Why cultural understanding is critical in a crisis

Ipsos’ Radhecka Roy outlines why cultural contexts have taken on heightened importance for brands trying to connect with consumers in varying stages of recovery in the coming year. (This is an edited excerpt from a longer Opinion piece. Click "View more" to read the full article.)

Without a deeper cultural understanding, brands may struggle to build meaningful, authentic and intuitive engagement now and in a post-COVID-19 world. Brands will need to navigate this new world – with a more demanding, more anxious and more discerning consumer. Both brands and consumers will look for that connecting core of familiarity – and culture can provide that language.

At Ipsos we believe that now is one of the best times to invest in cultural profiling across different markets. This can help to:

• Know the drivers and dimensions that define cultural identity for your consumers – across countries, segments and regions.
• Understand the role that your brand can play in helping consumers cope with their uncertainty in a culturally nuanced way.
• Build authenticity and simplicity in your engagement with consumers through these uncertain, evolving times.