The Case For Building Brand Resiliency
Resilience Versus Optimism
Resilience Versus Optimism
Karen Reivich, Director of Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, defines resilience as ‘the ability to navigate adversity and to grow and thrive from challenges’. Through her work, Dr. Reivich has begun to see resilience not as a fixed amount of optimism with a finite capacity, but as a reservoir we need to continually top up — with emotional strength, agency, and hope. ‘Resilience is something that you need to ‘tend to’ Dr. Reivich commented during an interview about her latest book “The Resilience Factor”.
Dr. Reivich’s job is to help people learn how to boost their personal resilience so they can navigate life with strength and optimism. And her insights struck a chord with me on a couple of levels, particularly in light of our recent experience with the COVID pandemic.
From a fundamental human perspective, COVID unleashed an unprecedented tidal wave of economic chaos and social anxiety. And while the vaccines have enabled us to ease past the worst of the health crisis, the pandemic sorely tested society’s strength and optimism.
But Dr. Reivich’s analysis struck a chord with me on a professional level as well. As a brand strategist, my clients ask me to find creative ways for their brands to thrive in a fast-changing world. And so Dr. Reivich’s book made me wonder if there wasn’t a compelling business case for brands to also strengthen their resilience.
Brand Strength
In better times, a brand’s strength is located in the trust that it builds when people use its products. Strong brands enjoy elevated levels of search, stronger pricing power, and industry leading customer satisfaction and recommendation scores. And of course, a brand’s strength can also be seen in a company’s reputation for respectful customer service.
But in testing times, perennially strong brands can seem somewhat static, a bit aloof, or even worse, completely removed from people’s fast changing lives. Otherwise, strong brands seem to get caught off-guard on a regular basis, appearing out of touch with what regular people are feeling emotionally, communally, and culturally.
Victoria’s Secret is the first example that comes to mind — a truly iconic brand that fell way out of favor with consumers, seemingly overnight, for epitomizing outdated attitudes and behaviors. As many will remember, Victoria’s Secret rose to fame by using highly sexualized imagery in its advertising, retailing, and product design. But as societal attitudes towards body positivity and inclusivity began to shift, a great many consumers saw Victoria’s Secret as completely out of touch with the times. And they certainly weren’t alone—Abercrombie & Fitch is another iconic fashion brand caught flat footed by a change in the direction of culture.
According to data from YouGov, Victoria’s Secret’s perception among US consumers began to decline precipitously. In 2016, Victoria’s Secret’s YouGov BrandIndex score was around 30, but by 2020 it had dropped to 8 before rebounding to 13 in 2023 due to affirmative actions taken by management to embrace a new approach to branding and marketing that was more in tune with the times.
Testing Times
Testing times tend to wake people from their cozy slumber, spurring them to question long-held assumptions, challenge their habits, and strain their loyalties as cultural chaos ensues. And by any measure, we’re definitely living in an era when regular people are experiencing huge changes in their circumstances.
All the rapid change we’ve lived through has affected people’s emotional equilibrium, challenged their outlook, their worldview, and their ideas about what constitutes good quality and value for money. And as we’ve witnessed, the conditions that underpin a brand’s stability and stature in easier times can quickly become a source of instability in testing times.
Take the Academy Awards, for instance. As one of the world’s most iconic culture brands, Oscar has enjoyed unprecedented levels of support from millions of film fans for almost 90 years. But the rapid shifts in racial and identity politics over the past 6 years rapidly eroded Oscar’s brand strength, resulting in a 50% decline in viewership for the Academy Awards since 2014. That’s 20 million fewer people tuning in to watch what used to be an unmissable event on the entertainment calendar.
Testing A Brand’s Resilience
There are essentially three key drivers of instability that can test a brand’s resilience. Let’s look at each of these in turn, and then we’ll explore some of the ways that businesses can tend to their brand’s ability to ‘navigate adversity and to grow and thrive from challenges’ as Dr. Reivich so eloquently put it.
Testing Times Challenge People’s Assumptions and Beliefs
Testing times cause large numbers of people to question their beliefs and test their loyalty to institutions. Seemingly overnight, people want something new from the institutions they rely on, the brands they buy, and the politicians they vote for:
Protect me
Reassure me
Support my family
Operate in my best interests
Intervene on my behalf
Take care of others I love
Provide me with hope
Help me understand what’s happening
Take a stand against the forces that impact me
Help defend my rights and my community
In this context, it’s important for brands to reassert what their primary purpose is in people’s lives, and to demonstrate that they’re living this ethos everywhere.
As a health and wellness brand, CVS exists to ‘help people on their path to better health’.Prior to the COVID pandemic, CVS lived up to its purpose by ceasing the sale of cigarettes and eschewing photoshopped images of beauty in their cosmetics’ packaging. But in early 2020, CVS’ customers were being directly challenged by a global health threat—COVID-19.
Rather than rest on its laurels, CVS responded to this new threat to the health of its customers by offering tangible self-care services and easy access to credible information on products that might alleviate the threat of the virus. CVS reassessed any program that might have made the brand seem unsupportive or, worse, irrelevant. And as soon as the FDA approved a COVID vaccine, the company used its huge retail and distribution network to roll out free vaccinations to its customers.
Another huge brand, Delta Airlines’ states that its brand purpose is ‘connecting people from all over the world, safely and seamlessly’. In normal times, Delta expresses its brand’s strength through the mechanical reliability of its planes, the expert training of its ground staff and flight crew, as well as its vast network of hubs and destinations.
But as the pandemic began to cause the flying public to worry about their health and the health of other passengers, the company pivoted hard to put in place new health and safety rules for all fliers. In this way, Delta directly addressed the disequilibrium and anxiety among travelers and bolstered their brand’s resilience by reframing what it meant to be a safe airline.
Both brands showed a deep appreciation for their customers’ changing beliefs and attitudes during testing times. The initiatives and programs that these companies instituted during testing times were primarily designed to enhance their customers’ resilience but had the side effect of strengthening their own brand’s resilience as well.
Testing Times Challenge Accelerate New Customer Needs
Testing times either create or accelerate new needs in society. Faced with a crisis, normally contented customers become dissatisfied and start hunting around for alternatives that offer solutions to their new problems:
Improve my access to information
Simplify my access to services
Ensure an uninterrupted supply of important stuff to me
Help connect me to others who are in the same situation as me
Forgo the usual penalties associated with canceling my subscription/membership
Help my money go further
Get stuff to me quicker
See and serve me as a unique individual
Solve my problems instead of just trying to sell me more stuff
Recognize me and reward my loyalty
Help me find ways to thrive among the threats
In this context, it’s important for brands to rethink how they can pivot their marketing from promising value to people to actually delivering value to people, primarily by improving people’s experiences with the brand.
Uber’s food delivery service, Uber Eats, saw significant growth during the pandemic as millions of people stayed at home and relied on delivery services to access their local restaurants.In the first quarter of 2020, Uber Eats revenue grew by 53% year-over-year, with gross bookings reaching $4.68 billion.
One key factor that contributed to Uber Eats’ success during the pandemic was its ability to adapt quickly to customers’ emerging needs. For instance, the company’s “contactless delivery” option allowed customers to get their food without any physical contact with the driver. This not only helped alleviate customer’s concerns around the risk of contracting the virus but also gave Uber users a new reason to use their platform during a time when few people were using its ride sharing service. With its ride-hailing services in significant decline in demand, Uber was able to shift its drivers to food delivery, ensuring it could continue to keep both drivers and customers engaged during the pandemic.
Additionally, Uber Eats used the chaos of the pandemic to further differentiate itself from other food delivery services, by offering a range of unique features and benefits, including a “restaurant discovery” feature that allowed customers to search for restaurants based on their location, cuisine, and ratings. It also launched a “no-contact” delivery option, as well as a new loyalty program that rewarded customers with discounts and other perks.
Testing times can create and accelerate new customer needs. During the height of the pandemic, Uber flipped its existing brand strengths into new offerings that not only strengthened their brand’s resilience but also the resilience of their customers through contactless delivery, their drivers through creating demand for new trips, and even local restaurateurs through being able to maintain their business during isolating lockdowns and unpopular mask mandates.
Testing Times Change The Course Of Culture
Testing times can change the course of culture. We start searching for new information online. We reprioritize what’s important to us. Testing times help us see what’s truly helpful but also what’s harmful to us in our lives.
We’re all talking about new things
New opinions and perspectives are emerging to challenge old ones
New groups are raising their voices
Previously hidden or ignored injustices are laid bare
Issues emerge to challenge my assumptions about my life
Our core values are being tested
Artists and cultural leaders are speaking about revolutionary new ideas
Alliances are broken and new ones formed
New ideas compete with old ideas
The balance of power and influence shifts between generations
People begin to follow and support leaders who seem to have new solutions for the world we’re moving towards.
Revolution is in the air
Seen through this lens, it’s vital for brands to take positive action (consistent with their ethos and values) to harness the energy of the moment.
In 2021, Adidas announced the end of its long-term partnership with Kanye West’s Yeezy brand, which started in 2013.The company’s decision to break such a lucrative contract was reportedly due to several issues, including:
Declining sales: Despite the initial hype and success of the collaboration, sales of Yeezy products started to decline in recent years, which was a major concern for Adidas.
West’s controversial statements and behavior: Kanye West’s public statements and behavior, including his support for former US President Donald Trump and controversial comments on slavery, caused significant backlash and raised concerns among Adidas executives and customers.
Disagreements over creative direction: There were also reported disagreements between West and Adidas over creative direction and design, with West reportedly pushing for more creative control over the collaboration.
Competition from other brands: Adidas faced increasing competition in the sneaker market, with other brands like Nike and Puma gaining ground and launching successful collaborations of their own.
Overall, however, it’s hard to avoid coming to the conclusion that Adidas’ final decision to end its Yeezy brand partnership was spurred mostly by West’s controversial antisemitic statements and racist behavior.His intolerant racism might have won him some fans in fringe political circles, but his comments cut completely against the grain of modern culture for most people.
Founded by fashion designer Telfar Clemens in 2005, this eponymous label has gained attention in recent years for overturning traditional fashion norms and appealing to a new generation that demands that their luxury brands act more sustainably and less wastefully.
Telfar’s main claim to fame is its line of affordable and stylish bags, known as the “Shopping Bag.” Unlike traditional luxury brands that create exclusive and expensive products, Telfar’s Shopping Bag is priced in a range that makes it accessible to a wider range of consumers. This approach has helped the brand appeal to a younger, more diverse audience that’s looking for fashion that’s stylish, affordable, and sustainable.
Telfar has also made a point of creating fashion that’s inclusive of all genders and sizes.The brand’s clothes are designed to be gender-neutral and can be worn by practically anyone, regardless of their body type.Additionally, Telfar has built a loyal community of fans and supporters through social media, fostering a sense of community around its progressive values as well as a deep loyalty for its products. This approach has helped Telfar stand out in a crowded fashion market and build a following of customers who are passionate about the brand’s mission and values.
Overall, Telfar’s approach to fashion is all about overturning traditional norms of luxury by focusing on accessibility, inclusivity, community, and sustainability. In fact, Telfar’s entire value chain, from conception to creation, production, and consumption, is structured around the idea of creating a forward-looking culture and a more resilient society.
Putting It All Together
Testing times can make otherwise iconic brands seem aloof, indifferent, or out of touch. Brand managers who are focused on creating brand-love during easier times need to shift to repaying that love to their customers when times get tough.
Brand owners need to realize that it’s their responsibility to strengthen their brand’s resilience, providing their brands with the ability to react to new customer needs and new cultural conversations that might signal a shift in what people value. In this case, resilience isn’t about being able to bounce back after taking a hit to their reputation, but being able to bounce forward to win deeper levels of trust, loyalty, and even reconsideration from customers who may have overlooked the brand in easier times.
There are three pathways to becoming a more resilient brand:
Be alert to profound changes in your customers’ beliefs and attitudes during challenging times. Lean into your brand’s guiding ethos to come up with positive, purposeful, and helpful actions that will give your customers the ability to bounce forward in life when the initial chaos subsides.
As an industry, we need to change our mental model about brand building from investing in content that promises value to experiences that create value for people. Challenging times can radically change people’s needs, so be on the lookout for ways to reconfigure your brand’s assets, capabilities, and people to make information more accessible, make service less painless, treat people more empathetically, and generally just try to solve their problems more efficiently.
To reinforce something we said earlier, in testing times, most people look for leaders who offer solutions for the world we’re moving towards rather than the world we’re leaving behind. When the world throws us a curveball, it doesn’t take long for established cultural norms to be subject to intense scrutiny and even complete reversal. Seen in this context, a resilient brand doesn’t just stand rooted to the spot with its heels dug in—it senses shifts in culture and brings a fresh energy to its category, it engages in new conversations; and it embraces new ideas that show that it’s adapting to people’s changing expectations. Said simply, a resilient brand demonstrates that it has new ideas that match people’s changing needs in changing times.
The past 3–4 years have laid bare a previously unseen division in the business world. On one side are businesses that own and operate some of the world’s most recognized brands, many of which pulled back from helping their customers through the chaos of COVID and the cost of living crisis that ensued.
On the other side is a group of more enlightened brand owners who saw these crises as a golden opportunity to double-down on their commitment to help their customers strengthen their resiliency, and actually thrive through all the chaos.
Dr. Reivich’s thoughtful work asks us to think about resilience not as a fixed amount of optimism with a finite capacity, but as a reservoir that we need to continually top up. With the worst of COVID easing, and inflation and interest rates beginning to moderate, there’ll never be a better opportunity to stress-test your brand for resilience, and to work on ways to ensure that when the shit hits the fan again (which no doubt it will) that your brand has filled up its reservoir of resilience, enabling your brand and your customers to be able to bounce forward and not just bounce back from the chaos.