President and Co-Founder of OBERLAND, a purpose-driven agency and certified B-Corp. Drew creates brands that drive social progress.
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As curfews are lifted and outdoor gatherings become maskless (for those vaccinated), Americans are finally seeing some semblance of in-person life. While this is the moment we’ve all been dreaming of, the prospect of leaving pandemic cocoons for the outside world is having a negative impact on many Americans’ mental health. In fact, our 2021 Purpose Forcast showed that more than half of Americans say they feel anxious about adjusting to in-person life as the pandemic comes to an end.
As the president and co-founder of a purpose-driven agency, my team and I always advise brands to adapt and respond to consumers’ ever-changing realities, needs and concerns. And the best brands in the world — the most purpose-driven brands — actually create culture rather than just react to it. So as consumers embark on their return to in-person activities and gatherings, brands have an obligation to help mitigate their mental health challenges and help shape their return to in-person life.
But how should a brand respond to this seismic shift that is impacting mental health across the board?
1. Respond in a way that is authentic to your brand purpose.
Some brands make products that inherently serve as opportunities to promote mental wellness. For example, a platform like the meditation app Headspace might design meditations specific to combating the social anxiety many Americans might feel as they attend their first small gathering or their first in-person workday.
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Other brands’ products may not be such an obvious fit. That’s where purpose comes in. No matter the product, purpose can guide how your brand shows up for people. This may mean partnering with a platform like Headspace to better link your brand to mental wellness efforts or something as simple as sending an email to your consumers with mental health resources. Regardless of the product, your brand’s response must feel authentic to your purpose, tone and values to show that you truly care about your consumers’ mental well-being.
2. Repurpose marketing real estate for mental health resources.
One of the easiest ways brands can help advance the mental health conversation is by repurposing platforms on which they already have a connection with consumers. For many, this is on social media. Whether this is on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, a brand whose product typically brings people together — such as a beer brand like Heineken or coffee company like Starbucks — might use social media to share conversation starters to help ease social anxiety as in-person happy hours and meetings become more popular. A productivity-related brand, such as Asana, might share a post with tips about asking your employer for a mental health day or a campaign that encourages employers to ask no questions when confronted with a time-off request.
3. Help consumers get outside of their comfort zones.
Brands like Netflix saw massive gains over the course of the pandemic as consumers became one with their televisions and couches. Routines filled with remote work and digital entertainment created a certain simplicity and ease of mind, now threatened by the return to in-person life. Brands such as Netflix might pivot to encourage their loyal consumers to get back to their lives beyond the safe space of their pandemic cocoons. Netflix’s stated purpose is “to entertain the world,” so what if they encouraged entertainment outside of the home, like outdoor watch parties? This could include games like movie trivia or bingo to give viewers a structured movie night plan, helping to ease them back into social gatherings. Or, what about a miniseries on reentering the world to help create the tone and culture of this new chapter, so consumers can feel more prepared when they attend their first in-person gathering or indoor dinner?
Similarly, gaming and media brands from Nintendo to Sesame Street might help ease children’s anxiety as they navigate the transition from the virtual world to in-person school and playdates. Maybe they create content reflective of the reality outside or virtual play spaces that mirror real life as much as possible to prepare children to step outside of their pandemic-induced comfort zones.
4. Invest in your employees’ mental health; it benefits them and your business.
When it comes to using purpose to serve your constituents, employees are just as important as your customers. Meeting their mental health needs even drives better business: According to one study, 86% of employees reported improved work performance and lower rates of absenteeism after receiving mental health support.
Whether this means offering unlimited mental health days, free subscriptions to apps like Headspace or Talkspace, or improved mental healthcare coverage, think about serving them with the same level of support as you would a customer. It’s vital to consider their evolving mental health needs — and you will see the return on investment.
As in-person life returns, the first question to ask yourself is this: How can our purpose help people — from our employees to consumers to partners — cope with the challenges they are facing? Second, how can our purpose inform how our brand drives progress in the arena of mental health? For brands whose products themselves are the solution, the answer will be more obvious. For brands whose products themselves are less relevant, purpose can be the guiding light — and the place from which true progress is born.
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Author: Drew Train, Forbes Councils Member
