So welcome. Welcome. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening, good night, wherever you are in the world. Um Thank you for joining me for this session.Um I'm so honored and excited to be here to share some knowledge and hopefully some helpful information with you um and just be a part of this amazing movement, right? That is women tech. And so thank you again uh for women tech for the opportunity and Anna for your amazing work and dedication with the whole team. And uh thank you all for joining us and those that are coming in. Thank you for joining. So, uh my session today is about empathic marketing in the age of a pandemic and I'm excited to share a little bit more about myself. My name is Jessica Hartley. I'm a digital strategy executive. I'm also a diverse city equity and inclusion advocate. I'm based in the United States in Portland, Oregon and I am Vice President of Strategy for a digital and innovation company called Instrument based here in Portland. We also have an office in New York and I've been doing digital uh strategy, business strategy consulting strategy for almost uh 20 years now and have worked at start ups and worked at advertising agencies and also at consulting companies.

So I'm always excited about how do we put consumers and people at the center of everything that we do and always excited to share the experiences and the knowledge that I've gained with others. Um And so thank you for having me and joining me today. So here's what we'll cover in really sort of rapid fire. I might put a little bit of that New York Moxie to make sure that we move along pretty quickly, um And are able to get through all the content. So we'll cover, we'll talk a little bit about the state of consumers. We will then define what empathic marketing means. So we're all clear and aligned on what that means. And then finally, we'll talk about what it means to put empathy to work, particularly in your marketing and promotions um for your companies. And what I will say is you'll hear me say, customers and consumers a lot throughout this. Um I'm sort of using them a little bit uh interchangeably typically I'm saying consumers that means sort of broader thinking about industry um terms and then customers thinking about your customers in particular. And also you'll hear ideas and suggestions and advice here that can apply if you're, for example, in hr or operations and thinking about ways in which to support your employees, right, often called employee experience. So um this can apply to any number of folks even within your team.

So hopefully, this will appeal and be helpful to many of you coming from different backgrounds. So let's start with the state of consumers, right? So the title is Empathic Marketing in the Age of a pandemic. Uh that is definitely a salacious title, right? Um Hopefully hooking folks in.

Um but we are in a bit of a crisis globally now, right? And so recognizing that we're in this, what is right now feels uh like a very long and hard moment in time. There's gonna be ripple effects on what this sort of significant moment is gonna have on business on industry and particularly on our consumers. Here's a quick quote from mtel, which is a marketing and research company. Um businesses will need to adapt to the altered operating environment as the linge lingering effects of the pandemic continue to influence consumer behavior throughout 2020 beyond. And so what this quote is really meant to do is just ground us that this is not a moment in time that even in when you know, potentially vaccines come out and things get better and we are back to some sort of getting back to work back to traveling. Um There will be lasting impacts um and effects on how consumers operate. So what we're focused on today is understanding what it really means to anticipate and meet your customer's needs and really think about how you evolve, how you market right, right now and beyond. And ultimately, that goal is to bring us together and think about how we can uh get closer to more loyalty from our customers. So let's take a quick snapshot of where consumers right now. Right? They're open to new alternatives, right.

So we had no toilet tissue and people are fighting over Lysol and wipes, right? Um, in grocery stores. Um Right. So customers and consumers have become used to alternatives. They couldn't find their brand name. So they found an off brand or a white label and we're gonna see that continue. So they might not come back to premium and to brand. So that's sort of one of the mindsets of consumers, they're more digital than ever. Everything is on digital shopping online, uh contactless payment, right? So there's just gonna be an even sort of exponential leap for what we expect digital experience to is to be and how digital transactions will go. And all that is about ultimately is how easy is it to do business with you? And can you make it as frictionless as possible? They're gonna continue to be conservative about spending right here in the United States alone. There are millions of people that are unemployed. Um and that kind of is a ripple effect across the world in terms of impacting economies. But even as things pick up, even as thing, if people get work, um they're gonna be conservative about their money and their spending, which means it's more on necessities and a lot less on luxuries they're focused on safe and secure entertainment. Right.

Who would have thought that first run, like movies that you would go to a movie theater and be all excited about and watch with a bunch of strangers in a room. Now, consumers are like, no way I'm not gonna do that and you can watch a brand new movie in the comfort of your home. Um And so there's just gonna be increased expectations of things that make them happy, that bring them joy, that bring them entertainment are gonna be able to be done um safely and often in the confines of their home. And finally, as we think about the pandemic, as we think about um sustainability and other environmental uh focus areas. And then also even most recently as it relates to um the Black Lives Matter Movement, right, which is not just uh here and in the United States, we're seeing a lot of things happen globally. Consumers are a lot more focused on the more roles and values and ethics of the companies of where they're spending their brands.

So not only are they gonna be conservative with the money that they're spending, they're looking and watching these companies and these brands and saying, do I want to spend my money with a company that's trying to make the a world, the world a better place? So let's move quickly into defining what empathic marketing means, especially now that we have a good understanding of what the customers uh consumers are doing in the marketplace. And that's really kind of cross industry, cross business sort of where they are. Um And here's really two quick quotes, one from the CMO Council saying that basically only 20% of marketers know how to predict their next best action for customers. And a lot of marketers continue to struggle with what it means to uh employ emotional marketing, right? What's that fine line of being uh being thoughtful and being empathetic and using empathy and also maybe uh swaying too far and getting too mushy, mushy and having customers saying, why are you talking to me about these things? Um So as we take a look at just sort of defining empathic marketing, right? The first is just understanding what empathy means and that's putting yourself in someone else's shoes thinking about something from another person's perspective as they would see it. And then we you layer that with marketing, it's about understanding your audience and then thinking about relevant ways in which you can engage, right? That deeper understanding plus a more true connection is gonna get you more conversion and lo loyalty, right? So what does that mean in actuality?

Right. So you have a consumer at the center and they have their needs and their behaviors and their fears and their desires and their values. But then there's all of these external factors that are now impacting them and where we are today in society, these are magnified, right?

We've got the pandemic and working from home and the economy and then safety and then security and then increased duties and things that we didn't have to worry about before that we all have to worry about now. And so when we talk about empathic or empathetic marketing, it's taking all those things into consideration, right? That we have now all of these macro effects from industry and economy and um uh the environment, all of these things sort of coming together and also recognizing that it hits consumers in different ways. So if you're in travel and hospitality, you're dealing with a much different situation than if you are a Unilever or PNG. Um and you're doing a having a different situation as if you were um a luxury retail brand, right? So this is what we're talking about when we're talking about empathetic marketing. It is really not only just understanding the needs and behaviors and desires, but also thinking about what the effects of all these other outside factors are having on um on them and ultimately on their buying behavior.

So, well, I wanted to just take a quick moment and say, ok, well, where, who's doing this right? Or doing this? Well, I think there's no one answer. What we do know is that there are a lot of standout global brands, um, that are really doing an amazing job. Um And I think the critical thing to know about these brands is they didn't just sort of wake up, you know, a month ago or a week ago and say, you know, we're gonna have morals and values, we're gonna really sort of put that into everything that we do. They've been doing this for a long time and doing it for a while. They've built an infrastructure for empathetic and empathic marketing that when larger global events occur, they are already ready to adjust and shift and move how they talk to their consumers and to the world at large. So you'll see Patagonia here. You'll see Dove, you'll see Nike, obviously, Ben and Jerry's is, you know, foundation is really all about um changing the world and being uh making it a better place. I'd love to see, I can't see the chat, but I'd love if you all listening.

Uh right now have some other examples of companies that have been doing uh an amazing job in um in Paic marketing. I'd love to see you pop them into the chat and sort of see, I'll check it out after to sort of see what you guys have thought about it. So that would be great to see what you think of brand stand out. Um And we won't talk about those brands that have um bombed miserably. So let's move into uh what does it mean to put empathy to work for your brand and your business. We have a good understanding of what the state of the consumers are. We have a good understanding of what empathic marketing means, right? Those needs those values and behaviors. So what are some action areas that you can take right now today? Um to put empathy to work um for your business. So we'll start with rediscover your customers. Ok? So what that means is the customer that you knew that you knew three months ago is not the same customer today again, right? Remember there are all these other factors that have come in um that are affecting their behavior. Um And what you do in this moment is really going to uh determine whether they will continue to be a customer or if they're gonna buy a different brand or a different label or if they're just gonna abandon the category altogether right now.

Yes, you have a lot of data from before, but you should be comparing your data from before and your data to now. Where are the differences? What are you seeing? Um third party or secondary research is really great. There are a lot of great companies out there that are reporting on what it means to what uh the pandemic has done for consumers across various industries. So there's no excuse not to have some real robust industry knowledge on what's happening with your customers. But at the end of the day. The best, best data and information that you have is right within your face, your tips, right? It is all of the customers that you have today and that you had before. So if you're not surveying them and asking them how you can be of service to them, what more do they need from you as a brand? How can you make doing business with your brand? Much more frictionless and easy you're behind. So do those things and that can be a survey that can be uh one on one phone calls that can even be focus groups. Uh whatever you decide to do, what I will say is please, again, also thinking about all these things and all of these factors, compensate your customers for giving you their feedback. I can't tell you how many times I get asked to join a survey or a focus group.

And, and I'm like, well, what is it, what's in it for me? Right? Um And uh if you think about a gift certificate or a discount code, right? Think about ways in which you can uh thank people for their time, show that you value their time and opinion because ultimately it's gonna help you and also help your bottom line. So after you take a look and really sort of make sure that you understand your customers of today and the future. Um One of the things I wanna make sure you do is be clear again, on vers needs versus desires, basic versus premium. Like where is your customer today? Um And where are they sitting? Right. Um And we'll talk about how that then relates to your brand in just a moment, but be very clear on where your customer sits, where it relates to needs and desires. So the second piece is now that we have a good understanding of our customers. How are we gonna reimagine our brand? And when we think about reimagining, I'm not saying new colors or a new logo. Um it could, it could be any of those things, it could be none of those things. It could be rethinking your product line and your portfolio and services, right?

I mean, we're saying we're seeing entire companies turn on a shouldn't say a dime which a very sort of um American uh phrase. But right, we're seeing companies make a pivot if you will and com products and services that they weren't doing before they're doing now, right? T-shirt companies are now making face masks. Um So taking a look at what you were offering and what was relevant and exciting and you had lots of customers lining up for three months ago. What does that look like now? And how you think about your brand in the context of this, of how you understand your consumer today. And the other thing is really understanding where you play in that basic and premium if a lot of the world is really in the needs and necessities and basic and you're a premium brand, there is a different way in which you should be talking and marketing to customers. Um You know, if you sell a $500 luxury handbag, right, you can't just sort of talk about selling handbags, uh like you did before. Um So we're seeing a lot of companies talking about how they're supporting the environment and how they're supporting their employees, how they're supporting their customers with different return policies and all these sort of things that come together to show that we're putting the user at the center.

Yes, ultimately, we want to sell a $500 handbag, but let's make sure we know we care about you. Um We're thinking about you and then we'll get to the $500 handbag, right? So that's something that I think is really important is understand the customer, understand how your brand now relates to that customer. And then we have to take a look at your entire marketing ecosystem and this is marketing ecosystem, but it's also about customer service as well.

Do you have customer service representatives? Um uh You should understand what they're saying to people, what are the policies? What are those scripts look like? We're talking about websites and email, um social media, all of the places and channels that you own, you should be rooking at all your messaging, right? And this is not just about uh showing people pictures of people hugging and kissing in restaurants. Um It's about tone and it's also about messaging, but it also still has to feel true and a to who you are as a brand and then also still connect with um your customers. We are so used to this consumer journey where it feels very linear. They come in and there's awareness and uh conversion and you know, they're gonna buy and then we'll, we're gonna turn them into loyalty and do it all again and where we really are. And this is really kind of before the pandemic happening. But we're very much seeing this now coming in at any different point in the journey. Um and they're coming in and coming out. Um and they might be loyal and they might not be loyal, they might refer you and they might not, they might refer you and they might not refer you.

So we're seeing that you've got to look at your entire ecosystem because there could be one thing that uh a customer service rep helps someone navigate uh in terms of returning uh a product or service. Um that really sort of hooks someone for loyalty and that would be different than for example, having a flashy website. So you've got to look at everything across your marketing ecosystem. And then finally, as we wrap, um we wanna just ultimately reignite your customer's passions right?

There is a way to balance and bring together empathy and leading with the user at uh the consumer at the center, while also being very focused on ultimately the bottom line. So you can eat, we can eat, employees can eat, right. So when you bring that all together, um you're gonna find that it really should transform how you do business, how you think about business, how you think about your customers and move from this uh transactional sort of relationship to a true sort of connection and moving beyond.

Um We're very much focused on moving beyond campaigns, right? This is about a conversation and an extended ongoing con connection and conversation with your consumers. So in closing, rediscover your customers reimagine your brand re evaluate your marketing ecosystem and ultimately reignite your customer's passion.

I know we're out of time. It always goes really quickly. Uh Here's my contact information, please. Let's stay connected. Let's keep the conversation going. Uh If you have any questions in uh the chat, please pop them in there and I will uh try to answer them over the next couple of days uh through linkedin and Twitter. Um And uh and I'll try to tag you all if I can, but I'm so excited and thankful again for the opportunity to uh speak to you all today. I wanted to say thank you. And um I hope you all have a good evening, night morning and please uh share uh the things that you've learned and good luck with Catholic marketing.