I am not a marketing person. When I started this blog I knew that I could write and I knew that I could post my thoughts up on a blog (I really have to thank Fred Wilson for this – he is the most prolific blogger I follow, I blog because of him). I have been asked many times whether I have gained more business from these ruminations on this piece of virtual real-estate. My answer is usually maybe, have I not got any work from it – DEFINITELY.
Needs must – the time to move away from the topic black economic empowerment has come. There's not going to be much BEE stuff going on for the next few months, yes BEE scorecards will need to be issued, but the process and the expense of BEE cannot be justified at the moment.
I then got to thinking about building a brand in this time of absolute uncertainty. There are three things that I think are most important (they would work for me).
- Adaptability
- Empathy
- Community
Adaptability
There has been so much talk of adaptability in the last few weeks. I wrote yesterday about DigiFaith. I think this is brilliant; you have an entire broadcasting armada and no work, so what do you do. You target those industries (and faith is definitely an industry) that people need and you give them a platform to get their message out, interact with their congregants and raise money. Similarly, Ruan Jooste wrote an article yesterday about how AGMs (specifically for listed companies) will now need to be conducted remotely. Once this starts it then becomes the trend.
I was told by a friend in UK that most independent distillers are now going into making hand sanitiser – so is Shane Warne in Australia (I don't drink gin – but if they mess with my whiskey stills…….)
Empathy
This is a pandemic, the whole world is in it together. Crises like these are perfect for profiteering. Yes you'll make a lot of money but in this day of instant communication your brand will be justifiably pounded (think about the guptas). Then there is Audible.com – an Amazon company that decided to provide free access to children's stories. To quote their webpage "For as long as schools are closed, we're open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet."
Similarly the mobile networks have reduced their data prices in the last week (yes – they were forced to, but that will be forgotten in the long run), the timing was just perfect.
Community
This is about making communities feel included. The best example here is Cyril Ramaphosa. He took us into his confidence, he showed leadership, he made sure that this ministers speak to us. He created a sense of being led – something that South Africa hasn't had in many years, possibly since Mandela. Watch now – Cyril is going to get stronger. His naysayers have nowhere to move – they have to tow the line.
In fact, brand Cyril embodies all three of these components. He showed balls and mettle when we need it. You would do well to read Ferial Haffajee's article in the Daily Maverick where she thanks her lucky stars that it wasn't zuma in charge of us.
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