Brands That Survived the Pandemic Met New Societal Needs

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Twitter's Caitlin Rush encourages brands to take a people-first approach to problem-solving. Below, in her own words, she shares the example of Uber's effective response during pandemic lockdown—which led to positive sentiment on Twitter—and three ways for brands to keep authenticity and fulfillment at the forefront. It probably doesn’t need to be said that the last 19 months changed our lives in ways we couldn’t have imagined before. The pandemic required us to evolve the way we lived, worked and connected with loved ones, and businesses needed to reevaluate their service models and priorities to continue serving their customers' and employees' changing needs. Ride-sharing apps took a particularly hard hit and faced an existential challenge—when lockdowns began in March of 2020, dramatically fewer of us were going anywhere, and we had no idea when it would end. Suddenly, people’s needs changed: We didn’t need a safe ride home after a night out; we needed the peace of mind to be tested for Covid-19, we needed the reassurance that fundamental pieces of our lives would remain intact and, once they were available, we needed access to vaccines. Uber put people and their needs at the center of their response with their #MoveWhatMatters campaign, urging us to stay home and donating 10 million free rides and food deliveries to those most impacted by the crisis. Uber became an enabler—for testing, for voting, for vaccinations. The company focused on how its service, the value it offers to the world, could meet our new, collective needs with a remarkable shift in focus and problem-solving. And it paid off—not only did Uber drive a 33% lift in positive sentiment on Twitter, but it saw its best quarter ever and recently received recognition with Adweek's Media Plan of the Year awards. This is exactly the shift we need to make to solve many of our most complicated business challenges. For a challenge like brand safety—one that has historically been tackled ineffectively through reactive, one-off solutions—this means pivoting to a more powerful and sustainable solution by focusing on the protection and safety of people. For marketers, putting people at the center means thinking about what your brand can do to fulfill people’s basic needs. At the end of the day, people simply want to feel comfortable, feel confident and feel like they contribute. In order to help fulfill these needs, brands should do these three things: Listen to what people are saying, both online and off. Hearing what people say and how they feel—from both your fans and detractors—gives you a window into how your products and services are perceived and used in the real world and can shape your promotion and messaging plans.Build your community. Listening is a great start, but leveraging what you hear to find your biggest fans and create a true connection with the communities that care about you and challenge you gives you a competitive advantage. It also enables you to be bolder, more provocative and more truly yourself.Showcase people with diverse voices. Brands have an incredible opportunity to celebrate, learn from and support the people and communities who use their products and services—and who so often lack critical reflections of themselves in the world. Authenticity is crucial: Don’t speak on their behalf. Hand over the mic and give them a platform they might otherwise never get. When we put people first, we shift the way we solve problems. Stay focused on people—what they are saying, what they are doing, what they need from your brand. Leaning into this, marketers can advance in their efforts to grow their brands and remain relevant.

Columnist Network

Brands That Survived the Pandemic Met New Societal Needs

Lessons from Uber's response during lockdown

Caitlin Rush

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Caitlin Rush