CURRENT CUSTOMER CONSIDERATION TRENDS
It’s fair to say that our hope for a fresh, positive start to the New Year wasn’t quite met. So far, 2021 far carries us into a further period of limbo, both personally and professionally. For those creating strategy it has been somewhat of a nightmare and we saw a wave of cancelled activations and campaigns in early January following the closure of offline venues and plans to return to the workplace. While the months ahead are far from completely certain, we’re embarking on a new “cautious but irreversible” progress towards a different normal.
With that mind we wanted to collate a list of essential, undoubtable considerations for anyone shaping a social strategy for the remainder of 2021 for audiences, communities and employees.
1. Industries moving online – for good. With industries like hospitality and beauty having been closed for up to nine of the last 12 months in parts of the UK, owners have had to find alternative ways to create revenue. Social media (and other online platforms) have allowed business owners to still offer value to their customers when they cannot touch them with virtual events and digitally adapted product offerings. Websites like Sharmadean Reid’s Beauty Stack, which would usually allow people to book appointments with beauty pros have also expanded into online events, prompting technicians and salon owners to continue sharing knowledge and tutorials, from beauty to more holistic wellness practices. Similarly fitness class companies such as Heartcore and Frame launched online versions of their offerings, which has in turn opened up a customer base across the country, rather than just within physical reach of their studios.
Apps like Big Night found fans during the pandemic, connecting high end restaurants (of the type not generally found on Deliveroo or Just Eat) with delivery systems and patrons looking for ways to elevate dining at home. Buying produce or even digital products from chefs and food organisations will become part of the new normal, transcending the atmosphere of emergency that pervaded last year. Supporting the restaurant industry with buying surplus produce not only ticks the box from a community perspective, but also gives a nod to the problems of food wastage and sustainability. In a time when government support has felt absent for businesses dependent on the public, ventures like these have given industries the chance to lead conversations that affect and represent them.
Additionally, the online migration will upend some anachronistic hallmarks of success for some – as we move into our second year of digital fashion weeks, when once showing at one of the four major weeks (and indeed many of the breakaway calendars like Copenhagen and Shanghai) was the hallmark of success, we are already seeing evidence that creativity can become as equally vital as currency in this new normal.
2. Taking precaution in everyday social situations. Whilst the majority of people are expressing their desire to hug friends and family, it has been predicted that ‘traditional’ traffic flow in public spaces will never quite be the same. Gone are the days that wearing a mask is unusual, or that it’s unreasonable to decline a handshake.
Brands should consider that any event or outdoor activation they run should still consider basic social distancing – or as a minimum, measures which consider apprehension from target consumers who may be nervous to come to close to people outside of their immediate peer groups.
We see a continuation of online events throughout 2021, with them becoming a fundamentally complementary aspect alongside other marketing initiatives. Having seen that digital enrolment and data-gathering is still valuable, continued investment in infrastructure to keep them going will be a major trend for the year.
3. UK travel and staycations. We’re very interested to see how the travel industry shapes itself after the pandemic. It has been predicted that only 1 in 16 UK residents plans to travel abroad this year, whereas pre-pandemic that number would be 1 in 2, half of which would use their passports more than 3 times in a year. Therefore, the number of people taking breaks within their own borders is predicted to exponentially rise.
From a marketing perspective there is a huge opportunity to mirror this stance; from shooting campaigns in local environments (e.g. a sunscreen campaign shot on the Cornish coast rather than a tropical beach) to running influencer campaigns that don’t involve international travel.
4. Membership models and closed communities. With the pandemic came increased screen time, and an unprecedented demand for content – an appetite that we predict will become discerning. While 2020 was the year of ‘doomscrolling’, we see this as the year when consumers adapt to the idea that not all content can be free, and where exchanging your money (or even just data) as a trade-off will become normal.
The infrastructure for this already exists, with subscription services like Patreon meaning that audiences can support creators directly, but the vital part is the widespread ability to build communities committed to contributing and appreciating more experimental work as part of a wider vision; a new venue for growing countercultures, filling the void that Tumblr left after its demise.
From visual artists, comedians and writers to sex workers, platforms like Substack (not to mention Only Fans) become irresistible as they mean no ads, no trolls, and no algorithms. It’s the 2021 equivalent of turning notifications on; getting direct access to creative influencers makes sense in a world when fan communities as hungry for more, and we’re convinced it’s here to stay.
As Clubhouse is still currently invitation-only, the new social app has had a veneer of exclusivity, but it remains to be seen how this will fair when user applications open up.
5. The Black Lives Matter movement has achieved the noise it set out to make and continues to build the momentum the cause deserves. With the social and economic changes brought on by 2020, we anticipate customers looking far more deeply into the moral, social and worldly considerations of a brand or product as part of their purchase consideration.
Although racism has long been a consideration for many, being actively anti-racist is something the majority of brands had to dig deeper (both personally and professionally) to make sure they could truly stand as allies to BAME communities. This stance matters to consumers and it’s absolutely integral that brands do all they can to support. Inclusion within marketing, product offering and charitable alignment are only a few examples of how businesses can demonstrate their support for the movement (for more information on allyship we recommend Nova Reid’s work, who can be found here).
6. Working from home. With many more people moving out of cities, changing their routines and prioritising mental health (not to mention government guidelines) the traditional set up of a commute and a workplace has been changed for good. Working from home is no longer seen as a request to sit at home and give 50% productively whilst getting some respite; it has now been a proven way to work that can actively improve performance.
However, it does come with its own set of considerations. Avoiding burnout, regardless of your occupation, is vital for the health of communities and workplaces as a whole. The pandemic forced conversations that had been historically suppressed, and part of innovating the workplaces offered to employees in the future means prioritising the lessons learned.
So, what would this mean for London and other urban areas? This could prompt progress towards a new generation that decentralise cities, where downtown is no longer the epicentre, with the most fun, convenience, and highest rents. If young creatives can re-prioritise, choosing to opt out of the rat-race and undermining the idea that you ‘have’ to make it work in London to access the culture and creative industries, we could face the upending of a decades-long fallacy, and open the arts up to new voices irrespective of their location.
7. The Great Outdoors. Outside of work, deprivation from nature and outdoor spaces was a major problem in 2020. With the pandemic exposing the inequalities faced across the working populace, from those able to stay at home and work (relatively) unscathed, to those of us still leaving home, travelling, and keeping the country running, the need for nature, green spaces and escapism has never been greater. Indeed, so much so that in December, a survey from SpareRoom found that 27% of London renters are planning to move after the pandemic, with half planning to leave for good. That number is even higher for Gen Z and Millennials, with 55% saying they are considering the move.
8. Second to that, the body positivity movement accelerated alongside the need for self-care and mindfulness in 2020. Although by no means a new conversation, wider issues around diversity and inclusion helped it take centre stage. The need for brands to use humans that reflect their true customers and that allow all audience groups to consider their offering is a non-negotiable for all in 2021.
Even within visual industries we’re also seeing an evolution of perspectives. It’s been percolating for some time, but the current moment is prompting brands and agencies to snap up interesting talent outside of the usual ‘model’ template. Intriguing, unusual perspectives are what brands want right now, evidenced most recently when the stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris (and surprise fashion moment of the Presidential Inauguration) Emma Emhoff signed to IMG models and made her runway debut as part of Proenza Schouler’s New York Fashion Week show. ‘Influence’ as a category has never been broader or stronger. Which brings us on to…
9. Influencers as a key part of brand recovery. While the reverberations of the pandemic will doubtless still be heard beyond the end of the year, we’re predicting that brands will (and should) turn to influencers to share messaging, launch products and connect with supporters. While our interest in this may seem vested, the landscape ahead of us means that influencers are in a key position to connect with consumers.
The industry continues to mature and evolve around us even now, with the ASA and CAP calling time on the use of misleading filters in #AD content, and we’re predicting the demand for authentic, diverse and genuine influencers is only going to keep gathering momentum this year.
Crucially, it goes without saying that any influencer partnerships must be authentic and well-aligned. Look out for our upcoming article on how to talent select, and how to create influencer marketing strategy for both digital-first and digital-supported brands.
10. Grassroots movements fermenting change. Many would say that 2020 brought together communities. Not just that of our immediate neighbours, but we saw the nation come together to support and celebrate the efforts of others – and in some cases save those less fortunate than ourselves.
Looking at the efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore, Marcus Rashford and the team behind Beauty Banks, we find just some of the many examples where the work of the individual (with the support of online platforms) created change for those in need.
From this, we will see more people motivated by these kinds of successful movements to crowdsource, protest, and actively pursue change when they encounter injustices. It’s the absolute opposite of clicktivism, and it’s going to be key in 2021.