Innovation or security? What behavioural science tells B2B marketers in a pandemic

A few months back, research from Salesforce revealed that ‘Innovation’ is the no.1 priority for marketers this year. Following the tumultuous changes that have affected businesses and consumers, it’s no surprise that marketers have had to accept the challenge and find inventive ways to establish connections with target customers. 

However, closer analysis of recent consumer trends demonstrates that innovation is not what customers are currently seeking. In fact, in response to the pandemic, consumers have actually shifted their buying preferences to that which is familiar - not that which is new. So how should this affect marketing strategies?

Finding out requires a closer look at the behavioural science behind it all…

Our response to the pandemic? The fear factor

In a recent article, The Harvard Business Review explained that a natural human response to pandemics is fear and disgust. In an evolutionary sense, these emotions help to keep us safe from catching harmful diseases. For example, you may naturally feel fear for someone coughing near you and move away in order to avoid the spread of the virus. 

However, the fear factor is not only a response to catching dangerous viruses, it’s also a response to feeling out of control in this unmanageable and unknown situation. And when in these situations, what do humans do? We instinctively try to gain certainty over the scary and mysterious.

Humans do this in a variety of ways, but one area in which this has been particularly noticeable is in consumer food buying habits. 

In times of uncertainty, we seek familiarity

One may assume that gaining control of our eating habits would entail buying healthy foods that strengthen our bodies and enable us to tackle bacteria and viruses. 

Instead, consumers have actually gained control by turning to foods and brands they knew and trusted. For some, this could mean buying their normal healthy meals, but for others this meant stocking up on snacks and junk food because the familiarity and safety of it was key. Whichever way people went, research showed that households stocked up disproportionately on their most familiar options.

Evidently, in times of uncertainty, buyers seek what they know. Since marketers should respond to buyer interests, this suggests outreach and comms strategies must be adjusted to these new needs. But does this preference for familiarity undermine marketers’ desire for innovation?

What can food buying trends teach B2B marketers?

So can consumer food buying habits teach B2B marketers anything? At first glance the connection between the two may seem weak. After all, business markets aren’t like food and consumer markets - businesses have changed so drastically this year as many employees work from home and communicate in new ways. And as such, seeking the familiar isn’t always an available option. Innovation has been fundamental to keeping workplaces going and it would be implausible for businesses to ignore this.

Yet, on the other hand, marketers must be aware that though innovation has been necessary, buyers are still keen to connect with what they know.

What this seems to suggest is that innovation is beneficial when it concerns the tools that marketers use to reach and understand audiences. (E.g. using new data collection techniques or AI to optimise efficiency and learn about target customers). However, the outcome of these techniques cannot be so different or unfamiliar to audiences that it risks alienating them.

To emphasise this point that buyers accept new technological tools but still seek familiarity, research from Deloitte shows that though buyers accept that their lifestyles are increasingly digital, 56% want a more “human” experience from virtual environments and will lean towards companies that offer this. 

How does this play out practically?

Evidence of the success of innovative, digital marketing strategies that understand and relate to current buyer interests can be seen in the rise of nostalgic social media campaigns this year. Research shows that social media mentions of keywords relating to nostalgia or the past shot up 88% from around 13 million to 24.4 million during the first lockdown, demonstrating a positive correlation for brands able to include familiarity and comfort in their marketing strategies.

In essence, yes, innovation is essential to keep moving forward - and in many ways, the more we innovate, the better we can understand our audiences and create strategies that provide solutions to their problems. But right now, when change is so constant and the future remains unknown, perhaps the best way to connect with audiences is to provide elements of certainty. 

Brands that can provide this in their comms strategies will be able to support customers no end.

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