CONTENT FOR A NEW ERA: COVID-19 · •Exponential increase in technology’s role •Personal...

Copyright © 2020 Accenture All Rights Reserved. 1

CONTENT FOR A NEW ERA:COVID-19v.4 04.16.20

Copyright © 2020 Accenture All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2020 Accenture All Rights Reserved.

Brands that join consumers in

striving for an optimistic new

normal, rather than fighting to

return to the past, will win over

hearts and minds along the way.

But until we hit that horizon,

brands must find their

functional voice in a world

consumed by chaos and

tragedy.

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The Current SituationAcross the globe, COVID-19 has thrust humans into a harsh new reality. • Health concerns have eclipsed everything• Fear and anxiety are running higher than ever • Disinformation and misinformation are pervasive• Employment and sense of financial security are in a state of turmoil• Small businesses are shuttering, for good• Families are grieving over tremendous loss of life—and way of life

As a result, basic human needs are changing.And human behavior is shifting, perhaps forever.

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Copyright © 2020 Accenture All Rights Reserved.

A closer look at the world we’re living in now

• Exponential increase in technology’s role

• Personal connection has new value

• Education has become entirely homeschooling/online learning

• Technology-disadvantaged people are becoming even more disadvantaged

• “We’re in this together” and “Do your part” campaigns show a renewed sense of civic duty and altruism

• Frontline medical personnel are (deservedly) seeing an elevated status

• New acceptance of remote work• Demand for paid sick time

• Unprecedented spike in unemployment

• Ethical behavior toward workers matters even more to consumers

• Stock market volatility reducing wealth and trust

• Greater separation between the privileged and the financially vulnerable

• Prefer online to brick-and-mortar

• Want video, livestreaming and even XR

• Crave information, diversion and hope

• Demand fast, responsive digital platforms• Expect near-instant response times

• Want contactless transactions, even for complex purchases such as cars

• Will spend on entertainment, the home and new brands

• Are dining in, trying new recipes, techniques and food products

SOCIETY WORK & ECONOMY CONSUMERS

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We’re all on a fluid emotional journey

We all share common human emotions and stories, but everyone will walk through this crisis in their own unique way. Where we stand in the emotional journey depends on factors like our location, our health and our finances.

ATTENTIVE

DRIVING FORCES OF EMOTION• Healthcare organizations• Medical authorities• News media

PRIMARY CONSUMER NEED

Seeking more information to understand the what, how and where behind the virus

Facts, not just about the virus itself, but also how to combat it through heightened health measure

• Word of mouth• Influential figures• News media

DENIALThinking that the virus is either a hoax or will be contained quickly without widespread damage

DRIVING FORCES OF EMOTION

PRIMARY CONSUMER NEEDFacts, not just about the virus itself, but also how to combat it through heightened health measure

• All

OPTIMISTIC

Feeling confident that a post-quarantine society will be vibrant and successful – in a new way


PRIMARY CONSUMER NEEDInformation, resources and tools needed to prosper following the pandemic

ANXIOUS

Panicking about the effect the virus could have on loved ones and the country as a whole

DRIVING FORCES OF EMOTION• Friends & family• Businesses• Financial market

PRIMARY CONSUMER NEEDSecurity through global actions and comforting stories

• Public officials• Influential figures• News media

UNCERTAIN

Questioning when the pandemic will end, what comes next and how everyday life will change


PRIMARY CONSUMER NEEDPositive distractions and motivation to push past the uncertainty

• Individuals & establishments

ACCEPTING

Adjusting to a new normal through measures such as social distancing and virtual learning


PRIMARY CONSUMER NEEDCreative ideas that encourage a new routine for today’s environment

• Friends & family• Businesses• Communities

SUPPORTIVE

Empowering people with a sense of positivity and purpose; strengthening the economy

DRIVING FORCES OF EMOTION PRIMARY CONSUMER NEEDCreative ideas that encourage a new routine for today’s environment

We’ll move past some phases quickly, skip others altogether and potentially experience the process all over again in the future.

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emotional journey


5 trends that will outlive the pandemic

1 2 3 4 5

As we work and live in isolation, we’re growing more accustomed to our tech-enabled cocoons. We're looking at all aspects of home, cooking, fitness, wellness school, and work through this lens as we take more control of home life.• Improved wifi, video

conferencing, IoT, more accurate simulations of physical proximity

• Personalized functional food, individual & in-home exercise regimens

• Digital and remotes ways of networking and learning

We feel a deep need to connect and be part of a community. We’re doing our part to serve the greater good. We’re embracing platforms that allow us to both see and be seen.• E-sports, podcasts, or self-

produced media

• In-platform community, & content ownership

• Genre experimentation, interactivity

• Gen Z as the “community generation”

• Tech-enabled mutual aid networks, pride in local

Now that the path to purchase is increasingly digital and remote, it’s shorter than ever. Along the way, we’re thinking more about the people and supply chain that make it possible. We’re coming to expect low-/no-touch purchases and more ethical practices.

• Direct to consumer sales

• Simple and transparent messaging

• Live-stream shopping & reviews, in-shop remote customer assistance

We’ve had the opportunity to rediscover some long-neglected activities and pick up new ones. With hours to fill and minds to occupy, tasks that keep us engaged with both our present and past keep us grounded.• Homesteading, bread-baking,

home decorating and other nostalgic activities

• Lo-fi games puzzles have a new following

• Boom in digital gaming and gatherings

There’s only so much anxiety, fear, and sadness we can take. But this gives us a common experience we all relate to. Finding optimism and joy in the everyday can provide relief and act as a coping mechanism. • Monocultural moments such

as new streaming TVseries, concerts

• TikTok dance challenges, window-dressing games and more ways to participate

• New heroes and celebrities

HOME, WORK, AND SELF

EMPHASIS ON BELONGING

EVOLUTION OFSHOPPING

SLOWING DOWN

ESCAPISMAND DIVERSION

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How does content play a role? Consumer need states are changing, which means their content consumption is changing. It’s time to shift your strategy from hard-sell to value-based, providing consumers with the transparency they demand and the knowledge they need.

Speak with empathy: Be real, concise and consistent. Now is the time to live up to your brand promise.

Find your place: Seek out the right moments to let your voice be heard. Show how you’re delivering for your communities, customers and employees.

Activate your purpose: An ownable, actionable purpose serves as a North Star. Take a hard look at your strengths and how you can further improve.



Content ArchitectureRevisit and evolve your content framework. Identify how your existing architecture can shift to accommodate

new consumer needs during COVID-19. This will shape both current and new messaging.

TACTICS Listicles, articles, social posts, email, UGC, videos, infographics, live online events, influencer or brand partnerships, fundraising

STORIESExamples: How to unpack your groceries safely; Our donations to food pantries; Home improvement projects you can do without going to the home store; Bedtime yoga with your kids; Easy home gardening; Virtual dance party

TOPICSSpecific COVID-19 responses; Health and safety measures; Philanthropy; Customer and employee support; Current lifestyle inspiration; Tips and shortcuts; Virtual entertainment; Education and learning; Emotional comfort and wellness

PILLARS Home, Self, Community, How to Shop Now, Slow-Down Projects, Escapism and Diversion

INPUTS & ASSESSMENTS Social listening, real-time news, official mandates, purchasing trends, consumer conversations, new routines

BRAND APPROACH Determine role that brand should play in consumers’ lives during COVID-19

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Doing it right

Compassionate, appropriate tone

Commitment to helping community prosper again,

appropriate imagery and tone

Demonstration of how to give back, what you

can do, too

Creative new ways to enjoy favorite activities; A reassuring human voice

Useful content that eases adjustment

Gives direction on what to do now, and in a way

that fits the brand

DENIAL ATTENTIVE ANXIOUS UNCERTAIN ACCEPTING SUPPORTIVE OPTIMISTIC

10Copyright © 2020 Accenture All Rights Reserved.

Putting this into action

BUILD a flexible workflow1. Integrate Your Teams

ADJUST your approach1. Find The Right Voice2. Audit Existing Content3. Build Net New Content

KNOW your consumers1. Social Listening & Tools2. Segment And Target

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2

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Social listening & toolsWith social distancing so important, more people are turning to digital channels to stay connected. During the first week of COVID-19 making headlines in the United States, social conversations doubled day-over-day.

All brands and industries should be listening to what is being said. Understanding how behaviors and perceptions are rapidly shifting will enable companies to:

• Respond to shifts in consumer mood and mindset

• Get ahead of emerging trends• Find new relevance for your product or services

• Realign your content to suit new norms and needs

• Address what’s being said about you as well as to you• Shift corporate communications strategy

KNOW your consumers1

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SOLUTION:Social listening support & quick-to-produce social contentAccenture immediately implemented a robust social listening program to augment the institution’s small social media team. We generated twice-daily reports about new mentions of the institution in social media. Based on these reports, we recommended creating new social media assets to address and counter the misinformation. Our recommendations leveraged already approved language from existing, live articles in order to shorten the approval cycle. We included hashtags used in the incorrect posts in order to increase the likelihood of the correct, evidence-based information being seen by the same audiences.

CHALLENGE:Combat dangerous misinformation on social mediaOur client wanted to combat the spread of misinformation about coronavirus and COVID-19, and dangerous health practices arising from incorrect information. The public was posting questions on their owned social media channels — especially about incorrect information falsely attributed to their experts that was being posted elsewhere on social media.

Accenture Case Study Large Regional Medical Community Network:

CLIENT & INTERNAL TEAM DAILY SCRUM MEETINGS

• Twice daily client scrum calls

• Twice daily internal scrum calls

• Shared content environment insights

• Access to Social Studio for community management and listening

• Shared engagement tracker for rapid response and FAQs

REAL-TIME SOCIAL LISTENING & DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

• Access to content library and assets

• Turn-key approvals for content development with approved templates

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT CYCLES OF 8-24 HOURS

HOW IT WORKS:

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Look to data and dynamic content for personalization.

Age, milestones and income seem to matter less now.

Here’s what matters more:

• LOCATION | Impacted by local government and businesses

• CAREERS | Impacted by status, industry and environment

• HOUSEHOLD | Impacted by people, pets and pantries

• INTERESTS | Impacted by the inability to leave the home

• BELIEFS | Impacted by politics, religion and affiliations

U.S. consumers are at different points along the emotional journey depending on the factors above. It’s critical, maybe more now than ever before, to understand what your audience is experiencing and how they want to engage – at an individual level.

This will help you diversify your messaging and lean in when consumers need you most. After all, the person in search of toilet paper needs something different than the one hoarding it all.


Segment and Target

Joni – Can we add an image over here?

Maybe this is where the toilet paper image goes. See the last sentence J

- GK

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AUTHENTICITY IS CRITICAL

Be real about the situation and

consistent with your brand;

audiences are very sensitive now to

anything that feels “off” or that

doesn’t at least acknowledge the current situation

BE HUMAN & HELPFUL

Be empathetic with the needs

and concerns of customers and acknowledge their anxiety about their health and finances

CONTEXT IS KEY

Provide a clear, unambiguous and precise reason for the purpose of an

outbound message and why you’re sending it to an

audience member

PULL, DON’T PUSH

Lean harder into pull marketing activities

until shelter in place/stay home

orders lift in order to avoid the perception

of opportunism; smooth paths to

purchase

Actively leverage social media to

provide updates; Repurpose existing online videos, etc.;

Use listening to stay on top of consumer conversation topics

and sentiment

BE MORE SOCIAL

Link messages to comprehensive

measures that front-line employees are taking to protect themselves and

customers

PUT SAFETY FIRST

“Set it and forget it” content doesn’t

work during this fast-changing

situation; decisions made two weeks ago

may not be appropriate today

CONSTANTLY RE-ASSESS

ADJUST your approach2

Find the right voice

CONSIDER THESE FACTORS WHEN FINDING THE RIGHT VOICE:


Ensure that all content sends a message consistent with the current situation and brand purpose. BASED ON NEW ARCHITECTURE, ACT QUICKLY TO:


Audit existing content

ESTABLISH MESSAGING

AROUND COVID-19

And whether existing messages

need to change

REVIEW LIVE & ABOUT-TO-GO-LIVE CONTENT

FOR SUITABILITY

Check all elements, including imagery, videos and email

FLAG PIECES THAT MAY NEED TO BE REVISED

OR PULLED ENTIRELY

Act quickly to limit potential damage to

the brand

NOTE ANY IMPORTANT

GAPS

Are customers asking for

information you can supply?

CONSIDER ADJUSTING

CONTENT

Pieces already in development may

help fill gaps

DEVELOP NEW, RELEVANT CONTENT

Fresh pieces should reflect the changed reality

Content is just one part of the overall consumer experience. Make sure you’ve adjusted accordingly from end to end.EVALUATE YOUR CX AGAINST YOUR NEW ARCHITECTURE, TOO


HERSHEY pulls ads with hugs & handshakes amid COVID-19 concerns

COORS LIGHT stops “Official Beer of Working Remotely” ad amid COVID-19 outbreak

KFC suspends U.K. ‘Finger Licking Good’ campaign after COVID-19 related complaints

1 2 3

Featuring direct contact or downplaying the seriousness of the situationQuick Pivots


Adjusted existing content

https://youtu.be/t1BYSaSid-Q https://youtu.be/Xk2UtGPyGks

From physical to virtual hugs

Pre Covid-19 During Covid-19

Quick Pivots

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https://youtu.be/t1BYSaSid-Q

https://youtu.be/Xk2UtGPyGks


DEVELOP IN AN AGILE FASHION

Work efficiently and avoid

highly-produced

materials to get content in-market fast

MODEL PUBLIC HEALTH

GUIDELINES

Reflect safety tips in text & imagery,

such as social distancing

INFUSE EMPATHY&

INSPIRATION

Use messaging that offers

hope & understanding

EMBRACE LONGER-FORM

CONTENT

Capitalize on extended

attention spans with deeper

pieces

Explain policy changes that support your employees, customers & community

SHARE YOUR TRANSFORMATION

Allow greater editorial freedom

when working with partners &

influencers

LOOSEN RESTRICTIONS

Host virtual events to

provide value & a sense of

connectedness

BRING YOUR COMMUNITY

TOGETHER

Revamp FAQS & chatbots

to offer help & drive seamless

experiences

PROVIDE DIGITAL CUSTOMER

SERVICE


Build net new content Auditing existing content will provide an understanding of how much can be repurposed and how much needs to be developed from scratch.

CONSIDER THESE FACTORS WHEN DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR TODAY AND BEYOND:


CLOROX models public health guidelines with how-to’s on product use

TIDE shares their transformation with content about free laundry services to front line responders

WEGMANS FOOD MARKETS uses empathy, offering low-cost meal options for financially strapped shoppers

1 2 3

New Content

HYUNDAI shares their transformation by highlighting deferred payments, click to buy options and community involvement

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BUILD a flexible workflow3

New normal, new ways of workingINTEGRATE TEAMSContent doesn’t belong to any one team. The best content results from close collaboration between client and agency, creative and strategy. Getting everyone together maximizes communication, speed, creativity and idea generation.

START WITH INSIGHTS Audience intelligence is the compass that points toward engagement. Integrate insights from social listening, trend watching and your own channel learnings so every piece of content you create is optimized from inception.

TEST, TEST, AND TEST AGAINTest your hunches—and be ready for surprises. Starting with insights creates a solid foundation, but frequent, flexible testing is the key to full optimization. Are your new themes the right ones? Is your tone hitting the mark? Testing is the best way to know what’s really resonating.

MOVE FAST (DON’T BREAK THINGS)Plan to figure some of it out on the fly. Your content team should be creating ways to be as relevant, timely and appropriate as possible. Sometimes this will mean empowering them to expedite approvals and publication.

GATHERINSIGHTS

DEVELOP IDEAS

PLAN FLEXIBLY

CREATE CONTENT

TEST & ADJUST

MEASURE &

ANALYZE

FLEXIBLE WORKFLOW

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Identify trending topics that warrant brand conversations

& suggested content

BUILD a flexible workflow3

New normal, new ways of workingAccenture Case Study for a Market-Leading Food Company

Develop and share brief, inclusive of creative concepts

and insights

Gain alignment from the client and begin asset development

Deliver R1 assets and copy

Receive feedback on R1

Deliver R2 assets and copy

Gain approval from the client and schedule

content for publishingDAILY

CONTENT CREATION PROCESS

Gain alignment from the client;

approval of rejection only

Schedule content for immediately

publishing

BY11:30AM

ET

BY1:30PM

ETBY

3:00PMET

6 DAYSPRIOR TOLAUNCH





1 DAYPRIOR TOLAUNCH

WEEKLYCONTENT

CREATION PROCESS



WAL-MARTNew content: Agile production, infused with empathy & inspiration, demonstrating loosened restrictions

Link to Video

LOW-PRODUCTION UGC OF EMPLOYEES SINGING “LEAN ON ME” CONVEYS UNITY AND SERVICE (& TRIBUTE TO BILL WITHERS)

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https://www.kptv.com/watch-walmart-employees-sing-lean-on-me-in-new-commercial/video_92c7003f-7f4d-5bee-802f-ced01acfd077.html


Everything is changing. We are here to help. Together, we can create content for a new era.

COPYRIGHT © 2020 ACCENTURE INTERNAL USE ONLY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 24

Marisa FuocoExecutive Creative Director & NE Communicate Creative Lead

[email protected]

Thank You.For more information, please contact:

Co-authors:

Ginny KurbjeweitStrategy Director Accenture Interactive

[email protected]

Danielle C. BlackContent DesignAccenture Interactive

[email protected]

Gretchen LembachContent DesignAccenture Interactive

[email protected]

http://accenture.com




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