tech’ is being deployed to help and that it is not even necessarily linked to the medical field:

a)     Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning: Data scientists and researchers at Wuhan University are using programs powered by AI and ML technology to track and monitor the spread of the virus  

b)     Robots: To minimize person-to-person infections, US medical teams have deployed robots to provide care for persons diagnosed with the virus. Vital measures are being taken through the robot, and the information is then related to medical teams outside of the isolation zones

c)     Drones: The Chinese government is using drones to monitor and ensure that its citizens in at-risk cities to adhere to public health safety guidelines. Fitted with loudspeakers, identified rule-breakers will be given audio instructions, such as ‘stay indoors’ or ‘put a mask on’

2.     The opportunity of making remote working the ‘new-normal’

Prior to the outbreak, remote working tends not to be the norm in a lot of Asian work cultures: for various reasons, even though it is an increasingly encouraged in various markets, ‘going to work’ still means heading to the office for 8 hours (or more) of completing tasks with fellow co-workers, in-person. For geographically compact countries like Singapore, commuting does not present that much of an issue, compared to somewhere like Japan, where long distances to and from work is a norm that ‘salarymen’ reckon with

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However, in view of the COVID-19 virus, to minimize contact which potentially increases the likelihood of infections, nearly all companies in both markets now implement a certain degree of remote working to ensure that businesses continue to operate while adhering to public health measures. For example, Yahoo Japan used to stipulate that employees who need to work from home for circumstantial reasons can only do so for up to 5 days in a month; following the outbreak, that limitation has been removed.

Regardless when the whole situation blows over, these work-from-home arrangements have presented itself as the best time for various non-physical modes of co-working to be tested and perfected; experienced remote workers know that while the technology has been present for many years (most companies will use at least one platform or another to facilitate conferencing within and outside of the organization), the rules of engagement and methods of effectively working together have not really been established. While no one wishes for another pandemic to put it to the test again, when the necessity arises, capitalizing on the moment to iron out the best ways of working remotely can only be a good thing in the long run

3.     The opportunity for humor: improving one’s daily life through creativity

At the height of the virus’ spread across China, as part of its containment effort, residents in major cities like Shanghai were asked to stay home and not return to work, even after the official week-long Chinese New Year break in late January/early February. While some initially relished the extended break, the attendant closure of public leisure facilities soon made it clear that staying home was not going to be as easy as they thought it would be. Not long after a week passed did citizens start to compare the act of staying home akin to ‘imprisonment’, and boredom and restlessness quickly set-in, once entertainment options were exhausted

The more imaginative Chinese started to look for ways to entertain themselves and put their creative skills to the test. It is most apparent in this particular contest, organized by a local English-language magazine, to see how artistic Shanghainese can get when it comes to ‘pimping’ their face masks, a vital ‘first line of defense’ in the act of protecting oneself from the virus

While some may feel that this is an act which trivializes the gravity of the situation in China, others can argue that contextually, there needs to be a psychological ‘outlet’, a salve for the average person to let off some steam, such that they do not get consumed by the prevailing mood of paranoia, suspicion, uncertainty and helplessness. Also, China is no stranger to social media fads, and as far as this contest goes, at least it encourages contestants to put their free time to good use, as opposed to more mindless online shopping or social commentary   

All the above examples highlight a fundamental truth about crises in general: while we cannot control what happens, we can certainly control how we react to events. The ingenious chooses to exercise creativity when tackling problems, leveraging lateral thinking for solutions, while the flexible work their way around problems. Having a little fun along the way never hurts, and it certainly helps to reduce the stress of dealing with all the uncertainties of a medical emergency that are still unfolding day-by-day.