The quality and outcomes of your marketing depend entirely on how effectively and incisively it taps into the zeitgeist. 

This has always been the case, but it is a lesson every business owner should hold in the forefront of their mind now as COVID-19 presses the world into a new era, with a zeitgeist shaped by the shadow of this pandemic. 

It’s worth taking a moment to further explore the definition of zeitgeist here. By zeitgeist, I do not mean a trend or a fad. Trends are usually a source of public curiosity or entertainment that is superficial and fleeting. When marketing strategies are solely shaped around trends they are flimsy, short lived. At best, they offer a brief boost in revenue and at worst they are a PR disaster that causes permanent brand damage. By contrast, zeitgeist literally translates as ‘spirit of the times’ and is something that transcends sources of public curiosity and entertainment to encapsulate the broader spirit or mood of an extended period of time. Marketing strategies that are able to tap into the zeitgeist speak the language of consumers and offer a transformation that aligns with their deepest values and desires.

 An example of marketing which latched onto a trend  but failed to tap into the zeitgeist is the disastrous 2017 Pepsi advertisement featuring Kendall Jenner. The ad latched onto the key trend elements of the model of the moment and the popularity of performative activism, but it failed to encapsulate the zeitgeist which was characterised by a push for increased socio-political awareness through movement such as Black Lives Matter. The fallout for both Pepsi and Jenner was enormous, with the brand dropping to its lowest levels of consumer perception in 10 years and taking nine months to recover. 

Instances like this one, where brands pivot on trends understandably make business owners nervous about adapting their pre-existing strategies to suit changing times and events. Previously, taking a conservative approach has proved effective, as whilst trends come and go in a matter of weeks or months the zeitgeist traditionally changes incrementally over years or even decades leaving plenty of time to adjust your marketing strategy. Not so with the latest shift. Life under COVID-19 exploded out of the blue like a trend in the sense that one week we were catching up with friends in restaurants saying ‘it’s just a flu’ and the next we found ourselves sheltering in our homes and becoming experts on data projections of the infection rate. However, enormous changes we have experienced under COVID-19 are not a temporary trend but a marked change in the mood and spirit of our times. With the pandemic we have entered into a state of hypervigilance, community consciousness and survivalism. These are the qualities which will define our lives for the foreseeable future, regardless of how the pandemic plays out. These are the characteristics of the new zeitgeist and interestingly, they contrast sharply with the complacency, virtue signalling, and hedonism which was the dominant cultural narrative just a few months ago. 

In these circumstances, it’s crucial that businesses revisit their marketing strategies and pivot as quickly as possible to align their offerings and brand language with the changed zeitgeist we now find ourselves in. There are very few instances in business where caution should be thrown the wind, but this is one of them. If businesses don’t adapt, then they will almost certainly be perceived by consumers to be not only out of touch, but cruelly indifferent to the needs of the community.  

If the thought of a complete strategy overhaul seems overwhelming, my recommendation would be to engage with a senior marketing consultant or even a crisis communications specialist to evaluate your existing strategy and make clear recommendations that you can sit down with your team and determine what is affordable.  Then if you are unable to implement immediately, indicate to your client base that you are working on it.  I cannot stress enough the importance of transparent communication during this time. Utilise your digital channels and focus on inbound marketing to consistently communicate with your community. 

If you need more information or advice please contact me to discuss how I can support your business during this crisis.