I am one of the lucky ones. I only received the benefit from COVID-19. That benefit is the gift of time, time with my husband, time with my teens, and time to reflect on myself and my relationships with others. And when I say time, I mean, real quality time, not just minutes, hours, and days.
I would not have said I was lucky a year ago when I walked away from a high paying marketing job. I walked away because, for the first time in my career, my values contradicted the values of the organization. I spent four years accepting and ignoring the behavior around me, only to damage my friendships (by avoiding social activities) and my marriage and my family (by not being present). And I gained 20 pounds in “wine” weight ☹. Just being candid as embarrassing as it is to admit!
Although I left my job a year ago, my journey has just begun. It has been hard not “working” in marketing because I love what I do. And I could probably write a book about my experiences interviewing and networking (I have quite a few interesting stories to share)! So, it’s natural for me to think about the current environment with my marketing mindset, particularly the consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) industry.
I keep watching and reading about CPG companies (Campbells, Nestle, Smuckers, ConAgra, etc.) experiencing high double-digit growth during this pandemic. Those kinds of spikes don’t usually come without massive trade deals with Wal-Mart/Costco or competitive product recalls! I think about the stress on the manufacturing, supply chain, and purchasing teams. I bet the meetings have shifted from generating demand to meeting demand. And, I bet it is difficult because CPGs have done such a phenomenal job efficiently planning factory shifts and managing the supply of raw materials & finished goods. Plus, add the extra precautions required because of COVID-19.
I turned my thoughts to the marketing personnel. And, I think, they are so lucky right now! They have the gift of time (unlike their operational peers) to think about how they want their brand to evolve as this pandemic comes to an end. Marketers run a business, and they have to answer to shareholders; that means focusing on the short term with only shallow thoughts and dreams for the future of the brand. This is a perfect time for marketers to dig deep into consumer insights and shape the future of the brand.
Despite my attempts at sharing consumer insights and commentary, many of my peers and managers hated our brand being called “emergency” or “back up.” I always made mention that our brand and products were “damn good back up” food. That was a critical insight coming from most consumers. I worked with an Agency that developed stories about this idea, and I was blown away with how they crafted an appropriate yet interesting story. But, in the end, it was not sexy, and we headed down the obvious “ingredient story” path that every other CPG was doing at that time.
I think it is incredible that consumers are turning to CPG products during this emergency and validating the role of these brands and products. That means they TRUST the products and trust is something that cannot be bought, only earned. CPGs earned this trust through years of consistency and safe products. How can taste, security, and safety be the foundation for an exciting story? Consumer trust allows CPG marketers to tell this story. How does this story apply to everyday life moments, small emergencies, etc. beyond this pandemic? Now is the time for marketers to put the work in and dive deep into consumer insights and connect them with the brand benefits in a meaningful way! The marketers at CPGs that can tell that story in the most relevant, intuitive way will win, and that is not LUCK.