You will have read plenty about ‘the new normal’ now allow me to introduce the New Norman.
TLC Marketing’s Planning team have been sifting through the latest research reports to understand how customer behaviour will be affected after lockdown and more permanently in the long term.
They have wrapped all their findings up into one pen portrait; your new best mate, Norman. Norman represents the average British customer after lockdown; their concerns, changes in their purchasing behaviour, how they shop and where they shop.
One thing we know for certain is that uncertainty will rule. For more than 10 weeks Norman has been at home with restricted access to the outside world and very different circumstances to life as we usually know it. As those restrictions are slowly lifted it is natural that he will still be cautious and won’t be rushing to return to pre-pandemic routines.
Brands too will be adapting and recovering after the storm. Once they recognise Norman’s mindset brands can react. By rewarding him with a choice of rewards to enjoy in the safety of his own home or the option to venture out. It’s all about giving the customer the decision, so they can do what feels most comfortable to them.
We can help brands react by understanding Norman’s new priorities and how rewards can influence post-pandemic behaviour. So, we can work together to create happy customers who favour brands who truly helped and achieve great results for brands in this new landscape.
The squidgy snack that remains a family favourite in British households has launched its latest campaign ‘free have-a-go sports sessions’ to inspire us all to be more active and try something new. The promotion has been able to adapt quickly to ensure customers can claim a free session even during lockdown.
For several years the brand has been recognised as healthy fuel for exercise, through its links with cycling; sponsoring UK events, prize draws to win your own bike which is all part of their Cycle Project. Now the brand is going one step further and encouraging us to get involved with a wider variety of sports.
The on-pack promotion is now live in stores, and with each qualifying pack a free sports, fitness or activity session can be claimed from TLC’s National Sports Network of independent venues across the country. With the current climate of staying fit different to the normal, customers can also choose from digital at home fitness options. Yoga from your front room with Yoga Warrior, online dance classes with Funky Moves, a bit of me time with The Mindfulness App or fitness classes in the garden with Auro. You can also kit yourself out with 15% off dhb sportswear, available to buy at Wiggle’s online store for cycling, running and swimming. However, if customers would prefer to wait to visit a particular sports venue the promotional period, purchase period and the voucher redemption period have all been extended to allow this.
The aim of the campaign is to get Soreen shoppers to consider purchasing as a healthy energy snack option and further cement the brand as a facilitator of health and wellness.
Liz Jacobs, Brand Controller at Soreen says “At Soreen we want to encourage children and adults of all ages to get active and this is an opportunity for them to try something new for free. Families can plan ahead to redeem their out of home sessions once the lockdown has ended and venues re-open but in the meantime we also have some great “at home” sessions to keep everyone healthy and active while staying at home and staying safe”
Take a look at the website and keep your eyes peeled for packs in-store! The campaign will be live until 31st October 2020.
About Soreen
Soreen, the iconic British baker, maker of the Original Malt Loaf, has now been fueling everyday adventures for over 80 years. It is continuously growing its snack range making sure each product is full of nutrients to release tasty energy when needed most. The company has invested heavily in product innovation over the years to meet the growing demands of consumers.
Soreen has launched several more convenient, individually-wrapped products in recent years. In particular, Soreen Malt Loaf Bar – a healthy alternative to energy bars / drinks for adults; and Soreen Lunchbox Loaves. Soreen are supporting Change4Life’s Good Choice campaign again in 2020. A campaign in England run by Public Health England (PHE). Recently shortlisted for the Grocer Brand of the Year awards https://www.thegrocergoldawards.co.uk/the-grocer-gold-awards-2020-finalists/
For more information about the brand, please visit: www.soreen.com
About TLC Marketing
TLC Marketing UK is the Institute of Promotional Marketing’s Agency of the Year 2017. They are global leaders in loyalty, incentive and reward campaigns. Operating since 1954, the original rewards company was founded on the luncheon voucher. Operating in 14 markets across the globe, they allow brands to outpace their competition through owned network experiences and big brand partner offers. TLC have launched award winning campaigns for Bupa, Continental Tyres and Braun. They also won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade 2016.
‘I know when to go out and when to stay in’ so sang David Bowie in pre-pandemic Modern Love.
Sadly things aren’t so clear cut now.
As we ease the lockdown restrictions one thing is certain, and that’s that uncertainty will rule. Whether it’s confusion about government guidelines or simply our own fears and doubts, things will take a long time getting back to normal.
Of course practicality will drive us. For example, having to go back to work, which means for the vast majority of us returning to public transport and sharing our office space (whether we like it or not!): but in our leisure lives we may think differently.
When will we feel content to sit in a dark, enclosed cinema with 200 strangers? Will a gym ever feel safe again and will we be happy to take the kids to a theme park?
The answer is of course different for all of us: it’s not in a brand’s interest to try and force the issue, despite the easing of restrictions by our higher powers.
Instead in response, we’ve started to offer all our clients the ability to add value in the form of ‘experiences’, a choice of leisure time activities that their customers can redeem and use inside or outside the home, and gives them the very personal choice about how they exercise their new found freedoms.
So if your target market has got into the habit of living room Pilates, or feels brave enough to take a personal trainer session in the park, our advice is to offer both and allow them to transition out of lockdown in the way they feel most comfortable.
In a recent call with a potential client we referenced Kantar Consulting’s graph on the public’s emotional response to the present situation. After the downward plunge of disbelief, shock, and despair, the curve starts to rally and ascends towards an ‘experimental’ phase, in a stage called ‘new beginnings’.
This more positive period of acceptance resonates with many – as a colleague said to me last week, “If I don’t come out of this a different person, I’ve wasted an opportunity”
So, what are we all going to do with the time? I recently saw a post about Lidl’s middle aisle causing a stir in Ireland. The normal power tools and barbeques had been replaced by trumpets, oboes and all manner of instruments. It seems the wind (section) of change may already be blowing over us as we try to find new ways to pass our time in lockdown usefully.
You could argue Lidl’s trumpets may cause as much pain as they bring joy, but by using this unique time to learn an instrument, speak a language or even get a qualification in accounting, will, I believe, eventually benefit us all. A change in society begins with a change in all of us, and a healthy dose of betterment on an individual level is a great place to start – just be mindful of your neighbours!
So back to the client meeting and Kantars’ graph? At each stage there was a positive experience that we recommended the brand should offer its consumers, to sympathise, entertain and then of course inspire.
Sadly their budget didn’t stretch to all three.
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