Vaccines are getting approved, and people are beginning to see a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. As the new year approaches and we begin to think about life post-pandemic, brands that can demonstrate their unique commitment to care—what that means for patients, communities and each other—will be well-positioned to stand apart as leaders going forward. Here are five key trends to consider in evaluating how you’re delivering on your brand in 2021.

Christine Lim

January 2021

A global pandemic. Economic uncertainty. Political limbo. Racial inequality. To say 2020 is an “annus horribilis” unlike we’ve ever experienced would be an understatement.But in the words of our co-CEOs, we viewed these obstacles as a clarion call for simplicity. Our collective responsibility was to find new ways to remove the complexity from the challenges before us—both for our clients and colleagues. As we look to the year ahead, what’s top of mind for branding experts? Our practitioners weigh in on how companies can differentiate themselves in 2021.

Siegel+Gale

December 2020

We have all been tested over the past nine months, professionally and personally. As we approach the new year, many of us are committed to emerging from the uncertainty more evolved—as a society, as brands and individuals. For the season finale of our Future of Branding series, I was joined by five global marketing leaders to explore shifting customer expectations. We examined the fastest-growing job sectors, highlighted the importance of brand purpose, underlined the value of community, identified novel brand partnerships and how we cannot lose sight of the arduous lessons learned in 2020.

Margaret Molloy

December 2020

2020 has not gone to plan. Our previous CMO study, conducted during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed a set of leaders focused on steering their businesses and teams through uncharted waters with unbelievable agility, and who were also beginning to look to the future.

Siegel+Gale

December 2020

Understanding buyer behavior and cultivating the habits that we desire of buyers has long been the bedrock of marketing and an outcome of successful brand building in both B2B and B2C business models. But what happens when a global pandemic wreaks havoc with all facets of life, from work to lifestyle? How do buyer habits change? Which ones will revert pre-pandemic? And perhaps more importantly, which new habits will persist?

Margaret Molloy

December 2020

On Thursday, October 29th, I explored the issues of sustainability with five marketing leaders from around the world. We discussed why projecting a brand’s societal goals is just as critical as marketing its products, the opportunity for business leaders to come together, share knowledge and collaborate for the greater good and the incredible role marketing play in balancing science with storytelling.

Margaret Molloy

October 2020

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