Strategic research has a vital role to play in navigating brands out of the current crisis, but not if we're not doing any. One for the strategists, with planners extraordinaire, Roger McKerr and Darren Savage.

In this episode:

Roger McKerr, founder of insight and strategy agency Davies McKerr, and Darren Savage, chief strategy officer at Tribal London and lecturer at the Oxford Business School, discuss the crucial role of research in shaping brand strategy as we emerge from the Covid 19 crisis.

How the world has changed

- Ever-shifting points of reference

- Doing the unthinkable

- Forget getting back to 'normal'

Imposed behaviour change and new social norms

- Imposed behaviours

- Forming new rituals and habits

- How crisis exposes differences

- Challenges to strategy

- A much more complex audience profile

How brands have responded to the crisis

- Shutting down 'non-essential' activity

- The IPA Bellweather Report

- Halting strategic research

The dangers of strategic short-termism

- Paralysis through lack of analysis

- Brands that are doing well

- Nike's integrated brand experience

- Brands that are doing badly

- Primark's devastating lack of ecommerce

Insight as an enabler of action

- Building new insight

- Creating confidence

What brands should do next

The 5 point plan

- Identifying new consumer needs/preferences

- Getting your tone of voice right

- Reviewing and revising media plans

- Thinking about what your brand stands for

- Combining behaviours and communications

Positives coming out of the crisis

- Positivity and human nature

- Leveraging our intuitive gifts

- Innovation and experimentation