How to use the Crisis for your brand

Yes, times are bad. We see bankruptcies, job losses, banks going bust. But every cloud has a silver lining, and here are six linings for your brand

1. Crisis = Opportunity

Look at it this way: How can you use your competitors' weakness to move ahead during the storm? What can you do to make sure you're in a stronger position when the economy comes back?

2. Strong brands whether the storm better

We know that in times of crisis, people save on big ticket items, they try and save money on commodities, but still stick to the brands they love, for reassurance and quality. Make sure you have a strong brand (or if you're not sure, do a brand audit) to make sure you're on the winning side.

3. Who can you beat?

Crises are often times of substitution. So that may change the landscape of what you regard as your competition: If people cannot go on holiday, maybe they come to your spa instead? If people don't buy a big car - how about a small, fuel-efficient one? Look into the changing landscape and position yourself against the purchases you have a chance to substitute.

4. Give people an excuse

It's not that everybody has gone poor over night. People still want to spend, enjoy themselves, forget their worries for a moment. But maybe less ostentatiously, more discretely. With a better story to tell their friends. So you have to give them that story, the excuse to still enjoy your brand. Maybe your spa is no longer about pampering, but about health? Same services, but different positioning. De-stressing in these stressful times.

5. Communicate

Media will be cheaper, your competition will cut their media budgets. This is your chance to reach your target with your new, crisis-relevant positioning and communicate at less cost and more visibility. Remember, you want to be the brand that is top of mind when the crisis is over.

6. Be creative

With slashed media budgets (and just in case you could not convince your boss with our point number 6), you just have to be more creative in your messaging, execution and media-choice to cut through the clutter. No more hammering the message home by repetition. Change your agency - chances are you get a better deal. And make sure they can develop small, creative, impactful solutions that do not cost the world.

Need help? Email us - we're happy to tailor you a special CRISIS PACKAGE that looks at your current positioning (brand audit), how the crisis will affect you and change the market (crisis audit) and then develop a positioning that takes advantage of the changed conditions. At crisis rates (well, almost).

Jorg