Business as Unusual – Brand Recovery
By now we are all starting to settle into a new “normal”. Streets are quiet, shops and restaurants are closed and many offices are empty. Many of us have been able to practice social distancing by working from home, but this crisis will pass and we need to be ready for business as unusual.
As business owners and leaders, we need to step out of the current situation and start planning for what our business, and those of our clients, will look like when we go back to the office.
At circus, we have been working on what we call Brand Recovery Strategies for our clients and, quite frankly, for circus. We know that some of our clients will be severely affected – some may not even survive.
The first step to Brand Recovery is to quit focusing on C-19 and start paying attention to the changes in behaviour, patterns, attitudes and perspectives that are already starting to emerge.
I am sure you can already see changes in the way we live, shop, play and do business. We need to be Brand Recovery ready.
We need to be Brand Recovery ready“
Here are just a few changes I have seen over the past week:
The way we shop for groceries
- Grocery stores are already making changes, like bagging fruits and veggies. This has been a practice in many European countries for a while now.
The way we bank
- I am thinking those glass barriers between the tellers and customer will be resurrected. Maybe even that little slot with a box you slide back and forth? And of course, even more online or kiosk banking.
The way we feel in restaurants & shops
- I’ve always preferred to eat in a restaurant that was hopping with life, where tables and people are jammed together. Now, I am not so sure. I think restaurants may need to create a sense of distance between tables. Fewer people per sitting will put pressure on revenue.
The way we work
- Open concept offices may be a thing of the past. My team works in an open concept and I am rethinking the floor plan – more space between workstations and fewer people on each floor.
- Should we have micro offices where they can shut the door and feel more secure and protected from “catching” a bug?
- Or fewer people at the office at any given time by setting up working from home vs office rotations
- Or, abandon the bricks and mortar office altogether, although I fear the loss of collaboration, teamwork and friendship
How is your industry changing in light of COVID-19? I’d be interested in hearing from you.
