In this video, Chris Cooper, EVP Strategy at Taylor, explains why we should be planning for the “Next Normal” as opposed to simply accepting the “New Normal.”
Chris is a diplomate Jungian psychoanalyst who holds degrees and licenses that include a MS in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University and LP. As a clinician, Chris specializes in working with trauma and dissociation, and teaches and lectures on the effects of culture on behavior, cognition, and emotion.
NEXT/NOW
Below Chris provides a preview of his next video, in which he expands upon interaction of the “next” and the “now” and why brand marketers should take note.
In order to anticipate and envision what’s next, we must richly interrogate the now to assess what will endure, what will dissolve and what is aching to be born. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce five emergent trends we believe will be important driving forces of change and will have lasting impact on consumer behavior, preferences, and priorities.
- Being of Service: The new face of value in the post-pandemic world will be the contributions brands can make to the social good, as well as the support brands can offer to their customers and the communities in which they operate.
- Shifting From Extraversion To Introversion: Our consumer culture has historically celebrated the outward looking ways people live, look, think, and behave. The forced introspection endured by many during the global quarantine will linger, contributing to a compensatory swing that will see more consumers adopting an introverted approach to engaging with the world.
- Reduced Spheres of Engagement: Emerging trends such as “mutual aid” indicate a growing penchant amongst consumers to engage closer to home and prioritize activities and expenditures that will benefit small businesses in their local communities.
- Continuity of Experience: Social distancing and self-quarantining have caused many people to become disoriented to the point of losing their bearings (anyone lost sight of what day it is recently?). Brands can help customers re-orient to the world by providing customer experiences that provide both structure and continuity of experience.
- Evaluation Criteria Will Change: Customers’ innate sense of identity have been challenged by the coronavirus pandemic and their priorities in life have changed. As a result, the criteria by which consumers form opinions about brands and make purchase decisions will shift over time as they come to terms with living in a world in flux.