Consumers remain confused, crave confidence and don’t yet think they are at risk – The Heart of the Matter

In this time of great uncertainty, it would be a mistake to rely on assumptions or what we think we know about consumers. So, over the past several weeks we have been monitoring public opinion on COVID-19 to explore how this may affect business verticals and organizations. Although American attitudes are changing daily and in unpredictable ways, we are seeing that behaviors are slow to adapt to the situation. Consumers feel confused and crave information, conventional assumptions about how humans act in this crisis are wrong, and despite all the warnings this virus is not yet personal for people. Below we offer the first summary of the heart of the matter.

Confidence over Confusion. Americans are confused by what they are hearing and are experiencing different levels of concern. As schools and businesses close and transition to remote learning and working, people want and need to hear messages that give them a feeling of confidence. The overarching message from every brand right now needs to ladder up to instilling confidence.

It’s Not Personal Yet. Three weeks ago, COVID-19 was political. Now, it’s becoming personal. Most recent research found that half the population is worried they will contract the virus, or that someone in their family might get sick. The worry over health is increasing rapidly but not based on what the experts say. As a result, you are starting to see behavior change but there are segments in the population who are carrying on with their own personal lives as normal; they are angry and defiant of changes they ought to make and are not making them. Then there are others who are making changes. This cuts to those who place priority on societal good/societal values vs. what’s good for me/individual values.

Social Media Backlash Brewing. We have very little to go on at this time for how all of this will impact social media behavior and/or viewership of media, but will explore this further in upcoming research. We can say that about three-quarters think social media is over-hyping the issue.

Values Will Shift.  American behavior, values and needs are shifting and could be shifted permanently. Forty percent expect their lives will change and that is just this week’s number. An event of this nature, and data that we see and are tracking, suggests that consumer behavior will significantly change – to what degree, we do not know yet. What we can say is that brands should prepare to reassess underlying value propositions and delivery channels. While dealing with today, organizations must also prepare now to exit out of this crisis the right way.

Doing What’s Right; Doing What’s Good for Others.  Businesses, employees, and communities have an opportunity to discuss their social cause and responsibility practices so consumers know what good they are doing for others. Brands that last could be one’s that are seen as part of the solution…taking care of their employees, their customers, being responsive/innovative in the current climate to fulfill new needs that consumers have now. This crisis could catapult the ways in which consumers chose to judge their relationship with brand/organizations/community groups/politicians.

Understand Human Decision Making.  Helping to understand and affect human decision-making is important right now because in the US, about half of the population is not changing their behavior based on what health experts are saying. The threat of the virus is moving from politicization to personalization…but it hasn’t fully shifted yet. Looking at the human, the market, and the cultural forces are the right factors now more than ever to help brands adapt and develop their message and communications.

Relationships are the Source of Trust. Consumers and stakeholders want to have a conversation and stay connected with the organizations and brands they trust, ones that are an important part of their lives. Do not ignore this need; set up online communities, conduct online and virtual sessions with your stakeholders, talk with your employees, operators and supply chain partners. They want to hear what institutions are doing for the good of their customers, society, community and their employees. This is what positions you for recovery.

Verticals are Integrating Quickly.  This is especially true today for community organizations, health institutions, member-based organizations, faith based groups, schools, public-private partnerships and NGOs/INGOs. These groups are apart of the underlying fabrics of society and daily lives. Even before this crisis, we were seeing a surge in activity with hospital systems and community health groups integrating with other verticals (such as retail grocery) to focus on wellness (physical and mental wellness). This will accelerate.

Public Health but also Mental Health.  There is and will continue to be a real need for self-care. This is not just a public and personal physical health crisis, but a mental health one, too. Consumer emotions include anxiety, stress, worry, fear, concern and confusion; but also determination, faith, independence and resolve. We don’t see it yet, but this crisis is causing a mental health crisis of its own. Think of the impact on children in schools and college students; the feelings families are having as their kids stay home. Their emotional well-being will need attention. Even in the workplace, employers will need to address the emotional care of their employees.

Monitoring is Needed Daily. Public opinion is changing on a daily basis. Opinions based on age, ethnicity, region, income, etc. are extremely fluid. This means that what we think is true today, may not be so tomorrow. Opinion is changing rapidly. Data is only as good as when it was collected. I’ve been in public opinion research for 30 years; I’ve run nightly tracking polls in over a hundred campaigns and I have never seen data change this fast day-by-day.

We will continue to research how consumers are impacted by COVID-19 and share articles on what we’re seeing and the heart of the matter.