Brand Communication – what has changed with the pandemic?

Brands’ communication process has changed over the last decades, motivated mainly by technological and digital advances. The pandemic context experienced since 2020 has also impacted brands’ communication, which were forced to reinvent themselves.

In today’s article we talked about how the pandemic has changed brands’ communication process, as well as their relationship with changes in customer buying behavior.

What is brand communication and what is its relationship to customer’ purchase journey??

Brand communication is one of the steps of its management strategy, consisting of communication with various stakeholders of the organization/company, namely:

• Marketing communication – market-oriented communication, such as advertising.
• Institutional communication, through the dissemination of its institutional attributes and other public relations activities directed to civil society and its internal public.
• Word of mouth – creation of links with all stakeholders of the organization / company, aimed at creating a positive reputation.

The Customer Purchase Journey, as we mentioned in previous articles, is the process that customers go through from the moment they identify a need until the moment they are ready to make the purchase that will fulfill that need.

Thus, it is essential for brands to define a communication strategy that promotes involvement and the creation of a lasting relationship with customers. It is crucial for the brand-customer relationship that the communication developed during the purchase journey is not exclusively concerned with the sale, but that it bets on customer nutrition throughout this process (see our article on Inbound marketing and learn more about customer nurturing).

What’s changed with the pandemic?

The pandemic has brought changes in all the contexts of our lives, and digital has gained extra importance, having been an “anchor” for the continuity of our lives, whether on a personal or professional level. Nevertheless, this situation was also a great opportunity for brands to work on engagement with their customer, further humanizing their functioning and communication.

Thus, these were the main changes that took place in the context of brand communication:

• Communication based on the emotional dimension;
• Communication of the values of organizations/companies, such as concern for the environment and sustainability;
• Increased communication and interaction with customers;
• Communication through digital influencers;
• Communication that reinforces the safety, trust and solidity aspects of brands;
• Communication based on the good side of life, made in a light way and with a sense of humor.

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