| | AUGUST 20219the new nuances and complexities, we now also try our best to rise to various challenges presented to us. How do we connect with our precious consumer and find those rare moments of undivided attention and optimize those sacred seconds of attention in the most meaningful way?The Power of Genuine Empathy Goes a Long WayAs we move forward, we are relooking at how we must support causes that are authentic, ones that ac-tually make a difference and help us bring about a change for the greater good. Today, we are closely looking at brand imagery and language in a way we haven't in the past in this new world dynamic, where-in it has now become more crucial to not hear, but listen, learn and act on change wherever possible and have conversations about improving how we portray life, communicate with consumers and use the atten-tion we've been given in the best possible way.Putting the lens of genuine empathy on data and future trends allows us to not only help clients, but communicate effectively ourselves. Right now, con-sumers might not be doing much buying outside of a few categories, but they are watching and paying at-tention to what companies are doing. In this moment of uncertainty, brands can create meaningful media experiences and show-up in ways that will help them to weather this crisis and navigate what's to come. We must recognize that as advertisers, agencies, au-dience and as creators of content, we all play a role in building the world that we want to live through media. We must act with greater knowledge about the impact we can have. Sustaining Purpose & Being Meaningful on a Daily BasisBrands that mattered to us as consumers have also changed; for instance, during the initial stage of the lockdown, essential brands stood-out for us. Then, we naturally developed affinity, respect, even the much-coveted brand love for brands that helped in trying times such as LVMH that turned its manu-facturing lines for brands such as Guerlain, Parfums Christian Dior, and Givenchy to instead manufacture hand sanitizers for French hospitals. This is a classic example, and the initiative by the brand will be re-membered by consumers for decades to come. The quest for meaning/purpose is now greater than ever, be it for clients or ourselves. Being purpose driven and meaningful on a daily basis, followed by action is the need of the hour. However this purpose does not need to be a far-fetched lofty ideal for us; in fact it can be defined as the need of the hour ­ some-times our collective well-being at the moment is the all-important purpose we need to communicate and work towards as brand/organization.The All-Important Internal CustomersThe importance of our internal stakeholders being our biggest asset and strength is a truth brought home to us over the past year. Our internal stake-holders have been subjected to work from home since over a year and need to be engaged with and given constant reassurance that we are in this together.Companies/brands/agencies alike have realized their most important asset ­ its people, who are col-lectively going through emotional ups & downs with the health scare and job demands. While it is inte-gral to consistently communicate and more impor-tantly implement the purpose and what the company stands for to its external customers, the importance of doing this for its all-important internal customers cannot be undermined any longer.Physically Distant but Socially CloseYes, social media does remain a double-edged sword, but I strongly believe in its power to influence and make a difference for the good. It is playing a pivot-al role in amplifying and bringing attention to im-portant social movements globally, take for instance posts on racial justice and equality dominating our feeds social media showed us it can make a differ-ence if used well. Taking a cue, leading brands have also taken a strong stand on tackling harassment against women to fighting against hate speech and online bullying and used it as force for the good. Context Matters Now More Than EverThe media platforms brands choose to invest in are as important as the messaging within their advertising. This has been proved time and again, but this time it comes with a caveat of being sensitive and non-intru-sive, and definitely not talking down to consumers, who are constantly bombarded with information in sensitive times like this.
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