For many people, continued remote working and economic uncertainty are what they can expect for the foreseeable future, and as they adjust to this reality there may be an opportunity for brands, according to Reddit.
Data on trending topics from the communities site point to a growing interest in home improvement, The Drum reports – with increased activity on subreddits on everything from design (+27%) and woodworking (+117%) to crafting and ‘foamcore’ (+1000%).
The assumption is that, after months stuck at home and with more to come, people are thinking seriously about the changes they can make that will make their lives better and that won’t empty their wallets.
“We’re at a place in quarantine where the walls are no longer closing in, they are opening up,” explained Will Cady, Head of Creative Strategy at Reddit.
And he believes this presents a big opportunity for marketers. “There is a new canvas for marketers to think about the products that are functional and feel good within the home,” he said, “That’s a place to focus.”
The role of the home in the ‘new normal’ has been explored elsewhere, with McKinsey, for example, describing it a “multifunctional hub” where people live, work, learn, shop, and play.
But these assessments have tended to focus on areas such as e-commerce and streaming entertainment; Reddit sees a different angle.
Brands have a unique chance to “parachute in at the intersection of function, frugality and the desire [for] perfecting the home”, Cady argued. “There is a huge opportunity for consumer-packaged goods brands to participate in the process of reinventing the home in a sustainable way,” he said.
“For example, presenting your packaging in a way that supports home gardening could be very clever. There’s room for leadership in this space.”
Sourced from The Drum, McKinsey & Company; additional content by WARC staff
