It’s hard to get past all the uncertainty that is right in front of us thanks to COVID-19. It’s easy to think about how bad things can get. I don’t want to diminish the need to prepare for serious challenges. That’s not what this is. Consider this an exercise in sanity preservation and hope building.
Imagine a clean slate
Let’s take a moment to imagine what we would do if we had a clean slate with our brand. At the very least, it will give us a break from the worries. And who knows, it may even help us step into areas that, at one time (pre-pandemic), we would have thought of as inconceivable. Consider these questions:
- What would we say and do if we didn’t feel compelled to return to the brand strategy we had adopted pre-pandemic?
- Could we develop an approach that serves more than it sells? This doesn’t mean abandoning the need to be profitable, but it does propose that there is a different route to get there. One that shifts the emphasis from pushing product to serving a larger purpose — something that prospects find irresistible. Look to brands like TOMS, Ben & Jerry’s, and more for examples of how meaning and money are mutually catalytic.
- Could we make the shift from pushing what makes us different to inviting in all those we hope to serve to join us…
