The eleventh wave of the ongoing study by AMC Global (an international custom market research firm specializing in launch strategies and brand tracking) and OpinionRoute (a leader in insights process management) was released this week.
If you think your guests are tired of hearing about COVID-19, think again. The research showed that consumers actually still want to hear about companies’ COVID-19 practices and how they are protecting customers and employees. The tone of the messaging should be serious and informative rather than funny or lighthearted.
Three-hundred U.S. consumers over the age of 21 were surveyed, and an overwhelming 90% of consumers want to hear how companies are protecting customers from COVID-19 exposure.
Consumers are also interested in knowing what you’re doing for your staff members. 89% are interested in hearing about how businesses are protecting employees, and 82% want to know how they are handling employee needs like benefits and layoffs.
73% of consumers want to know what brands are doing to donate to the community in terms of goods and services.
On the lower end of the spectrum, only 55% of respondents wanted to hear about information on new products, while 81% wanted to hear updates on the availability of products. Words of support/encouragement instead of traditional advertising campaigns were favored by 62% of surveyed respondents.
57% of consumers prefer a more serious messaging tone during this time, 50% want an informative tone, 35% are looking for a practical tone, while 36% would prefer it to be more heartfelt. The survey found only 10% of respondents wanted to hear messaging with a funny tone, while only 17% was interested in messaging with an inspiring tone.
Above all, your bar should be communicating with clear and honest straighforward messaging about your safety practices, your employees, and your plans for reopening. Right now, consumers are hungry for information above all else, so be sure to pack your social media and all other forms of communication with information they will find useful.
The full results of the survey can be viewed here.