From Media Post:
"Nearly half of Americans(45%) report they have changed at least one brand preference already, and a majority (62%) expect that their brand preferences will change permanently before the pandemic is over, according to new research from Omnicom’s Ketchum agency.
The combination of the public health crisis and the movement for social justice has ushered in new priorities for most consumers, particularly around ethics and safety, per the report."
The story goes on:
"The report segments consumers into four categories: “Retro Re-engagers” (33% of consumers) who politically conservative and "ready to return to the world as it was" …
“Open-Minded Explorers” (22%) "have new priorities as they return to a world reopening" and "are most likely to change brand preferences post-COVID, more likely to be urban and educated" … “Worried Withholders” (20%) are not easily influenced, are politically centrist, somewhat conservative and the oldest persona. They are least likely to have changed their brand preferences during the pandemic" … and “Cautious Questioners” (25%), who "are politically liberal, twice as likely as the average American to feel very uncomfortable visiting shared spaces, most likely to have an underlying health risk, and most likely to feel positive about companies prioritizing diversity and inclusion in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests."
- KC's View:
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I think that the vast majority of people - regardless of their age or politics - would like the world to return to what it once was. Many even might think that such a thing is possible, and, in the words of Ernest Hemingway in "The Sun Also Rises," "isn't it pretty to think so."
The world has changed. Not just by the pandemic, which could end up being just the second or third most important story of the year.
There's another Hemingway line that captures the moment: "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."
