Market Research Meanderings from the Home Office
Business is blurring with home life for many of us working in self-isolation.
The role of communication on LinkedIn is changing weekly – with more of us looking simply to keep in contact rather than push a specific message. Sharing.
In this spirit, my observations for these difficult times - trying to make sense of a very strange situation and what that means for us professionally.
There’s lots of strands – but overall I’d say that we’re witnessing an acceleration of everything that was a trend anyway.
Here goes:
- The rules of communication are changing, especially in the digital b2b space.
Cut-through is a real challenge. Lots more new people are posting on LinkedIn – including market research folk I’ve never seen there at all. One positive outcome from these difficult times maybe – assuming these efforts result in interactions, conversations, and are sustained.
- Communication content is changing, blurring in terms of what it’s trying to do.
Social selling abounds, but is sometimes difficult to recognize, freemium offerings are rampant (digital concert halls, online education, help in all sorts of business processes) – you think someone is reaching out, but of course they’re not a charity. Hopefully. Yet.
- Experimentation in SM formats is also expanding fast – never done your own podcast? Time to try is now – or is it? Seeing yourself on camera/film is a learning curve for those of us not into selfies.
- And as far as personal branding goes, the trend to using video conferencing software means that we need to look trim, project ourselves differently. Groom for Zoom (to borrow a phrase) - challenging in times when hairdressers are shut.
- What we’re witnessing in product re-engineering will likely have a large impact on the wayinnovation processes are run. Agile has got a whole new spin.
Just one example (and there are many): Ventilators were created by F1 teams in the UK working closely with UCL Mechanical Engineering in less than 100 hours. The role of engineering and manufacturing is foregrounded – as is what’s possible when there’s a real and urgent need.
This will likely put stress on getting the back-end of Design Thinking processes, especially minimum functioning prototyping, as effective as the the fuzzier front end which looks at unmet needs.
- Working life will change in its rituals and routines.
As we get used to remote and home-working, even appreciate bits of it (e.g. no wasted hours and money on commutes), company owners will likely rethink what’s necessary from office rental space costs. The current focus on cash-flow will heighten sensitivity to all types of expenses.
Lunch breaks will also be impacted. If there are smaller or even no offices, then kitchen or eating spaces may become modular, being used for all sorts of things throughout the day. Maybe pubs and restaurants will become the new offices - assuming shared spaces can address potential hygiene concerns.
- Finally, there will be an impact on what have been seen as mega-trends.
Gestures that can seem overly idealistic, childish or petulant don’t resonate so strongly in times where the focus is on the number of available emergency units in hospitals.
Instagrammability and foregrounding of virtuous behaviours will likely shift in importance; brands looking to show their responsibility towards the broader society will ramp up their efforts to find an ownable positioning in the busy area of “brand purpose.”
That’s it. There’s masses more – including media usage. Are we all watching more TV at home, as the CEO of WPP suggested in a recent interview with UK trade magazine Campaign?
I’m certainly growing attached to looking at National Geographic's YouTube channel on my smartphone – digital is likely the only way of me seeing the Lago Maggiore in Italy in 2020.
That’s it. Stay healthy.