Back to the future

The pandemic has disrupted our best laid plans, from holidays and weddings to festivals and sporting events. It’s left us asking: when will we be together again?

Our digital lives, on the other hand, have accelerated. But as the necessity and novelty begin to fade, we’re all remembering what our lives were like ‘in real life’. That’s when we’ll see a new appreciation for connection beyond digital to a more natural human one. In this immensely uncertain time, we all look for reassurance to help cope with increasing levels of stress and anxiety. We’re yearning for some familiarity, for what was, to cope with what may be.

Brands can help ease uncertainty by providing a sense of stability. Helping people look back to see forward. On the most fundamental level, the opportunity here is for brands to turn fear into optimism. Reminding people that this is a period of pause and a time to reflect on what really matters, to truly appreciate what we had, and will have again – maybe we’ll even
have it better.

2020 has given many people the head space to live and act more mindfully, giving rise to some positive behaviours such as a new supercharged sense of environmentalism and solidarity. The pandemic has disrupted our best laid plans, from holidays and weddings to festivals and sporting events. It’s left us asking: when will we be together again?

These times of shared crisis have made competition seem childish, with many brands partnering with non-profits and even competitors to create shared value. In-person interactions will be limited still, but whether digitally or physically we’ll start to crave more meaningful relationships, and these new ideals will begin to manifest in the brands we begin to love. We’ll expect true authenticity, demonstrated by real heroes who are at the end of the day, being real people like us.