BRANDING IN TIMES OF CRISIS: BUILDING BRAND ATTACHMENT AND TRUST DURING COVID-19

Abstract

When a crisis strikes, it is important for brands to react and respond with adapted messages in order to remain relevant during the crisis and beyond. The way brands respond during and after a crisis will have a significant impact on consumer perceptions and also on the sales. During the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been faced with an unprecedented situation, quite unlike any other modern crisis regarding its breadth and consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect including on brands’ performance. Brands had to rethink their strategies in order to cope with this situation and to limit the impact of the crisis. Companies have started to create marketing campaigns and activities that show how they are helping during the crisis. One of the early responses to the pandemic was a rush by brands to educate consumers about the need for social distancing and about the need to comply with the protective measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission. As the situation evolved, brands aimed to create a solid position from which to respond in a meaningful way to world events and to consumer needs. The aim of this paper was to identify the ways brands responded during this crisis. Also, this paper aimed to investigate, through a secondary data exploratory research, the aspects that matter more for consumers during this time of crisis and confusion, and to identify what type of marketing messages have an impact on consumers’ trust in a brand.

Keywords

• covid-19
• brand trust
• brand attachment
• branding
• crisis