From the course: Marketing during a Crisis

The bandwagon effect

From the course: Marketing during a Crisis

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The bandwagon effect

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- You've likely received an abundance of messaging surrounding novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in your inbox. Airlines, retailers, food establishments, and even credit card companies have been rapidly communicating their response to a global pandemic. And what we see at the onset of anything at this scale is the bandwagon effect. This is a cognitive bias that leads people to take actions that they believe lots of other people are taking, regardless of the logic of those actions. Now, why this happens is debatable, but my perspective is that we don't want to be seen as not doing something. In marketing, we assume if every brand is doing it, well, it can't be wrong. And then we believe as more and more jump in that there is an expectation that we too will participate. Now, I'm not here to debate whether jumping on the bandwagon is right or wrong. There's plenty of value in joining a collective voice to push important messaging. And truthfully, once the bandwagon train has left the station, it has a real influence on consumer behavior. If consumers now believe a response is warranted, well, you have no choice but to participate. But when you hop on the train, you need to be sensitive to the way that you participate. Now, traditionally in marketing, we hop on trends, but during crises, well, it's important to think critically about the decisions that you're making. Is jumping in the mix the right choice, or are you just doing it because everyone else is? Do you have enough information to make a decision, or is the bandwagon making you feel forced to join in? Now, if you do decide that you need or want to participate, here's three things I want you to keep in mind. One, avoid tokenism. You must mean what you say. Authenticity is critical here. Two, be honest. You cannot redeem trust once you've lost it. And three, deliver value. As more and more brands participate, the audience will fatigue with the messaging. Be sure that your messaging delivers value and isn't simply a copy and paste from your competitors. Now, it's impossible to avoid the bandwagon. Know that it exists, address it, and respond with an appropriate message.

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