Be a source of safety (of some kind) for them.
Before this pandemic, building enduring brand equity was inextricable from delivering it via products. Covid-19 has required brands to think about product-agnostic ways to reaffirm their essence in the lives of their consumers. Yeti, Burger King and Heinz (to name just a few) are embodying their essence in new and creative ways. As consumers continue to change in these unprecedented times, so must the brands that serve them. And if done right, they can be people’s port in this storm, and be a source of physiological, mental, emotional and psychological safety to the people they serve.
Empathy demands perspective-taking, vicariously inhabiting the contexts of another, and experiencing their innately human tensions domiciled in those contexts—to such an extent that one feels compelled to act to resolve those tensions. Now, more than ever, the contexts in which people (your brand’s consumers) are living their lives have changed. Adopting the rigor of working on and strengthening your brand’s empathy muscle will yield stronger resonant relationships in our currently uncertain times, but also in the long run.