Insight

With the end of lockdown restrictions in sight, society is split on whether they want a return to life as it was pre pandemic (40%), or to build on the changes that the pandemic has forced (45%).

Division is rife among the UK population with almost equal numbers stating that they feel pessimistic about the rest of 2021 (43%), compared to those who feel optimistic (42%).

For brands and businesses this poses an unprecedented challenge. How should they communicate to disparate and opposing groups and what should they say when they do?

At Opinium, we wanted to find out.

To do this we segmented the population based on their attitudes towards the future into the four key groups:

• Go-getters: optimistic about the future and want everything to change from the way it was before the pandemic.
• Necessary changers: pessimistic about the future but want everything to change from the way it was before the pandemic.
• Better in the past: optimistic about the future and want everything to go back to the way it was before the pandemic.
• The devil you know: pessimistic about the future but want everything to go back to the way it was before the pandemic.

We discovered that people’s behaviours and expectations were driven not by demographics – the traditional mainstay of communications targeting – but by values.

So where does this leave the future of brand marketing?

Well, we’ve conducted 15 sector reviews ranging from beauty to automotive, understanding the types of communications and tone of voice that consumers want to hear from brands going forward. These findings, along with an in-depth exploration of four key topics – relationships, mass events, spending and the environment – provide a blueprint for how brands can understand and navigate a post-pandemic society.

If you’d like to understand what post pandemic marketing means for your brand or business, please get in touch for a tailored briefing using the form below.