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Lessons for brands in a post-COVID world.

Research released today from the EACA Knowledge Centre of Effie Europe winners reveals 4 salutary lessons on how marketing communications can enable brands into growth post-recession.

Titled the “The Road to Recovery: What lessons from previous recessions can teach us about communication-led growth in a post-COVID world”, this research has been conducted by marketing effectiveness experts The Effectiveness Partnership and TBWA\ ‎‎‎who have analysed data from EACA Effie Europe winners from 2008- 2020.

Very little literature exists on how brands can best emerge from economic downturns. This whitepaper seeks to redress this, with research from the Effectiveness Partnership and TBWA\ finding that brands can drive communications-led growth by adhering to these 4 lessons:

1. There are big opportunities for value brands to cement their place in consumer repertoires primarily through driving increased frequency; and for high innovation brands to use the power of communications to help fuel closer customer connections, and grow penetration
2. That emotion is critical to bolstering brand connections to post-recessionary consumers, and growing brand relevance is disproportionately important during these periods.
3. That successful brands with the capability and confidence to bring new products and innovations into the marketplace, and communicating these when times are hard are rewarded by being able to move off the defensive and onto the offensive, seizing new opportunities for growth.
4. That TV, leading an increasingly sophisticated and multi-channel communications mix, remains critical to driving large business effects post-recession. And that the power of earned media is critical to engage consumers and to create fame, creating togetherness and conversation at times when consumers are looking for shared meaning.

Download the whitepaper free here.

The Road to Recovery was launched in front of a virtual audience at the EACA Effies Europe presentation on the 1st December. Author, Donald Pirie, Strategy Director TBWA\ delved into the findings, followed by a moderated panel discussion from The Effectiveness Partnership Chairman, Janet Markwick alongside Effie Europe co-chairs of Judges – Claire Miller, Global Head of Strategy, Lego Agency; and Vincent Garel, Executive VP TBWA\Groupe France.

Says Gurdeep Puri, co-founder The Effectiveness Partnership and co-author of this report:

“The Effectiveness Partnership was delighted to be able to conduct this rigorous research into Effie Europe winners from the EACA and offer new thought-leadership to this previously under-investigated area.  This research shows how communications can be the fuel for growth in recovery years and reveals how to best go about laying out that roadmap to recovery.”

Says Donald Pirie, Strategy Director at TBWA\ and co-author of the report:

“Using valuable and extensive data from the EACA Effectiveness Knowledge Centre, we’re delighted to present this paper to offer key insights into how brands can successfully emerge from recessions in stronger positions than before. We hope this paper can give some relevant lessons to the marketing industry adapting to our ‘new normal’, creating well-founded optimism for the future.”

For further information on the study or for a discussion about how The Effectiveness Partnership can help with other research and analysis get in touch: gurdeep@theeffectivenesspartnership.com