By now, we’ve all read many an article about the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on life—and business—as we knew it. Many brand, product and service launches have been postponed. However, given the uncertainty over how long the crisis will last and what shape it will take next, it is difficult to delay. Indeed, launches or relaunches intended to respond to our changed reality cannot be delayed without defeating the purpose of the launch.

Liz Olsen + James Withey

October 2020

Across every industry and around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to fundamentally alter workplace culture. In many ways, it has caused leadership and HR professionals to take a critical eye to their employer brand—in other words, the employee experience they promise for their people and what they’re doing to deliver on it. A strong … Continued

Christine Lim

September 2020

COVID-19 and disease names like it lack clarity, which leads to their inconsistent use in communications. This not only potentially dilutes their impact, but also gives people an opportunity to simplify and/or coin their own new names for the disease. As we know, this led to racist epithets like China Virus and Kung-flu for COVID-19. What can we do from a naming perspective to prevent confusion around the next virus that goes global?

Aaron Hall, Jason Hall + Gabriele Zamora

September 2020

There’s no shortage of lessons communicators can extract from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, but one really stands out. Simple communication wins the days. The underlying principles that guide effective communications in times of great urgency apply in more ordinary times as well.

Billy Kingsland

September 2020

To better comprehend the current landscape and illuminate the road ahead, we turned to our community of CMOs. Our latest study provides an exclusive oral history of how 26 global CMOs processed COVID-19. These leaders shared their insights into what it has been like living and working over the past several months. The decisions made by these CMOs are characterized by tremendous tension—protecting employees’ safety and revenues, supporting the community and keeping the enterprise healthy, being distinct from other brands while aligning with people’s shifting concerns and behaviours.

Margaret Molloy

August 2020

Over the last two decades, marketers and branders have continuously tried to determine how to reach the new, younger generation. Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are the focus of so much brand research. Should brands be adapted to this generation and its specific desires?

Aaron Hall

August 2020

In our season finale, I spoke with five CMOs to learn how they respond to the pandemic and, in particular, how they prioritize collaboration. We discussed the seismic shift from tribalism to being communal, why problem-solving requires collaboration at all levels, the intersection of thoughtfulness and hustle and tying resilience to revenue.

Margaret Molloy

August 2020

Since April, our Future of Branding discussions have focused on how brands were responding to the pandemic. However, in recent weeks, as countries, states and cities start to reopen, our focus has transitioned to how brands are resetting to propel business continuity and, in many cases, transformation. Today's conversation explored themes such as marrying purpose and action, how crisis is pushing marketing back to its basics and the rise of empathy and authenticity, especially for Gen Z and younger Millennials consumers, who ask why before asking, how much? One thing is sure. Brand building is no longer about words and pictures—it's about deeds and experiences.

Margaret Molloy

July 2020

In April and May, we interviewed a panel of CMOs to assess how their priorities and tactics changed in light of COVID-19. The situation has evolved significantly since then, so Retail TouchPoints' Alicia Esposito caught up with our Global Director, Business Analytics & Insights Brian Rafferty to see what has changed and what marketers need to know. Learn how to reassess your brand’s mission and values and use marketing to reaffirm purpose and drive value for your consumers.

Brian Rafferty

July 2020

Every consumer is on their own journey – towards a more environmentally conscious and sustainable future. When it comes to electric vehicles (EVs), the pace of that journey to adoption varies based on consumers’ readiness for broader lifestyle change. In order to understand how the gap to electric vehicle adoption can be bridged, automotive companies need … Continued

Ben Osborne & Liz Olsen

July 2020