An introduction to the study:
Managing a brand is thrilling. There are millions of different decisions you can make over the course of a year to grow a business. But fate isn’t always in your hands. When unprecedented circumstances arise, like we’ve seen with the recent spread of the global Covid-19 virus, what people need from brands can change in a heartbeat. As a brand manager, it has never been more important to keep your finger on the pulse of people’s feelings – especially in times of crisis.
The ProQuo AI brand management platform captures how people feel and think about brands, every day. It has been keeping an eye on over 222 brands across 26 different categories before and during the spread of Covid-19. The analysis they’ve conducted has gathered over 1.6m feelings from over 30,000 people within the US & UK – all in the last 30 days. The data intelligence gathered through the platform, alongside its AI-powered guidance, enables brand managers to understand how Covid-19 is affecting their brand’s health, live.
Here we share ProQuo AI’s findings.
What’s inside the study:
Private Healthcare is at the core of commotion
As the pandemic sweeps the globe, and scientists are working with the government to model possible outcomes, the inevitable strain on the UK’s NHS is well reported. With calls on private hospital beds being requisitioned by the government, it’s no wonder that private healthcare firms are seeing such a devastating blow to their brands.
In the UK, ProQuo AI found that it’s the current customers of private healthcare firms who are experiencing the most significant downturn in perception. While private hospitals were coming under fire for reportedly planning to charge the NHS to rent their beds, HCA Healthcare’s Integrity score amongst users of the brand saw a 22% decline since 3rd March when the government reported 50 confirmed UK Covid-19 cases.
HCA has taken an extensive bruising amongst its current customers in the UK, seeing downturns across most Drivers measured, most notably in Differentiation (-16%) and Connection (-31%). It’s clear that during this time of crisis, UK HCA customers don’t feel the brand is trustworthy, offering anything unique, and they can’t relate to the way it is behaving.
Similarly in the US, since the country reported 50 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on 24th February, HCA is experiencing similar Driver declines. The brand scored 20% less in Integrity and Differentiation amongst its own customers, and 9% less in Empathy.
People are Social by Nature:
Winning Brands Ease Social Distancing with Virtual Connection
A basic foundation of the human condition is togetherness. Relationships. People are not instinctually trained to act in isolation.
Yet, in the UK and the US, when the reported number of Covid-19 cases struck 50, that natural tendency got flipped on its head. Businesses and social gathering establishments closed doors, and populations were encouraged to exhibit “Social Distancing”.
Immediately, the Brand management platform, ProQuo AI, saw instant impact across certain brands on the platform – some winning, some losing.
Instagram is one of the big winners with people flooding to socialize remotely.
In the UK, social networking sites have seen a drastic trend. Instagram experienced an astounding 4x positive increase in perception amongst people who don’t use the platform across almost all 16 Emotional and Rational Drivers. These Drivers are what the ProQuo AI Brand Management platform has proven make up the relationships people have with brands.
Most notably in the UK, since prior to 3rd March, non-users found Instagram to be:
Similarly, In the US, ProQuo AI measured an astounding 166% positive increase in public perception within its Drivers – also most notably amongst people who don’t use the platform but are active on other social medias.
Instagram saw its Popularity scores amongst people not currently using the network shoot up by 27%. They also found the brand 165% more Aspirational than before Covid-19 hit.
So what’s the coping mechanism of Social Distancing? Broader Social Networking.
ProQuo AI generally sees increases in Driver scores of around 5% during national advertising campaigns, so these double digit shifts in consumer perception are unprecedented.
Time for at-home Entertainment?
Social Establishments to move from Bar Lounge to Living Room
Entertainment and Hospitality brands are feeling the impact of this crisis most notably, as social distancing measures begin to bite.
In the UK, Karaoke joints and cocktail bars have seen steep declines in their Relevance and Accessibility scores. Karaoke bars plummeted by 18% in Relevance and Dirty Martini saw its Accessibility score fall by 9%, following the announcement of 50 confirmed Covid-19 UK cases.
With the UK government urging people to avoid restaurants, pubs and cafes, it’s expected these scores will dip even further, but that’s not to say these brands cannot explore how to cater for people’s needs during this time of Social Distancing. Drivers such as Empathy (understanding people’s needs), Consistency (being reliable) and Accessibility (able to get a hold of, and use) can be achieved through virtual entertainment opportunities.
In fact, UK-based Lucky Voice Karaoke are one step ahead of the game.
“We’ve already started pushing our sing-at-home offering, to ensure the entertainment that could be had at Lucky Voice can still be had in the comfort of your own home” said Managing Director of Lucky Voice, Charlie Elek. “It’s extremely important that during times like this, popular social venues like ours lead the way in taking action, in hopes that others will too.”
Opportunity-Loss Surges Stockpiling.
Surviving Brands Nail Relevance, Empathy & Consistency
Panic buying toilet paper has hit the headlines in both the UK and the US. But with possible weeks of self-isolation ahead, people are turning to brands they wouldn’t necessarily use outside of a crisis. These are consumer packaged goods brands which are able to be stockpiled and are scoring highly in Accessibility (people feel they are easy to use and get hold of), Consistency (they can trust the brand to be the same in all it does) and Empathy (the brand understands people’s needs at this time).
In the UK, Baby food brands like Kiddylicious saw a surge in positive consumer perception amongst people who don’t currently buy their brand. Interestingly, non-users felt the brand was 13% more Relevant, 11% more Consistent and 13% more understanding of their needs (Empathy) than before Covid-19 cases in the UK hit the 50 mark.
As families begin to enter a lockdown period, brands which have shelf-life, are easily found in supermarkets and promise to provide healthy and nutritious snacks for babies and children are winning.
Also in the UK, Ready-Meal brand Charlie Bigham’s followed suit with a 15% increase in Relevance, driven by men. Pot Noodle – a large player in the packaged food and snacks category – has seen marked rises in Empathy (+15%), especially amongst younger people aged 18-24. This same age group also found Ginsters, the hot snacks brand, 54% more Empathetic than before the crisis hit.
In the US, as hysteria erupted in store, especially for the purchasing of household staple items like milk, it was longer-shelf life dairy brands like Meyenberg Goat Milk that saw dramatic rises in brand perception. Non-purchasers of Meyenberg felt 40% more empathetic to the brand and found it 12% more accessible than before 50 cases of Covid-19 were discovered in the US.
How Brands Can Play It Right.
Brands exist to meet the needs of people. In times like today, which have never been more turbulent, it’s crucial to keep a live pulse on how people are feeling and thinking about your brand, your competition and their needs within your category.
Brands which grow are the ones able to create the strongest relationship with people, even as the world changes around them. In total, there are 16 Drivers which create these relationships with people on both Emotional and Rational Levels. The ones seemingly most affected by the Covid-19 virus are Relevance, Consistency, Empathy, Differentiation, Connection and Accessibility.
The ability for brands to maintain their reliability, to understand the needs of people, to be easily accessible and maintain connection – even through times of Social Distancing—will be the things which ultimately determine brand success. And as consumers continue hunkering down in a global effort to flatten the curve, brands can be sure they’ll see a positive light at the end of the tunnel so long as they continue to stay strong, tune in, and serve the ever-changing needs of people.
About ProQuo AI.
ProQuo AI is a Brand Management Platform helping brands get bigger. Faster. Every day,ProQuo AI tells you where your brand stands and its AI-powered Brand Guidance tells you what to do each day to grow.
TheProQuo AI platform collects consumer data 24/7, helping you understand the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, gain distribution, drive penetration, stay alert and ahead of the competition, and land innovations in your category.
ProQuo AI shares its intelligence on your brand, your key competitors and your category, daily, keeping you always in a position to win.
