Help me don't sell to me - The business case for being a helpful brand in the time of crisis
- 1. Help me, don’t sell to me earnest-agency.com1©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 The business case for being a helpful brand in a time of crisis
- 2. earnest-agency.com2 They are often framed and understood through the lense of what is lost. As long as crises are allowed to be solely about what is lost, they remain scary and unknowable. But they can also be understood another way. Crises can be seen as an opportunity to do good. An opportunity to reinvent for the better. To pay attention. To listen, to look and to act. Crises create uncertainty
- 3. earnest-agency.com3©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 An opportunity to help. An opportunity to reinvent. An opportunity to care. An opportunity to win trust. An opportunity to reposition. An opportunity to build a brand that really makes a difference to your customers. Crises create opportunity
- 4. earnest-agency.com4©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 78% of people believe brands should help them in their daily lives Source: Kantar; Covid response survey, March 2020 74% of people think companies should not exploit the situation There is a delicate balancing act to get right... Opportunity ≠ opportunism
- 5. So now is the time to become the most helpful brand. Because being helpful is good for business.
- 6. ...and here’s the proof. The public expectations of your company have never been greater… Every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.” Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, Inc. Source: Accenture “ Meaningful brands outperform the stock market by 134%” Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group, Source: Havas “ 80% of purpose led brands outperform the market” Insight 2020, Kantar Millward Brown Source: Entrepreneur “
- 7. People don’t just need you in the short-term during the pandemic. They’re going to need you to endure what comes next...
- 8. earnest-agency.com8©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 Which could be three types of bad... Source: EY Quick recovery A return to normal economic activity in the third quarter of 2020 – a V-shaped recovery 38% 54% 8% Q: What economic scenario is your company currently operating under? Slower rebound A longer period of slower economic activity extending into 2021 – a U-shaped recovery Longer term damage A sustained period of recession, with economic activity not picking up until 2022 at the earliest – an L-shaped recovery
- 9. 9©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 The different economic scenarios all necessitate helping: earnest-agency.com Why being a helpful brand matters Positive visibility during a time of crisis. Going to bat for the businesses that rely on you creates emotional preference and drives longer lasting brand standout. Being a positive and durable brand striving to create a better future for your customers and market is the path to be an industry leader. Quick recovery Slower rebound Longer term damage
- 10. However bad the scenario, people are going to need help. Your help.
- 11. So here are ways you can help
- 12. earnest-agency.com12©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 Take your core offers and fit them to changing circumstances. Zero in on the benefit you can deliver, and double down on getting it to customers in a way that helps them. Be a brand who steps up for their customers. Products and services To help SMEs and charities, Hootsuite is offering free access to it’s Professional plan so they can “stay connected to their customers and audiences” Source: Hootsuite
- 13. earnest-agency.com13©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 Not every business is a consultancy, or wants to be. But everyone has expertise that is valuable - knowledge, know-how and insight that could be put to helpful use. Share what you know, share the secrets of your success. Expert help and guidance LinkedIn is giving away 16 of its training courses for free. Covering topics like productivity, building relationships via digital, using meeting tools and work/life balance. Source: LinkedIn
- 14. earnest-agency.com14©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 How you shape and define your offer to businesses always matters, but never more than when uncertainty is heightened. Build your offers around what customers need, and how they need in a crisis. Commercial-friendly offers Through Savepublife.com Budweiser are running a voucher scheme that doubles the value of consumer spend in pubs. Source: Budweiser
- 15. earnest-agency.com15©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 The idea of co-operative competition is nothing new. Connect your customers and partners together to help build new communities and conquer the challenges we’re all facing, together. The community you’ve built around your business is valuable - unleash that value for the benefit of everyone. Community-building Smart doorbell makers Ring are supporting local communities through the pledge initiative that encourages people to commit to shopping locally. Source: Ring
- 16. earnest-agency.com16©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 Reconnect with your purpose and your values. What are the acts born out of crisis that can define who you are? Give help away for free. Offer advice. Run workshops. Lobby for your customers. Don’t stay in your lane; reach beyond easy to define responses. Going further Facebook is giving away $100m in grants and ad credits to qualiftying SMEs: 1+ year old, <50 employees, and based near a Facebook location. Source: Facebook
- 17. S0 how can Earnest help you?
- 18. earnest-agency.com18©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 Earnest have worked with clients to develop a four step framework for action. It delivers tailored, go-t0-market strategies aimed at maximising the ways our clients can help their customers. Help me, don’t sell to me
- 19. earnest-agency.com19 Step 1 Step 2 Issue Modelling Mapping the audience needs to the ‘Help me, Don’t sell to me’ model ©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 Workshop Validating and refining the audience needs and understanding where you can be most helpful Step 3 Creating the plan Using all the inputs gathered, we will develop a detailed strategy and plan that is easy to manage and implement, with a focus on short term tactic Step 4 Long term plan Development of a longer term brand strategy and future focused tactics looking beyond immediate crisis. Overview of the process
- 20. earnest-agency.com20©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 1 Help me, don’t sell to me E.g. Small Business E.g. Internal issues (staff) E.g. External issues (customers) 1 2 3 4 5 Where does your brand fit? How could you be helpful? Who’s done it well? (brands and resources) Where does your brand fit? How could you be helpful? Who’s done it well? (brands and resources) 1 2 3 4 5 The programme The audience type The kind of issues they’re facing Key issues identified and ranked Identifying your role Spotting strategic opportunities to improve customers situation Examples, evidence and proof of this approach This first step would involve Earnest conducting initial desk research into the audience: their challenges, issues and needs and the ways they are exacerbated by the shock of Covid-19. We have developed an issue modelling tool to make this a quick but the Issue modelling
- 21. earnest-agency.com21©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 2 ‘Help me, don’t sell to me’ workshop N.b. This workshop can take place virtually This workshop with key stakeholders is designed to validate and refine the needs identified through issue modelling. We will look at each of the issues and understand where you can be most helpful. As part of the workshop, Earnest will share an interactive tool that can be used amongst wider stakeholders to gain their inputs and ideas. Workshop alternative If resource & timings do not allow for attendance of a workshop, Earnest build out the solutions that you can offer for each need. This would require Earnest to have access to the relevant stakeholders via one-to-one calls. The interactive tool will also be shared for the wider team in order to limit the number of calls needed but still gain as much insight as possible.
- 22. earnest-agency.com22©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 This strategy is supported by three pillars of activity: Creating the action plan This is about creating ‘quick wins’ that can implemented immediately. We would build a rolling 90 day plan, with regular reviews built in to ensure it’s working. Armed with all the inputs from the workshop and the interactive tool, this step focuses on refining the solutions identified and developing a clear strategy and action plan. 3 Create What can we make that’s new? Curate What can we pull together from existing resources? Act What steps can we take that will a difference?
- 23. earnest-agency.com23©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 3 Create Your organization will be in a position to help in a way that others. Work with your partners in marketing, comms and beyond to figure out what can be created that is bespoke to your organisation for your audience. Create the things your customers and clients need. Design solutions, answer problems, assemble offers. Create the help your market needs. Curate Take stock of resources, skills, products and offers – group them together in audience friendly bundles. Work with industry commentators, engaged people on the ground in businesses and form new partnerships with other experts. Curate what you’re great at and orient it to helping in the short term, and helping build in the medium to long term. Act This is the crunch: how can you help your customers? Being a brand that is there to support businesses in the worst of times, when business as usual is no longer an option, is at the core of help, don’t sell. Acts of help, whether large or small, won’t go unnoticed or unremembered by customers and peers. Helping means taking action.
- 24. 24©Earnest (London) Ltd 2020 4 Long term plan We will work together to develop a future facing strategy for being a helpful and successful brand post crisis. We do this by taking another look at the underlying assets and properties steering your brand. Reassess Realign Reimagine _ Audience research to gather insight into changing needs, attitudes and requirements _ Journey planning to see if/how behaviours have changed _ Audit go-to-market strategy, process and assets _ Evaluation of current brand positioning, marketing plan and sales objectives in context of insights with recommendations _ Asses potential changes to customer facing assets, with special focus on digital properties _ Implement learnings and best practice examples from wider industry _ Specific future facing workshop and outputs _ The art of the possible - how the marketing team can pivot to ensure its on the best footing for the future _ ‘Big Silver Bullets’ - what are the big, outside the box solutions your brand is capable of delivering? earnest-agency.com
- 25. About Earnest Earnest is the award-winning B2B marketing agency that’s chasing out the humdrum in London and New York. We understand that business audiences want to be every bit as inspired, engaged and entertained by brands as consumers are. Because, after all, business people are people too – they just happen to be at work. Want to chat? [email protected]