How to Maintain Brand Identity During a Global Pandemic

In Week #9 of our PR Writing class, we discussed Branding. Companies have had to shift what their brand identities look like in order to remain relevant and present in a consumer's mind. The in-person experience is no longer the main priority for many brands as consumers are not placing the same value in in-store shopping. Companies and organizations need to recreate the tangible and intangible characteristics that consumers have in-store but online. 

Here are a few things companies need to do in order to maintain their brand identity during the pandemic:

Brand communication

• Companies need to make sure that the trust that they built prior to the pandemic can be maintained. By adjusting the way companies communicates with consumers will assist in this. Keeping in touch with what the audiences priorities are as well as enhancing the customer service experience are vital to keeping the trust and loyalty of a consumer and the strength of the brand 

Turning to social media 

• Creating more of a presence on social media helps companies take the tangible and intangible characteristics of their branding and bring them right to the consumer even though they are not in-store. Since consumers are turning to online shopping or online ordering, companies have to change and enhance what they are putting on social media. Brining some humour or DIT ideas to social media will engage and remind the consumers of why they trust and are loyal to the company. 

Balancing messaging

• Brands need to be sure to keep a balance with the message that they are sharing during the pandemic. They need to strike a balance between respectful and empathic to ensure that they do not come across as misleading or taking advantage of the consumer. This is imperative to make sure the consumer is still loyal and trusting of the brand.

Overall, maintaining the consumers trust and loyalty is the main thing brands should focus on during this pandemic. Creating an experience online and from a distance that is similar to the tangible characteristics that a consumer would normally experience in-person can help a brand survive and thrive. 

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/infographic-what-gen-z-wants-to-see-from-brands-during-a-pandemic/