The show must go on: Trends driving brand experiences in the post-pandemic era

There is something about a crisis that throws brands’ vulnerabilities into the spotlight if COVID-19 is any indication. As the pandemic wreaked havoc across industry value chains, brands suddenly found themselves thrust onto the stage without much time for rehearsals. The show must go on after all, and with audiences being more critical than ever, brands should quickly master the art of improvisation, while traversing uncharted territory.

Amidst all this, what does the future for branding hold? And how must brands tread the marketing communications tightrope to win the favor of the public?

In my agency’s work with clients across industries and various Southeast countries, we have observed a number of recurring marketing communications themes and trends that are seen to last well beyond the pandemic era.

Being More Human and Authentic

Now more than ever before, external and internal stakeholders are seeking brand authenticity. Whether to drive employer branding or to attract and retain clients, brands need to focus on cultivating trust through fostering open communication channels. While most brands don’t want to risk being too vulnerable by exposing cracks for the public to readily see and scrutinize, there is a significant value in being transparent, especially in the face of crisis.

Being more human can make a brand more relatable and easily noticed. From a staff experience perspective, employees and potential employees are increasingly taking into account company culture in their decision to work at organizations. On one hand, this is about internal communications acting as the bridge that strengthens employee connections, reinforces a solid work culture, and empowers staff. On the other hand, an employer brand is also judged

by its behavior — not only internally, but also out in the marketplace. Fostering a sense of purpose and communicating with tact and sensitivity should be a key priority for brands hoping to attract and retain quality employees the same way they are aiming to win over customers.

With a regulatory landscape typified by everchanging measures and pandemic fatigue on the rise, consumers, employees and partners are increasingly searching for security and stability in today’s highly volatile business climate. Brands that are able to position themselves clearly among stakeholders amidst the changes going on are the clear winners.

What matters is displaying what a brand stands for through consistent behavior in terms of business decisions as well as marketing messages. These are the differentiators that define brands way beyond short term transaction partners.

Grounded on Ethics and Transparency

The accelerated pace of digital transformation, which has brought about a surge in data-driven campaigns, calls for brands to reevaluate their existing measures to protect consumer data. As trust becomes the currency governing today’s consumer-centric world, brands should ensure that they are using consumer information responsibly, not just by the letter of the law, but by balancing company and consumer benefits.

Deepening and personalizing customer relationships necessitates not only using more data points but also being transparent on how brands collect and use that information. Brands should reassure consumers that they are using their data responsibly and ethically if they want to achieve sustainable, long-term brand engagement.

Bolstering Agility, Strengthening Omnichannel Presence

While the pandemic has upended industries across the region, COVID-19 has presented a silver lining: More brands have accelerated their digital transformation initiatives, and digital adoption has reached its pinnacle last year along with an immense surge in e-commerce.

Consumer traffic is undoubtedly shifting from offline to online. Brands looking to reach and engage more audiences today and postpandemic need to rethink the value they offer to their customers at various touchpoints across multiple channels.

As brands work on enhancing their agility and speed in switching from offline to online to hybrid approaches, it becomes even more important to eradicate sales and marketing silos that can derail the customer journey. It has now become imperative to identify moments of truth — points at which consumers’ brand perceptions are formed — and ensure that their PR, marketing, content and sales teams are all in alignment as to the technology, cadence, channels and campaign messages to be used and constantly rebalanced.

A Step Towards the Metaverse

We are increasingly seeing the rise of progressive technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and omnichannel voice solutions, which allow brands to deliver more immersive end-to-end customer experiences through visual and audio interactions. This is particularly evident for retail brands, which have been forced to rethink existing touchpoints to stay relevant following the onslaught of the pandemic.

Physical shops have one major advantage over online stores: Customers can see the product in its actual form — leaving nothing to the imagination and engaging multiple senses while having an overall holistic experience. On the other hand, shopping online offers a level of choice and convenience never seen before.

The next frontier is to combine the best of both worlds through technologies like e.g. AR, enabled by SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping), allowing consumers to blend physical aspects with the limitless options of virtual environments.

Beyond AR, AI-enabled voice assistants and customer service kiosks are seen to be a trend driving the future of omnichannel retail, allowing faster navigation through better filtering capabilities, significantly streamlining the order and checkout process. Instead of navigating menus or typing search queries manually, AI-enabled assistants offer shoppers more convenience and speed — delivering smoother customer experiences.

And at the end of the day, this is what strong brands have always been about: delivering experiences that go far beyond a single feature, product or transaction — like a successful show being more than the sum of its acts.