Discuss.io Chief Strategy Officer Jim Longo in Quirk’s Media:
It’s easy to become myopic in the world of business. Reducing customers to statistics and always eyeing KPIs is only natural; success lies in the numbers. Yet the more insular an organization gets, the more divorced it can be from the everyday reality of consumers lives – the thoughts and aspirations they hold, and the motivational factors that drive their spending habits.
After a year of pervasive sickness, social isolation, economic hardship and an underlying mental health crisis, it’s not enough to just sell a product. Where a brand stands, and where a consumer aligns with that position, is increasingly important. Social awareness is essential for modern brands, and arriving at that awareness needs to be a dialogue both internally and with consumers themselves.
Empathy is an organizational imperative. Now is a crucial crossroads for brands to reconnect with consumers on a human level in order to better understand what they need from brands right now.
