I am Both Frightened & Optimistic
Author’s Note: I wrote a series of essays during the "unprecedented" year that was indeed like no other -- 2020. The audience was mostly marketers, but I think many of the lessons learned apply to many of us and will last far beyond the time that the word "unprecedented" (thankfully!) no longer describes the world we live in. This one is about the need to own our fear and anxiety but find a way through it.
Volume 1: March 2020
Our so-called new normal has been, and still is, quite the shock to just about every facet of human life. No conversation about this issue can start with anything but an acknowledgment of the personal impact to each and every one of us. For me, as I “shelter in place” I have had more time to reflect. And I find myself thinking about my favorite symbol – the ampersand. Personally, the & has always had a lot of meaning for me. So much so, that it is tattooed on my ankle. I have always believed in the power of & -- being a good mother & having a meaningful career; being successful & being kind; loving to travel & loving coming home. But now, in the face of COVID-19, I have found another way to be comforted by my &.
I am both frightened about the present & optimistic and planning for the future.
And that is not just a hopeful or optimistic outlook, it is my job.
As a leader I know I need to not simply see the opening in the sky, but I need to inspire, enable and empower others to push right through it.
Even amidst great uncertainty, as communications and marketing leaders, we must paint a picture of the future -- of what’s possible and how brands can, and should, be a part of that future. Believe me I fully understand an instinct to lay low, or even sit this one out. And I also understand that as someone who makes a living as a marketer, this sentiment may seem fluffy or self-serving but consider this:
The wheels of our economy need to keep turning so workers are paid and families are fed. Those wheels will turn best when they are lubricated. One of the best lubricants of our economy that I can think of is impactful marketing.
That’s where marketers come in.
We are not health professionals or economists – thankfully we have people who are. We need to support them as they do their jobs to keep us safe. But we need to do ours too – and at the risk of sounding a little haughty, with the practical reality of what is happening to our global economy, plying our trade – marketing – truly does have an important societal purpose.
We need to drive demand like never before. We will be publishing our thoughts on brand in these “interesting times” on a regular basis in the coming days, weeks and months if needed. But for now, I will start with the two most important insights I have picked up over many decades – and many more major business-impacting events. And they are related.
Work smart to retain your existing customers and remember tomorrow will come.
Out of sight means out of mind. Brands need to keep in touch with their customers or risk losing them. We all know that is cheaper to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one. In times like this, it might seem like easiest course is to batten down the hatches—cut back, stay low, just hope to survive, after all, who wants to fight what might seem like a losing battle at a time when brands assume most consumers don’t want to hear from them?
We know that consumers actually do want to hear from the brands they trust. So that’s exactly what we need to do.
We need to help our clients keep the brand light burning, because the cost of dimming it, or snuffing it out completely for the rest of 2020 and then trying to reignite it next year is enormous. I have learned firsthand that great brands build their equity during crises like this.
Look after yourself, look after your brand and – together – we will all get through this.