Marketing in a crisis: the curse of…err… forgetfulness!

Marketing in a crisis! It’s an incredibly challenging time for businesses and brands; there’s a great amount of uncertainty and many questions that cannot be answered at present.

But one question I can help with is why business marketing communications should be maintained throughout times of crisis.

Keeping the brand visible and top-of-mind with customers remains marketing’s number one aim. 

But is there scope to take the foot off the media peddle and coast for a while? 

Not really! From the moment we wake up until the time we go to bed, the brain leaks information like water draining through a colander. If left unchecked, most of the information held on a certain topic or brand will be lost in just one day.

So said a man who knows, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus.

He theorised that memory loss of learned knowledge takes just a matter of hours, unless this knowledge is regularly reviewed time and time again.

In short, we’re past masters at forgetting things!

As a scientist, Ebbinghaus set out to prove this.

Results showed all memory retention is 100% at the time of learning.

However, it drops to 58% after 20 minutes…

44% after an hour…

decreasing to 33% after one day…

and to just 21% after a one month.

So, how can you use this to your advantage?

Crisis or no crisis, you’ll quickly be forgotten if you stop talking to customers and prospects.

Memory retention dropping to just 21 per cent after a month explains the need for monthly trade publications – a new issue is released just as memory of the last is trailing off.

Retain more information for longer!

Ebbinghaus concluded that the rate of memory decay is drastically reduced if people receive regular monthly updates or reminders.

Memory retention immediately goes back to its original first-learned state of 100 per cent, producing a shallower rate of decay.

Information is retained for longer time periods.

In short, communicating useful brand news and information via editorial, advertorials, graphics and imagery across a mix of print and online media channels on a regular basis significantly aids brand recall.

But think carefully about what you’re saying, for if you regularly communicate unhelpful or irrelevant content, people will remember you but for the wrong reasons!

Align your messaging with public sentiment. However, keeping in regular contact with customers throughout all situations will support brand knowledge retention and positive brand associations.

For advice and support on how to keep your brand top-of-mind with customers…let’s talk!