‘The Big Bang of Do' Study Encourages Indian Brands to Stop Spectating and Start Acting

The world is in an unprecedented situation. It’s not business as usual, and after this, it may never be. The need for businesses and brands to stand up and play their part is more than ever before. Wunderman Thompson, South Asia sees the Covid-19 crisis as the tipping point for businesses in ‘the age of responsible living'. Businesses have to start ‘doing’ more for not just profits, but for society at large.

The thinking behind the study was that businesses and brands will have to be more careful, responsible and creative in their actions and their communication. Businesses and brands will need to modulate and calibrate their response to this crisis depending on what kind of need they are satisfying in consumers’ lives, or what product and services they are providing instead of going dark.

The study on business and social good showed that over 80% of consumers, across the age spectrum believe that brands and big companies should take responsibility for improving the world. Certain templates were identified for brands such as:

- ‘TAKE DIRECT ACTION. DO THE DOABLE’: Acts that directly respond, generously, to whatever scale is doable, within the framework of rapid response, eg) one day

- ‘GO OUT OF YOUR WAY. DO THE SUPPORTABLE’: Acts that support individuals or groups who could be serving as crisis managers on the field, in the labs, in the wider infrastructure to enable humanitarian efforts.

- ‘RECALIBRATE YOUR BUSINESS. DO THE TRANSFORMATIONAL’: Acts that protect people from consequences, now and in the future.

Shaziya Khan, national planning director at Wunderman Thompson, India, said, “There has been a giant, collective wake up call for consumers and for brands. Economic, social and technological forces have combined, like never before. This combination and its impact has been visceral, and in many ways, a great equaliser. Leading to a realisation of what really matters. And acting on it, in feasible ways. We call it, the Big Bang of Do.”

- Shaziya Khan