Re-framing The Hygiene Factor
Is it time to re-frame our perception of brand hygiene factors?
We don't tend to think of hygiene factors. They are, by nature, the table stakes - the things we take for granted that have to be in place for a business, product or even category to function properly. They could include an app being fast-loading, a digital interface being easy to use, or a product simply being well-designed and nice to look at. They're the things that don't necessarily differentiate, but that we have to say nonetheless.
But as the world changes after our Covid-19 lockdown and the new form of the marketplace takes shape, what changes can we expect? What are the hygiene factors that brands will have to talk about? In my mind there are two:
1. Hygiene.
Yes, it's obvious. The need for hygienic practices and transparency of safety. Think of the very bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs - that's where we are now. Starting at the very basis of trust between a brand and the people they serve. When brands re-open for business, the stories that they tell to consumers about how they can be trusted will be paramount. How are goods handled? How do products reach us? Where do they pass through? and who comes into contact with them. What mechanics are in place to make sure that the goods are as hygienic as possible. It may not be ‘sexy’ for a marketer to communicate, but telling your 'hygiene' story the right way is something every brand will need to do.
2. Empathy.
Did you live it with us? In the wake of an unprecedented situation, like COVID, will people trust a brand who didn’t engage with its consumer whilst it’s going on; or worse (and there are plenty of examples), brands who pretended it wasn’t happening – and continued with their normal emails, sales outreach and coms? Brands can’t come and go, and they shouldn’t pretend that they didn’t live through what their customers have. A display of empathy for what customers have been through and helping them cope with the changes as we come int our new ‘norm’ will be needed.
Without these two new hygiene factors in place, it doesn’t matter how great your ad-spend, or how clever your promotions are; you will not get cut through with your target audience. Customers will emerge from lockdown both emotional and fearful. Hopeful that life can return to the way it was, but fearful of the new world we find ourselves in - will we like and enjoy the things we did before?
Defining and nailing your own unique spin on these two hygiene factors will help put their minds at rest, and enable them to trust brands enough to form deeper relationships, and continue their marketing journey.