What is actually important to your customers, especially during lockdown?
As marketers, we strive to “ladder up” to the right functional and emotional benefits for customers. But as we saw earlier this year, customer priorities can change overnight. The early days of lockdown saw runs on toilet paper, cleaning products, and, of course, alcohol. Essentially, “benefits” consumers needed became lower on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Consumption shifted from the aspirational to the essentials.
In moments of turmoil, the benefits your brand has laddered up to may no longer be benefits customers are looking for. Your brand may even need to “ladder down” by evaluating what your customers’ practical needs really are. Consider emphasizing convenience and getting the job done right. Hotels.com started advertising vacations with “air you haven’t already breathed” – a fabulous example of laddering down.
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