There is a common belief amongst marketers that one of the best ways to introduce a brand into someone’s life is during key life stages, which invite new habits and behaviors. These can range from getting married to moving to a new house.
But here’s the kicker:
The global lockdown is also a moment which has unintentionally triggered a new era of do-it-yourselfers. Grocery stores are running out of flour and searches for online courses are exploding. On the surface, baking or learning a new skill seems like a nice way to just pass the time, but when you dig deeper it’s all about our primal drive to be in control of our survival. Especially during uncertain times.
You might be wondering… What role can marketers play in all this? For starters, brands don’t need to be bystanders during this phenomenon. They can be an ally to DIYers in 3 ways:
Teach The Craft
Dust off your “how to” playbook for YouTube and create helpful content that can enrich consumer’s skillsets. You can either use Google Trends and figure out what types of how-to topics are popular in different categories, or you can reveal how you make things from scratch. Take for example IKEA UK’s guide to making Swedish meatballs, or Burger King France’s guide to making a Whopper at home.
Sell A Kit
If you feel like your target audience is not made up of Renaissance folks, you can still give them a chance to feel in control with a starter kit. Just make sure you don’t make it too easy for them. As Rory Sutherland mentions in his book, Alchemy, Betty Crocker’s original DIY cake mix did not do well when it was first introduced in the 1950s. General Mills was baffled by the lack of sales for their all-in-one miracle. The only thing bakers had to do was add water. Then, extensive researched revealed the irony – the all in one solution made people feel less involved in the outcome. So, Betty Crocker created an extra step for the cake mix (add an egg) and sales took off.
Share Your Passion
Don’t worry if your business is not operating at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s not far-fetched for a brand like Honda to create a family guide to making toy cars out of scraps, or for an airline to create a blueprint for paper airplanes.
When everything feels like it’s out of our control, brands can equip us with the knowledge and tools we need to feel self-sufficient. These forms of brand action not only instill goodwill, but they also make a difference to corporate legacy. After all, life stages have a ripple effect on who we become in the coming years. And we have a tendency to remember those who were by our side during the tough times.