Due to COVID-19 and our silent conforming to the so-called “new normal”, we are witnessing an increased demand for D2C platforms. And why wouldn’t we? We can work, shop, and entertain ourselves from the comfort of our couch.
All of this has made us even greater digital consumers and more demanding — not just for volume but also for quality (affordable quality, to be exact).
Capturing new audiences or penetrating other categories is very appealing — not just from the business, but also from the brand perspective.
So, when we’re thinking of ways to communicate and push our products and services, hype and increased demand are not among our greatest allies. Because of them, we tend to overlook and forget crucial, even critical steps.
As we try to catch up with our competitors and stay relevant, we start working as soon as possible. But deadline pushing and wanting to go live so we don’t miss the window of opportunity can sometimes steer us from producing meaningful and valuable content.
Now, more than ever, we should consider our customer’s needs and wants. By investing more time researching, analyzing, and planning, we save future time and money by decreasing the need for customer service and poor UX decisions.
Here’s an example of how a bit of research on a particular subject went a long way. This subject is vitally important, especially in today’s day and age where a whole generation is robbed of almost every aspect of their ordinary lives.
Our small team of just two had 24 hours to deliver an idea that would help a small NGO solve its donations through their digital channels. The brief was quite challenging due to the subject being one of the greatest taboos — mental health.
We took our time and focused on research. By dedicating more than 70% of overall time to understand and empathize with the target audience, we were able to respond to the brief and find a solution that would position the problem center stage, solve donations, create engagement and increase reach.
With our creative execution, we wanted to immerse the viewers, grab their attention and create a connection through storytelling, opening their eyes to the problem.
The result? We won the first prize in Cannes Young Lions Croatia in the digital category.
The 2020 Croatia Young Lions competition foreshadowed what would turn into the biggest challenge of this and the previous year. It showed that for future campaigns, services and products, everything begins and ends with the users and their well-being. This way of thinking needs to serve as a roadmap for every future interaction and to, ultimately, teach us to care for one another.
