Positivity
Defn:
the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude. "pupils draw power from the positivity of their teachers"
the presence rather than absence of a certain substance, condition, or feature. "the first biopsy specimen demonstrated positivity for cytokeratin"
We’ve been through a collective shock. A shifting of the footing.
No surprise that it has changed us, and that people are looking for signs that things are going to be ok.
So here’s the thing…
As customers, as clients, as communities: we are now looking the products and services we buy through a changed lens.
As a business, optimism and positivity represent an opportunity to build deeper connection with customers and stakeholders, around how the good things of the last two years will be brought into the future and how some not so great things will be left in the past.
Here’s three ideas to think about:
Find Your Heroes: think about which of your clients, your teams, your personal connections have impressed and inspired you. How can you support and celebrate them. Perhaps there are people in your orbit who need a little mentoring to make their idea a reality; or a staff member who is struggling but there is a way to help them, and others like them; or perhaps it’s a client who has some innovative ways of working, with room for you to collaborate with them and increase their impact.
Products For Good: think about your customers and what they now value, and how you can better meet them in the middle. Maybe it’s rethinking what you offer at a time where people want to consume better not just buy more. Is it where your product is made, or your raw produce comes from? Is it developing a service where there is also a sustainability return? Or perhaps it’s you rethinking the customer online experience to make it more personalised and seamless, and bring your ESG initiatives more easily within view.
Go micro: instead of thinking big, go local and small: look at the physical place where your people come to work, the moments in their day. Are there minutes in the day you can give back to your teams through a change to the current working format. Are you thanking your clients and teams for sticking with you (you know, a real thankyou)? Is there a “green” or social enterprise close by that needs a specific type of support?
Here’s some examples of positivity in action:
This year’s Good Food Guide was published as a free magazine, and it has left out the usual ranking and critiquing of businesses that have been fighting to survive during the last 2 years. It celebrates industry resilience and strength, and also encourages diners to start heading out again.
The CBA’s work in supporting domestic violence victims, who also recently launched a world-first digital platform to support domestic and family violence victim-survivors so that victims didn’t need to keep going over their story repeated times when accessing support.
The City of Melbourne’s Flash Forward initiative, that has created more than 150 jobs for people, including designers, music producers, lighting specialists, graphic designers, technicians and maintenance workers to bring the city’s laneways to life, bringing back vibrancy and excitement to the city and supporting local businesses.
PwC’s new campaign The New Equation, with it’s message of their teams being a community of solvers. “They don’t see change as chaos – but as the chance to do something great.”
Far from an opportunistic “land grab” for social media content, i am describing a way to nurture something real and longstanding, something that is positive in tone and substance, and demonstrates things moving in a better direction. It encourages people to want to come on the journey with you.
And from there, the communications and marketing will naturally come.
Want more?
Read this: EY: People are moving on; be part of their normal
And this: Forbes: The 8 Biggest Consumer And Customer Experience Trends In 2022
And this: 6 ways businesses can turn COVID-19 uncertainty to their advantage
Why not contact Jane to explore how you can make positivity work for your brand.
Photography: Matt Taylor
