As we nudge towards the 'post-pandemic' era, do like these five brands and help anxious consumers get back out there.
After more than a year dreaming about future realities, the rollout of vaccinations sparked a collective sense of hope. But now, as antibody-rich societies spring back to life, consumers are battling a new (albeit lesser) pandemic – reentry syndrome. While researching for Innovation of the Day, we spotted a cluster of businesses doing their bit to quell consumers’ anxiety about returning to ‘the new normal’. How can you help ease consumers back into public life? Take a leaf out of these brands’ books...
Five brands helping consumers acclimatize to post-pandemic life… More innovations? Right this way.
Moovit | Helping consumers avoid crowded transportation
The urban mobility app has very recently (June 2021) launched a feature to report real-time crowding levels at train stations in 3,400 cities across 112 countries. Its aim? To help people sidestep the crowds as rush hour makes a (rather unwelcome) return. How could your brand help ease the concerns of the crowd-conscious? It could be something as simple as an app-based mental health toolkit.
Mastercard | Driving app reroutes in search of quieter grocery stores
Following a successful collaboration in April 2021, Mastercard partnered with Waze again in May to launch Safe Waze 2 Shop – an extension of the Waze navigation app which alerts drivers if their destination supermarket is particularly busy and provides quieter alternative options. A smaller brand could partner with a local mobility-as-a-service company or use its marketing channels to provide live updates.
Walmart | Digital wallet keeps Covid vaccine record in easy reach
In the US, the supermarket giant Walmart has worked with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to devise a digital wallet where consumers can store a digital record of their Covid vaccine, ready to be whipped out or printed at a moment’s notice. Digital passports and virtual health cards are a thing. Is your brand ready to incorporate these new verification systems into its digital platforms?
Tinder | Free Covid-19 tests for in-person dating
Who said romance is dead? In a bid to equip its users with peace of mind as dating resumed, in March 2021, Tinder teamed up with the US-based health and wellness company EverlyWell to send out 1,000 free Covid testing kits to people who had matched on the app. What resources (either tests or information) could you share with consumers to make ‘business as usual’ less intimidating?
TikTok | Social media series bring public health information to users
The partnership with media publisher NowThis (announced in April 2021) is the first time TikTok has part-funded a series on its platform. The series of five 45-minute episodes will discuss Covid in digestible language, backed up by insights from scientists and researchers. Forget ‘staying in your lane’. Regardless of your industry, could you embrace interactive content to share essential information in a language (and on a platform) that resonates with your audience?
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