Navigating through the New World
OPINION:
Being a leading Australian brand and creative agency we have seen many quotes in our time – and we have created many too.
But in the current environment, with the global economy being brought to a stand-still by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is one in particular quote that really resonates with me.
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
Who came up with the quote is open to conjecture. Some say it was written by an American author called John Maxwell. Others say it was another American William Arthur Ward. Who really cares?
If we embrace the underlying truth in this statement today, then we are already on the road to success.
At Toto, we are about not only keeping the brand alive, but seeking opportunities to take advantage of the current market psyche.
If the brand is alive, the business will survive. It’s that simple.
Just look at Virgin. Not a plane in the sky, a company in administration, but…..it will survive because of the strength of a trusted and proven brand, created over many years, by one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, Richard Branson.
If you look up the word intelligence in the Oxford dictionary, you will find a reference to intelligence as being the ability to adapt.
Adapt or die has never been more poignant as we face the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression.
We must not be sitting on our hands waiting for our clients to try and survive the surrounding storm.
We need to be proactively advising clients to seek advantage where it can be gained.
Whether you’re sitting at home self-isolating, or in your office, or in an unemployment queue on your iPhone, brands can be seen like never before.
Look at Myer, which is reporting a 700 per cent increase in online purchases in recent weeks. People at home self-isolating have time to peruse, inquire, investigate and purchase.
If you’re a travel agency, you’d have every right to be worried right now. To tackle this, targeting strategies for tourism clients around January and February next year (when the floodgates open for these) to claw back and take advantage of the inevitable uptick in tourism both domestically and internationally, could be a wise move.
If you’re a property company with firm business acumen, there is a ‘live’ marketplace of buyers who are liquid, and ready to seize opportunities themselves despite market challenges.
It’s these companies which not only maintain brand presence, but actively and creatively pursue their audiences.
That’s where we come in.
It is truly a worrying time for the nation and the world, yet we are in this together and we will come out of it together.
Let us take you to that New World.
