This year Xmas is sorely needed. With its caring spirit and the warm embrace of wishful thinking, it certainly can't come any sooner.
The pandemic and the political turmoil in the US that has made ripples all over the global economy have taken their toll on everybody all over the world, specially amidst the younger generations, those who saw the pending doom become a reality of their everyday life and will forever be tainted by that knowledge through their most productive years, changing their priorities for good. Through all of it, and early on, every industry and every market watched their plans derailed in less than 2 months, forcing all of them to rethink their strategies, sometimes even reassessing their entire business definition while very, very few adapted fast enough to keep their relevance through the year. The rest have little time to bring their game up. The end of the worst year in our collective memories certainly call for Empathy, the language of a new era in which the harsh conditions demand serene acknowledgment but also, and much more importantly, rely on optimistic and mindful narratives to lead the way forward.
New Year's eve have always meant a new beginning, full of hope for renewed opportunities, better conditions, a fresh start. But in 2021, the dire need for a global reboot will load that moment heavier than ever with expectation. That means everyone's sensitivity will peak by the end of the year, ready to resonate with the messages that can bring comfort and strength, that can make something good out of the serious circumstances but, also, to denounce and shut down the petty stories lurking in the pain to capitalize and profiteer during the hardest of times. Creative and careful crafting of our narrative will be essential to turn the page and bring audiences to our brands these coming season and, in consequence, throughout the entire year. But the clock is ticking louder than ever.
Here are some insights and learnings left by the 2020 to take into consideration for the next 6 weeks:
- Circumstances are still very hard and a lot of people have lost someone dear. Acknowledgement is essential and must not be relinquished, but shouldn't be the key message.
- Because of the hardship, EMPATHY is everything and must guide each and every communication effort and brand narrative throughout 2021.
- Storytelling must prevail. Our narrative should be clear, well crafted, concise, consistent and, above all, evident in every message and interaction. It would be wise to have it all mapped out beforehand and shared among every decision maker and creative involved in the process.
- Home is back. Our dwelling places have become a sanctuary once more and more than ever. It should be acknowledged as such, respected and considered into our entire strategy as a whole, since it is now our home, our office, our school, our playground and much, much more.
- Millennials and Centennials choose to face the moment head on with decisive optimism, embracing their own emotions to drive empathy to bring their tribes together into relevant action in the NOW. This make them stronger than any other generation and should be treated as such, empowering them with encouraging messages aimed to bring them together.
Creatives and storytellers all over the world are busy typing franticly to make the most out of these vanishing last weeks of the year but that won't be enough if we don't have the support and tactical drive of the brands we serve to commit to these new narratives and embrace this new era. Time is running out and decisions need to be made or the opportunity will be lost. The same can be say about relevance and, therefore, business.
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