In ‘Covid-19 is not a brief: Revisited ’ we take a look back at our first ever manifesto and consider how brands communicate their impact, especially in times of crisis. From the manifesto, I have pulled out three main takeaways that brands need to consider when communicating their impact:
1. Companies start to play it safe
The last 12 months have inevitably changed the way that stakeholders interact with brands, as more people recognise the power that the private sector has to push for positive change. Employees and consumers alike want to align themselves with, and put their time and money behind, the brands that prioritise and communicate their positive impact for the planet, their people and their communities.
2. 2020 was not just about the pandemic
2020 was a year that, alongside the pandemic, saw climate change reach a tipping point, the curtain pulled back on systemic racial injustice, and huge political moments like the US presidential election and Brexit. All these events influenced consumer and employee behavior in different ways – and different issues matter more to different audiences. The brands that translated their positive impact with each of these in mind will sustain more strongly beyond the crisis.
3. Double down on your impact
Whether you believe 2020 has fundamentally changed the needs and expectations of your audiences or not – bringing your focus to defining and articulating the impact you make will never be a wasted exercise. This doesn’t mean picking a cause that your business will support, rather communicating your company’s main values-driven principal: its reason for being. Making meaningful decisions in a time of crisis means drawing on your core purpose and acknowledging how you can make an impact in a way that still makes sense to your business and speaks to your audiences – both internal and external.
We are Rationale
Rationale is a brand and communications agency that creates impact through storytelling, campaigns, creative, strategy, editorial and more. We work closely with our clients to define, articulate and amplify what matters most to their audiences – and we put purpose at the heart of everything we do.
