COVID-19 could potentially reshape people’s shopping habits based on the way that businesses respond to the crisis. Canvas8 spoke to semiotics expert Soma Ghosh to learn how brands are honing their communications to reassure and empower audiences – and win their loyalty in the process.
Scope
“Contemporary culture and branded culture overwhelmingly suggest that we are invulnerable and in control of our lives,” explains Soma Ghosh, a senior analyst and director at Practical Semiotics, addressing the immediate challenge facing brands as they seek to respond ‘authentically’ and impactfully to the COVID-19 crisis. “Now we’re in a time when people want community because it’s being taken away from them. People want to feel safe and they want to be useful. They’re looking to [brands] to re-situate the self-esteem and sense of belonging that many people get from going to work and hanging out with their friends.” [1]
- 1. Interview with Soma Ghosh conducted by the author
- 2. 'Just 8% of consumers think brands should stop advertising due to the coronavirus outbreak', Marketing Week (March 2020)
- 3. 'Twitter publishes new research on what consumers want to see from brands during COVID-19', Social Media Today (April 2020)
- 4. 'Coronavirus is 'the great equalizer,' Madonna tells fans from her bathtub', CNN (March 2020)
- 5. 'Thriving in the new normal', Thrive Global (March 2020)
- 6. 'Coronavirus: stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives - web version', Gov.uk (April 2020)
- 7. 'Pret A Manger’s COVID-19 response earns admiration from the British public'. YouGov (April 2020)
- 8. 'Remote work increasing exponentially due to COVID-19', Netskope (March 2020)
- 9. 'Half working from home during lockdown are unhappy with work-life balance, survey finds', People Management (April 2020)
- 10. '‘I just need the comfort’: processed foods make a pandemic comeback', The New York Times (April 2020)
- 11. '‘The Office’ is Netflix’s most popular show, even though it was made for and originally aired on an old-school broadcast network. Oh, the irony', The Chicago Tribune (July 2019)
- 12. 'Over half of Americans prefer purchasing cars rather than leasing', YouGov (October 2018)
- 13. 'American Airlines returns to brand marketing after four-year hiatus', The Drum (April 2020)
- 14. 'People record messages to themselves in six months' time in Nationwide's coronavirus ads', Ad Age (April 2020)
- 15. Edelman Trust Barometer 2020 - Special report: brand trust and the coronavirus pandemic', Edelman (March 2020)
- 16. 'Cardi B & Fashion Nova will give away $1,000 an hour until May 20', Highsnobiety (April 2020)
- 17. 'America’s heroism trap', Slate (April 2020)
- 18. 'Tesco's lockdown 'food love stories' let people dedicate their cooking to loved ones', Ad Age (April 2020)
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