How brand managers can lean into ‘wellness’ during COVID-19

Is your organization looking to engage your audiences around issues of well-being and health?

It’s an important topic during the current crisis. Whether you’re looking to talk about public health issues or trying to offer guidance for anxious workers during a time of uncertainty and disruption, it’s important to get a handle on what kinds of messages are working for audiences during this pandemic.

We spoke with Mary Zalla, global president of consumer brands for Landor, who shared how she and her U.K. marketing and advertising firm are thinking about well-being and wellness for audiences and clients.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers’ attitudes toward wellness were evolving from a point-in-time solution for an injury or chronic illness to a daily, conscious pursuit of better physical, mental and emotional health,” Zalla says. “Especially during the pandemic— when consumer anxiety is at all-time high and economic uncertainty is looming—if a brand has a role to play in helping a person reach his or her wellness goals, that brand should share it.”

However, she cautions against inauthentic messages.

“Brands that stay true to themselves, and keep close to the insights of their consumers, will be able to navigate these waters,” she says.

A huge topic