What's NEXT for brands after COVID-19?

WHAT’S NEXT
FOR BRANDS
AFTER
COVID-19?
a totally arbitrary report
of what we have seen
happening during the
coronavirus pandemic and
what we believe is next
for brands.
A document by © Nemesis. May 2020. p. 01

Nobody knows what the “after
pandemic” will be. “New-
normal” deﬁnitions are all pure
conjecture.
In a way, as is this document.
We’re choosing to focus on
branding, and most of what’s in
this document already were our
beliefs prior the covid-19 crisis.
Disclaimer :
p. 02

p. 03
SUMMARY
Introduction
01
02
03
04
Conclusion
About branding
Brands in times of crisis
Focus on you
Be proactive and farsighted
All about your values
What can be done?

p. 04
ABOUT
BRANDING
Introduction

p. 05
Let’s take a quick look at what
branding is.
What we, at Nemesis, believe a
brand really is and then move on
to the real shit.
Intro :

p. 06
Intro. About branding
BRANDING IS
Consistency and legitimacy
People need brands to behave in line with a true vision. Authentic: that they’re
legitimate to promote. Done consistently leads to trust.
A set of values
A brand stands for something. It attracts people who share the same values.
Real-atable
Real is relatable. If brands transcend products or services, they are still led by
humans, and like humans they might have ﬂaws.
The sum of people
A group of people that share common ambitions and are working on a daily basis
towards turning those goals into a reality.
Deep
People connect on an emotional level to their favorite brands. Brands allow
customers to dive deep into the company’s culture and universe, so they become an
audience that’ll rally behind the brand’s mission and ambitions.

p. 07
AS BRAND STRATEGISTS
We’re passionate about branding and we
strongly believe that your brand
fundamentals (values, vision,…) or as we
say, your brand DNA, impacts way more
than your brand image.
Once you’ve understood that branding
ain’t only about design you’ll get why it’s
so important in times of crisis. Good
branding is the lighthouse that’ll help you
and your team navigate the ocean of
decisions you have to take (business,
communicational, design,...) in a
consistent way, helping you build brand
trust with you customers.
Intro. What’s our POV?
Diagram’s form inspired by Anne Miltenburg’s book, Brand the change (brand thinking canvas)
BRAND POSITIONING
VISI
ON
M
ISSIONS
V
ALUES
VISUALIDENTITY
TONEOFVOICE
SERVICES/PRODUCTS
PEOPLE,TALENTS
TEAMS
M
ANAGEMENT
COM
M
U
N
ICATION
PROVIDERS
CH
A
N
NELS
PARTNERS
HR
BRAND
DNA

p. 08
BRANDS IN
TIMES OF
CRISIS
Chapter 1

p. 09
What has happened in terms of
endangered sectors,
consumption shift, consumers
expectations,...?
Chpt. 1 : Brands in times of crisis

p. 010
FACING A PANDEMIC
We’ve seen a rapid evolution of covid-19
leading to unprecedented impact on the
economy.
Within the span of 2 weeks, Europe went
into lockdown. Now (may 2020) more
than a third of the world (more than 3
billion people) is in lockdown. Most
European countries have implemented
mass quarantines and all around the
globe enforced lockdown occured.
Sources: Worldometers, Media reports. Data as 5 April 2020
Limited time lockdown or some
service shutdown
Complete lockdown or in some areas

p. 011
AFFECTED INDUSTRIES
Some industry sectors are under major
disadvantage in a period where
quarantine is enforced by the
government, shifting consumer
behaviors with delayed purchases or
even cancelled ones.
On the other hand, several industries
beneﬁted from this unusual situation.
Stay-at-home policies have revealed
immediate and compulsive purchases
to face the new context.
Let’s take a look.
Sources: Kantar Covid-19 Monitor, Stackline’s Top 100 Growing and declining categories in E-commerce.
Affected industries 1/2

p. 012
Sources: Kantar Covid-19 Monitor, Stackline’s Top 100 Growing and declining categories in E-commerce.
FASHION
AUTOMOTIVE
OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT
LUXURY
CAMERA
FOOD INDUSTRY
VIRTUAL ENTERTAINMENT
COOKWARE
HYGIENE & MEDICAL SUPPLIES
TECH RETAIL & MARKETPLACE
INDOOR EQUIPMENT
TOURISM & TRAVEL
HORECA
SPORTS GATHERING
PHYSICAL ENTERTAINMENT
PROGRESSION Q1/Q2
SALESGROWTHSALESDECLINE
People say they plan to buy later or already
reported their investments.
People kept on buying or
have increased their
spendings in these sectors.
CANCELLED PURCHASES
People won’t buy or planned in
reducing their spending in these
sectors.
DELAYED PURCHASES
BENEFITTING SECTORS
Affected industries 2/2
FOOD: Online groceries shopping saw an increase of +50% to +57% in eCommerce transaction / VIRTUAL: e.g. Streaming
platforms, medias, online entertainment/ COOKWARE: Bread machines saw a +652% growth in online sales/ MEDICAL
SUPPLIES: e.g. Gloves, masks, soap + cough & cold products/ TECH: Computer monitors saw a +172% increase in sales,
Programs like zoom saw a 74% y/y growth in paid user/ INDOOR: Fitness weights saw a +307% growth in online sales.

p. 013
PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS
During these times, more than ever,
people are turning to brands they trust.
Customer’s attention is directed towards
companies that speak in a public way.
They are looking closely at brands to see
how they are dealing with the crisis.
Sources: Edelman Trust Barometer (avg. 12K respondents across 12 nations).
71% Say they’ll lose trust forever in brands and companies that
are placing their proﬁt before people.
65% Say the way brands respond to this crisis will have a huge
impact on their likelihood to buy these brands in the future.
83% Want brands to express empathy and support during the
pandemic.

p. 015
When we say you, we’re talking
about your teams, values,
culture and purpose as a brand.
Danger is outside, nurture your
people and be ready to ﬁght back.
Chpt. 2 : Focus on you

p. 016
PEOPLE ARE WATCHING
When shit goes south, it’s the time to
show leadership. As a CEO (or manager)
leading employees and trying to stay
afloat is a top priority.
Remember, employees are human
beings and it’s normal they might be
preoccupied or even panicked.
Finding the right way to be a CEO at the
intersection of business and empathy,
is the key.
89%
90%
Want brands to keep the public informed regarding how
the brand is supporting and protecting their employees
and customers.
Say brands must do everything they can to protect the
well-being and financial security of their employees and
their suppliers, even if it means suffering big financial
losses until the pandemic ends, to keep their trust.
“Research suggests that people only truly believe that their company
has a purpose and clear values when they see management making a
decision that sacrifices short-term profitability for the sake of
adhering to those values.” Source: Harvard Business Review

p. 017
If you stand for
nothing, you will fall
for everything.

p. 018
PREPARE
When things go back to -almost- how
they used to (aka. “…Now get your ass
back in the office…”), there will be a
rehabilitation phase in the workplace.
Home is the new normal.
What are the factors that might affect a
smooth transition?
SOME FACTORS:
• Schools might not reopen right away, with parenting as a top priority and
incapacitating to returning back to work like we used to.
• Trust in hygiene will be at an all time low.
• Social distancing measure will remain for a while (making meetings and
workplace-life laborious).

p. 019
ADAPT
We’ve quickly adapted during this
covid-19 lockdown. Remote and digital,
home-working has reshaped our ways
of working. Even though it wasn’t quite
the norm yet, it has been accelerated (in
a way) by the situation.
If your activity is on hold, you took this
time to assess how digitized tools can
benefit your company’s workflow beyond
the situation.
If you need more information on remote
working we suggest you read this book.
Read: Remote. Office not required, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

p. 020
OVERCOME
Take the time to rechallenge your brand’s
purpose.
Before covid-19, people look up to brands
to better their daily lives, one individual at
the time. Now, with the pandemic, people
expect brands to help society.
From emotional branding to brand
activism.
90% Believe that brands should partner with governments
and relief agencies to address the crisis.
86%
Await from brands to be a safety net. Stepping in where
needed and able, to ﬁll the gaps in the government’s
response to virus.
89% Think brands should shift to producing products that help
meet the challenges of the coronavirus.
84%
Say that brands could use their social media channels to
facilitate a sense of community and offer social support
to people.

p. 021
BE
PROACTIVE
AND
FARSIGHTED
Chapter 3

p. 022
While everyone is still in panic
mode, be the one that takes time
to analyse the situation
objectively and remain cool-
headed.
Chpt. 3 : Be proactive and farsighted

p. 023
ASSESS YOUR SITUATION
Even though you’re probably undergoing
constraints that are beyond your control.
Once you’ve faced the critical topics that
are: logistic restructurations, remote
working management, staff support
and cash ﬂow preservation, adapt and
plan for change.
It’s not the time to wait, it’s time to
switch from defense to offense. Being
proactive now will set you in ideal
positions for the long run when the
pandemic restraints will be behind us.

p. 024
SHORT-TERM ADAPTATIONS MITIGATION AND PLANNING LONG-TERM FIGHT
ONGOING TRANSITION EXECUTE NEXT
• Take care of your team (keep your
employees jobs as safe as possible).
• Protect and strengthen your company’s
culture (hold your values high).
• Assess your brand vitality (brand pulse)
(see last page).
• Understand the new economy and
consumer shifts.
• Prepare a plan with your team to
reinforce your brand’s position and/or
pivot if needed.
• Take time to review your brand assets and
prepare for a rework.
• Develop a strategy on how to outperform
competitors.
• Implement the strategy according to the
behaviors previously analyzed.
• Develop new products/services according
to your values.
• Reinvent occasions to be relevant in
“new-normal-times” and onwards.
• Pick partners to help you rework your
brand assets.
Focus inside your company: federate
and support your team while stabilizing
the situation.
Having a brand strategy will be the key
to acquire a strong position after the
pandemic.
Follow the new plan and ﬁght outside
your company, with purpose.

p. 025
THE R&D MOVE
Past crisis has shown that one winning
strategy is to invest into R&D rather than
cut the costs.
Sources: The new Low touch economy Report, Board of innovation (lowtoucheconomy.com)
The 100 most innovative companies spend even
more on R&D during a recession, while others
were stalling. In the long run, these investments
are paying off in proﬁtability & growth.
Gartner looked at 30 F1000 companies that
accelerated during the crisis of 2008. All of them
invested in new growth options instead of just
cutting costs.
Also, Bain & Company came to a similar
conclusion after analyzing 5000 companies over
10 years. Growing outside of the core business
was named as one of the strategies to win.
R&D
Capital
expenditure
-1.0%
3.9%
Change in spending 2007-08
Global innovation 1000 Top 100
500
250
0
2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
Post-turn winners
Average control peers
Earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization
(EBITDA), 2003-2017
400
300
200
100
0
2007 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Winning companies accelerated proﬁtability during and after recession,
while losers stalled. Growth in nominal EBIT (indexed 2007=100)
During
recession
17%
13%
14%
Winners
0%1%
0%
Losers
After recession
CAGR
2007-17

p. 026
PIVOT AND INNOVATION
This pandemic saw several brands pivot
and switched from “business as usual” to
“societal brand activism”.
Sources: Media Reports
Used their french-based factories to produce
hydroalcoholic gel and face masks to donate to hospitals
and health departments.
A pivot that showed that brands could partner with
governments to address the pandemic, acting at an
unprecedented social level.
The Chinese behemoth quickly adapted and developed an
AI system for COVID-19 diagnosis. Analyzing CT images it
can diagnose COVID within 20 seconds and 96% accuracy
An innovation move that truly embodies one of their value:
“CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT. /.../ Embracing change
is the most unique part of our DNA.”

p. 027
ALL ABOUT
YOUR VALUES
Chapter 4

p. 028
If ever you feel the urge to
communicate or do something…
remember: it’s less about what
you say rather than what you
do.
Chpt. 4 : All about your values

p. 029
ABOUT COMMUNICATION
Please, don’t communicate for the sake
of communicating. People doesn’t expect
you to tell anything, if you’ve got nothing
to say don’t say anything.
Around the world, studies have shown
that 1/3 of interviewed people have
already disagreed with brands that didn’t
respond well during the pandemic.
If you end up communicating, be careful
with the tone you’re using.
33%
57%
Say they have convinced other people to stop using a
brand that they felt was not acting appropriately in
response to the pandemic.
Expect brands to stop any advertising, communication or
marketing that is humorous or too lighthearted in tone.
84%
Believe brand should focus advertising on how the products
and services can help people cope with pandemic-related
life challenges.
77%
Say brand should only talk about their products in ways that
show they are aware of the crisis and the impact it is having
on people’s lives.

p. 030
WHAT IF IT’S GOING BAD?
As shown previously several industries
are severely hit by this pandemic. So if
you’re at an all time low today what can
you do?
Many of the company’s leaders today
had to make rapid decisions about
controlling costs, maintaining liquidity
while supporting their team.
Now how to make sure you add value to
your customer’s lives in times like these?
It doesn’t have to be far-fetched. Even
small moves are good moves, as long as
they reinforce your brand ethic.

p. 031
PIVOT LISTMINUT
Being a human-based service, ListMinut
saw an abrupt stop in its business model
with enforced lockdown and hygiene/
safety recommandation.
So they adapted quickly to continue
bettering the lives of their customers. A
pivot that came from having a clear
purpose and values: mutual aid.
They switched their website to a
volunteering platform to help those in
need around you.
Pivot exemple 1/2Chpt. 4 : All about your values
Sources: listminut.com

p. 032
PIVOT AIRBNB
The leading online platform for travelers
and individuals to share places to stay
and things to do. One of the market
severely hit by the travel bans and
quarantine measures.
They were quick to pivot. Transitioning
from working in tourism to helping
healthcare workers ﬁnding places to
stay safe and people ﬁnd occupations at
home.
Pivot exemple 2/2Chpt. 4 : All about your values
Sources: airbnb.com

p. 033
WHAT IF IT’S GOING GOOD?
On the other hand, some companies
have beneﬁted from the lockdown
measures. What to do then, now that all
eyes are on you?
Answer is simple: give more in regards of
the actual context, aligned with your
brand values. We can’t praise this
enough but as a brand you have to stand
for something and give more to the
customers than what they’re paying for.
It doesn’t have to be fundraising money
or giving half your beneﬁts to charity.
Going the extra mile will let your
customers know that trusting you was a
good choice (because you get what
they’re going through).

p. 034
EFARMZ
Let’s take a look at efarmz belgium.
Selling online meal boxes of organic
vegetables and ingredients.
While addressing several supply chain
challenges and workforce shortage, due
to this pandemic, they have seen an
increase in sales and their online visits
jumped by approx. 192%. They’re now
sold out every week.
They adapted several of their blog posts
to address pandemic speciﬁc topics.
Sources: eFarmz Blog
Exemple 1/2

p. 035
HIGHLINE WELLNESS
NY-based CBD start-up, has grown 40%
from Q4 2019 to Q1 2020 with monthly
and daily revenues doubling in Feb-
March.
A brand whose purpose is about helping
people feel better, Highline pivoted into
creating hydrogel+CBD solutions and
now is donating 10% of all proceeds to
the Food Bank of NYC and so far, has
donated $15, 000, which resulted in
65,000+ meals going to those in need,
particularly kids who relied on school
lunches.
Sources: highlinewellness.com
Exemple 2/2

p. 036
A pivot happens around the
center.
Your why can never change.
Reﬂexion credit: Johan Wouters (friend of Nemesis) from Board of Innovation
Reﬂexion 1/5

p. 037
PIVOT AROUND THE CENTRAL POINT
Definition: 
…the central point, pin, or shaft on which a mechanism turns or oscillates.
During these past weeks, we have seen the term “pivots” being used left and right;
describing organizations altering their production capabilities towards the production
of facemasks, ventilators, hand sanitizers etc. We’ve seen companies reinventing
themselves and creating new offerings not always aligned with their core beliefs &
values.
By definition, a pivot means turning around a central, fixed point.  
Therefore, the only business model switches we can characterize as a pivot, are the
ones where the positioning, the core values or the WHY of an organization does not
change.
The golden circle needs to stay in balance, and can expand but never move.
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
Reflexion 2/5

p. 038
Regardless of WHAT we do in our
lives, our WHY—our driving
purpose, cause or belief—never
changes.
Chpt. 4 : All about your values Reﬂexion 3/5

p. 039
WHEN YOU PIVOT AROUND A  
FIXED POINT (YOUR WHY).
The centrifugal forces will force your
outer borders to expand in all directions 
Your WHAT(S) will widen
→ but the golden circle will be in
perfect balance.
RENEW ED WHAT(S)
WHAT
HOW
WHY

p. 040
WHEN YOU PIVOT AROUND
ANYTHING 
ELSE THEN YOUR CORE
BELIEFS,  
Your WHAT(S) will expand.
→ but what you do will no longer be in
balance with why you do it.
Without balance you will fail to be: 
• authentic, legitimate 
• relatable (real-atable) 
• consistent
WHAT
RENEW ED WHAT(S)
HOW
WHY

p. 041
WHAT CAN BE
DONE?
Conclusion

p. 042
Do you have what it takes to be a
real-atable brand?
For your team, and your
customers.
Conclusion : What can be done?

p. 043
BRANDING IN 2020?
Understandably, graphic-design will
stay a non-essential expense for most
companies. The focus will be on
reshaping their logistic channels,
recovering their envisioned yearly
growth, regaining their customers trust.
While the evolution of this pandemic is
still uncertain, we believe you can do
something to prepare the after.
START BY:
• Throw away your yearly playbook because it’s not relevant anymore.
• Start a new plan based on your brands core values to reinforce your
brand position and be ready for the after.
• Include your team in the process: innovation comes from everywhere.

p. 044
Clear vision leads
to easy decisions.

p. 045
WORK ON YOUR BRAND
But here’s the catch. Brand strategy and
positioning will be more needed than
ever.
How so?
(RE)WORK YOUR BRAND DNA:
• (Re)deﬁne your true, legitimate vision. Why do you do it?
• (Re)challenge your values. What do you stand for?
• Declining your vision and values into a coherent set of missions (short-
mid-long term). How do we do it?
• Federate your team around higher purpose. A culture of purpose
• Execute!

p. 046
GOOD POSITIONING IS KEY
To leave you with concrete inspirations,
here are some more examples on how a
good positioning strategy has led brands
to successfully pivot through the
pandemic...from our POV of brand
strategists, of course.
A few examples that show good
positioning can help brand to be useful,
fast and agile in times of crisis.

p. 047
ROOM (US) PIVOTS THROUGH
REPURPOSING THEIR
MANUFACTURING LINE
Reimagined their phone booth (for
shared spaces and coworkings) to a the
Test Booth, providing vital protection for
those on the front line.
Their positioning: “make room for people”
and values: “bettering people’s lives”
participated in a big way in this pivot.
Rethinking their supply chain to create a
new product in several weeks.
Embracing fully their core purpose: put
people ﬁrst
Sources: room.com
Exemple 1/5

p. 048
BOLL & BRANCH (US) PIVOTS
INTO HEALTHCARE SUPPLIES
The brand rallied its resources to meet
another urgent demand many didn’t see
coming - hospital beds and pillows.
Working with their mattress supplier in
Florida and pillow supplier in Ohio, they
dedicated 1,000 mattresses and 5,000
pillows to hospitals.
Holding strong values with statements
such as: Human Rights Are Never a
Luxury or even Change The World the
organic and fair-trade home goods
company reacted quick embodying their
purpose: To do what’s right.
Sources: bollandbranch.com
Exemple 2/5

p. 049
BLABLACAR (EU) PIVOTS
THROUGH SOCIAL ACTIVISM
Using their team’s expertise BlaBlaCar
developed an application to help those in
need to do their groceries. An extension
of an already existing initiative:
BlaBlaHelpers.
Their positioning revolves around 6
principles, one of which is: “Be the
Member” aiming at creating value to a
community of members.
Sources: Blog Blablacar
Exemple 3/5

p. 050
TIME OUT (WW) PIVOTS INTO
TIME IN ACTIVITIES.
Health measures taken by governments
forced them to rethink their offer, and to
shift their branding from “Time Out” to
“Time In”. Their publications are now
producing content on how to entertain
yourself at home and prepare for the
after-conﬁnement era.
Time Out’s mission is to help you go out,
now it’s to help you stay in.
Sources: timeout.com
Exemple 4/5

p. 051
FORTNITE x TRAVIS SCOTT
COLLABORATION
Accustomed to collaborations, Epic
Games Fortnite, used their platform to
promote artist Travis Scott new hit:
Astronomical. Totalling 45,8 million
connection across their ﬁve live shows,
the event showed that video games can
take a new place in the entertainment
industries.
More pivots inspirations: Forbes / Board of innovations
Conclusion : What can be done? Exemple 5/5

p. 052
ASSESS YOUR BRAND
PULSE
So you might ask yourself now,... “How
can I make sure my brand positioning is
strong enough to get me through
incoming changes due to this crisis?”
A documented by © Nemesis. May 2020.
Take the test →

p. 053
BUSINESS INQUIRIES
Do you want to extend the
conversation ? Want to have a chat with
us about your brand ? Explore and
assess in more details your own situation
?
Nemesis
A documented by © Nemesis. May 2020.
Contact us →

p. 054
THANKS FOR
READING!
Any feedback? Don’t
hesitate to reach out
sydney@itsnemesis.com
Brand Strategist
yael@itsnemesis.com
Creative Director
julien@itsnemesis.com
Digital Director
more at itsnemesis.com

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