Engaging with Empathy

2020 has certainly been a year for the history books!

While we’re all still left waiting to see what the future will look like, brands must focus on the here and now. When it comes to marketing, this means pivoting like never before. Climate change, Covid-19, and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter have all intensely impacted our attitude to the world. Brands have had to be much more sensitive in their messaging, and as new data shows, this pivoting has not always been easy!

In association with Sapio, Datasine recently researched 250 marketing decision makers in the UK. The findings revealed an industry in flux as it tries to respond empathically to a time of crisis and social change. Commercial Director Stefan Britton and CTO and Co-founder Chris Loy of Datasine share highlights from their research and six empathy tips for brands to follow:

1. The collective mission

While some brands were more successful with empathy than others, all brands surveyed are trying to be more empathic in their marketing:

Over 90% are trying to deliver more empathic campaigns

Everyone’s doing empathy, but to do it authentically you need to be genuinely empathic, not just say you are!

CAMPAIGN SNAPSHOT

Nike launched its “For once, don’t do it” campaign in response to the Black Lives Matter protests, urging people to not just acknowledge the existence of racism in America, but to stand against it. Nike has a strong history of condemning racism which enhances the authenticity of its communications. In 2018 the sportswear giant made Colin Kaepernick a face of its “Just Do It” campaign, after he was ousted from the NFL for kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality and racism.

2. Timing is everything

Showing genuine empathy in a short time frame is challenging. Many brands struggled to inject genuine empathy into their campaigns during Covid-19:

81% pivoted marketing campaigns due to Covid-19 but 60% of these found it difficult to do this ‘with empathy’

The top two barriers to responding faster to social change in campaigns were:

• Lack of sentiment analysis (38%)

• Lack of knowing which metrics best predict future success (38%)

Never rush to be a part of a conversation when it is a serious social issue. Access to AI that allows you to test your campaign will enable you to move forward with confidence, at a competitive pace, without risking long-term damage to your brand.

CAMPAIGN SNAPSHOT

Online clothing brand, Pretty Little Thing, recently came under fire for an illustration it shared on Twitter in response to the killing of George Floyd. Posted next to the words “We understand we have a duty of care to talk about topics other than just fashion and lifestyle news” was an illustration of white hand holding a “black” hand. However, followers were quick to point out that the black hand was literally black, including the fingernails. This was a well-intended campaign that was ruined by simply not testing the creative used. When it comes to responding to serious social issues, intentions are meaningless if the content can be deemed as offensive. Creative content is just as important as context.

3. Your vibe attracts your tribe

Today, consumers are constantly bombarded by marketing communications. In fact, a study by Forbes estimated that we are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day. This oversaturation of messaging means consumers no longer want to feel they are being ‘sold to’, and instead search for a deeper connection that is built on trust and relatability of a brand. Customers want to be a part of a tribe, not just a transaction.

Marketers must improve their ability to use data and testing to pivot quickly in response to societal and cultural events.

75% of brands surveyed found it difficult to pivot rapidly

AI may be the route to accelerating marketing decisions by enabling you with data you can make decisions from.

4. Flexibility = stability

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that certainty was just an illusion, and we need to be ready to adapt to different situations. Many marketers feel recent events will drive a need for more variety and fluidity in campaigns:

84% say that the need to respond to rapidly changing social and cultural attitudes has increased in the last six months.

Don’t treat your campaigns as fixed entities. Campaigns need to evolve with the times – often on a daily basis.

5. Walk the walk

The collective consumer consciousness is living, breathing, and ever-evolving. During times of deep emotional distress, consumers look to brands they can trust, that share their values and that they can forge a deeper connection with. Marketers are aware of this and claim there is a need for greater sensitivity about choice of campaign content.

2020 has brought us many significant events but the top three that have caught marketer’s attention, causing them to become more empathic, are:

1st: Covid-19

2nd: BLM movement

3rd: Mental health crisis

Remember, actions speak louder than words. If you’re going to make your brand part of a conversation, make sure to look internally before communicating externally.

6. The Future is AI

AI is the best way for marketers to pull insights out of a brand’s existing data. Marketers see value in AI as a way of being more adaptive and agile in their approach:

97% of marketers believe AI plays a crucial role in helping marketing improve its importance

There are many different AI tools available to marketers, making the AI process accessible and easy to apply.

Wrap up

Events throughout 2020 have given brands a wakeup call that many will feel is long overdue and forced them to take a moment for some self-reflection. Brand empathy is nothing new but it is now more important than ever to get right. That means that even the brands that struggled to respond quickly and emphatically to significant social issues can make changes to their strategies and invest in the right technology to help mitigate future issues.

Chris Loy is CTO & Co-founder of Datasine, where Stefan Britton is Commercial Director.