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At the recent Institute of Communication Agencies Northern Maverick Collective event, Jean-Xavier Wilhelmy, Director, Lead Strategy at Cossette, spoke about the effects of a global pandemic through a behavioural science lens.

The presentation followed Cossette’s historic deep-dive into two past pandemics, together with analysis of the fallout from COVID-19. Wilhelmy was looking to identify patterns of human behaviour that are repeated in these pandemics to help people and brands better adapt to what’s coming in the future.

He looked in detail at three main pandemics – Bubonic plague in the 14^th Century, the HIV/AIDS outbreak, and COVID-19. The findings were fascinating, especially in the identification of parallels and common human behaviours that emerge during pandemics despite them being hundreds of years apart.

Common links in pandemics

Above all, Wilhelmy says, fear is always there in pandemics: “It’s a constant that’s directly linked to our survival instincts, and pandemics create the biggest kinds of fear – about dying, our health, the safety of our loved ones. Then we often panic, because we sense we are losing control.” This makes us behave in ways, often violent or discriminatory, that gives us a false impression of gaining back some control. It also drives us to think that buying a hundred toilet rolls in the store is the only thing that makes sense and protects us. There’s an upside too, he says: “However, fear can encourage the best, as well as the worst, from people. On the bright side, some humans are great at getting together and collaborating in times of crisis.”

Other interesting behaviours in common across pandemics, certainly in the case of Bubonic plague and COVID-19, include population migration to more rural areas. Wilhelmy highlighted how, during the Bubonic Plague of 1347-51, there was mass migration away from European cities to the countryside for reasons of safety and because it gave populations a sense of control in the face of massive fear. This migration led, ultimately, to political and social instability and significant changes to social constructs. He sees a similar pattern due to COVID-19, with urban populations escaping to less densely populated areas and working from home. Both Toronto and Montreal saw record numbers of people leaving in the early months of the pandemic – 50,375 people left Toronto, while 24,880 people departed Montreal for more rural areas in Quebec in the year to July 2020, according to Statistics Canada.

Wilhelmy is unsure of the degree of permanence of this trend but expects some people to return to the city: “Human exoduses rocketed  – just like with the plague there were those that left in a hurry. How many will come back? I’m not sure but the countryside isn’t made for everyone.”

Opportunities for brands

There is good news for businesses, however, because Wilhelmy argues that we at least now have the knowledge and ability to plan around disruptions in human behaviour.

Pandemics tend to either disrupt or accelerate certain behaviours, but he says: “With the COVID-19 pandemic, everything regarding online and food delivery acceleration will probably remain and only increase. However, while there has been significant disruption of human interaction, activity in events, concerts, and live interaction is likely to return to a large degree. As soon as I can go back to concerts I’ll probably go to more over a year than I would otherwise. A lot of people are missing a lot about their lives and where this relates to social interactions they will go back. Living in a world without human interaction is inconceivable for many people.”

This provides great potential for businesses that anticipate this return. Wilhelmy also sees a bright future for food brands that anticipate consumer need following the pandemic. He says: “COVID-19 raises consumer questions that, if answered successfully, will mean a better performance. Questions along the lines of ‘What is it?’, ‘Is it healthy?’, ‘Is it local, where does it come from?’, ‘When do I make an exception?’, and ‘When is  it OK to indulge?’”

There are possibilities around social changes too. The pandemic has brought again into light some major issues in society: income equality; the gender gap; Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; systematic racism and lack of diversity. Wilhelmy says: “Nobody can disagree that we have a deep need for diversity and inclusivity, understanding and opening our world to people, but we’re also seeing very strong pressure from localities, provinces and countries to push the local aspects of their brand more than ever. And that creates tension. Local brands that get to grips with the message of being proud to be Canadian without alienating a broad audience will prosper.”

Embrace optimism

In general, says Wilhelmy, behaviours from previous pandemics, and those emerging from COVID-19, highlight that we shouldn’t try to predict the future but learn from the past to embrace some core principles: “Such as understand your consumer, give them reasons to believe in you, and always remember that human interaction isn’t dead.”

Above all, Wilhelmy urges businesses and brands to “stay positive because we all need a spirit of optimism”. He concludes: “Brands have a short window to make a difference in consumers’ minds before they risk becoming irrelevant, and need to be smart and balanced because customers will know when they’re being overtly commercial. Just keep in mind that people even expect businesses to help them regardless of a crisis, so these expectations became greater than ever over the last year.”

Cossette is a member of the Institute of Communication Agencies. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

By Christie Atkins, Marketing Lead at POWERSHiFTER.

Women have experienced health inequities in BC for decades, and recent research conducted by the BC Women’s Health Foundation found that the COVID-19 pandemic is making them worse.

A powerful report surfaced startling statistics about gender-based violence, workplace exposure, isolation, job loss, and increased caretaking responsibilities resulting from the virus. To generate awareness of the impacts on women’s health, the data needed to reach a large audience fast.

But in today’s attention economy, multiple products and services are concurrently vying for our attention. Not everyone will download a full-scale report and consume it line by line. The team needed a creative way to attract readers, digest the information quickly, and empower people to take action. “2020 was a time of movements,” says Gord Brown, Senior Designer and creative mind behind the project. “We wanted to start a movement around women’s health.”

Art Direction

Gord,  POWERSHiFTER’s Senior Designer, has worked with the BC Women’s Health Foundation since 2018. Originally brought on to bring their new look to the digital space, he also lent his expertise in art direction, co-producing award-winning photography that has since become a crucial piece of the Foundation’s brand. Therefore, its team was keen to follow his guidance for its latest project.

“We sought to transform the comprehensive report into a microsite, filled with easily digestible facts and interactions that made sharing across social media easy,” says Gord. “As an extension of BC Women’s brand, we used their bright colours, bold typography, white and blackspace, and thought-provoking visual elements to intentionally draw in and hold the attention of visitors.”

Deconstructing the Elements

Translating elements from print to digital can be complex. Not everything that works on paper is a perfect fit for the digital space. To start a movement and make a real impact, everything on the microsite had to be big, bold, and purposeful.

Colour

Pink and yellow are the bright, memorable colours found throughout the microsite. Yet, it’s the subtle use of black and white that provides balance and space for visitors to process the content. Akin to reading a book, Gord says the whitespace is like turning a page, giving the audience a breather and a moment to reflect as they scroll.

Imagery

Anxiety, depression, and burnout were reported as the most common psychological issues women experience due to COVID-19. This visual represents the ripple effect caused by the virus and is seen throughout the microsite to convey the exacerbated inequity.

Financial Fallout, Risky Business, Safety at Home, and Unsustainable Support represent four facets of a woman’s life negatively impacted by COVID-19. Navigating to any of these categories initiates a viewport takeover where visitors can see the data. Intentionally placed numbers and graphs surface the most important and impactful elements of the report. Highlighting these content pieces in black and whitespace encourages individuals to focus solely on the text.

Social Sharing

To increase education and awareness of women’s health issues, disseminating information needed to be easy. Scattered throughout the site are buttons that enable visitors to post facts directly to their social networks or share their own stories.

Technology

No code/low code is a trend in the technology space. Our team had been looking for an opportunity to move in this direction, and ‘Unmasking Gender Inequity’ seemed like a perfect fit for the Webflow platform. We needed to have high production value, elegant animations, and speed to deliver. While there was a learning curve, the results were exactly what the team envisioned. So much so we became Webflow partners in the process.

Finding Purpose

POWERSHiFTER and the BC Women’s Health Foundation transformed a crucial report into an engaging and interactive digital product through creative digital design. By using award-winning photography, bold colours, captivating visual elements, and black and whitespace, we were able to capture visitors’ attention and communicate a clear message to the masses that we need change. The movement may be slow to start, but as more people visit the site, read the report, and champion equality, together, we are reenvisioning a future that better serves everyone.

POWERSHiFTER is a member of the Institute of Communication Agencies. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.