Open for business, it’s the only reality that counts.

Yet again Christmas as normal proves elusive.  If it wasn’t clear before, it’s starkly so now - living with Covid and a future uncertainty factor is the reality.  New normal, back to the old normal, or some other kind of normal is wishful thinking.  What isn’t is making best use of the situations that present themselves. Having the ability to adapt, the agility to respond and the humility to react will be the markers of success.

That’s the situation we all find ourselves in.  So, in the spirit of this goodwill season, here’s a take on what’s happened in our world over the last twelve months. If it helps some gain a reality check or perspective on their operations and brand performance, then great.  We conduct our business across all sectors of the consumer economy and have gained some valuable insight into how brands have responded to challenges and what ingredients are common across sectors.

The one common strand that affected all our clients was having normality turned on its head.  For some sectors, especially hospitality and automotive, the effects were more structural and profound than others.  The ripple effects of an inconsistent return to operations across the globe is still impacting the automotive market severely – manifest in the chip shortage – intensifying the pain of the national transport economy being halted.  Hospitality was affected by more local factors – changing public health guidance and labour market changes (Brexit) – and rode the roller coaster without ever really being able to properly plan ahead.

Other sectors adapted fast and responded to meet vastly changing customer needs and demands. Across insurance, financial services, supermarkets, white goods, energy, DIY retail and others we observed a consistent recognition of the realities faced.  The central driver in their brand operations – whether online, on-pack or in-store – was the acknowledgement that whatever the challenges faced, customers were still there, still expecting services and goods. The patterns of commerce and customer communications may have become more volatile, but the fact organisations adapted to respond kept the engines running. 

Now, here’s the other common thread.  We experienced a record level of interest in 2021.  We could pat ourselves on the back and attribute it to how we go about our business, but there is a telling factor driving much of the uptick in demand.  When tactical, responsive and high-visibility marketing actions are required to position brands, to retain customers, to reward customer-loyalty and interactions, to sharpen competitiveness, to promote credentials amid this volatility, to show leadership then sales promotions, customer incentives and rewards, and complementary brand partnerships are a brand’s best friend.  The ability to be agile, swift to market and deliver value at low marginal cost is of huge value to a brand navigating the challenges of the day.  ‘Normal’ operations were facing unprecedented disruptions, so having the ability to act positively with no additional disruption was priceless to those clients we partnered with.

And for all those clients we renewed a relationship with, our new clients and our loyal ones the greatest ‘win’ was the positive effect experienced by their customers.  People had enough to deal with, so pro-active brand leadership, adding a little extra value, and delivering unexpected customer delights resulted in customer response and take-up that challenged the norms of the industry (and surprised us in many cases). Taking the view that the only reality is we all still need customers, the ‘Lock-in effect’ enabled many brands to thrive in the time when survive was a real concern. 

It’s obvious that we’d advocate any brand to experience our unique blend of offers, promotional partners and creativity. What we would implore all brands to do is understand where promotional marketing can aid their strategies, irrespective of how they deploy, or who with. The reality is that brands in a position to hit the ground running in 2022 will win. Irrespective of the latest new normal discussed in the media.