In this time of crisis, the vast majority of U.S. consumers either want to hear the same amount or more from brands and companies according to research conducted by Opinium at the end of March. Obviously, consumers want to hear more from brands that provide essential services like food, healthcare and household products. But they’re still happy to hear the same amount – or more – from fitness, automotive, fashion and beauty brands.
At the same time, Opinium reports that 57% of consumers believe brands are ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ with their messaging around coronavirus. Consumers want, and need, authenticity from brands, preferring to hear from front line workers and CEO’s rather than celebrities or social media influencers.
Finally, at the end of March, 40% of consumers said they would prefer for brands and organizations to talk about something else, while 55% think there are important things other than coronavirus that aren’t being addressed. Our guess is that these numbers have only increased in the month of April as pandemic-fatigue sets in. But one thing is for certain – silence is not a smart option for any brand.
