The age of responsibility

Choppy waters lie ahead  - and behind. Following the economic downturn, the impact of huge cuts in public sector spending will ripple across all sectors, and communicators need to be at the vanguard of understanding what this will mean for audiences. If we were in an age of abundance, and are now in an age of anxiety, are we moving towards an age of responsibility?

As times change, people change with them. Consumers of the flighty nineties and optimistic new millennium have grown up and downgraded their expectations. Where once the ambitious looked to trade up, on their houses, cars, jobs and lifestyles, they are now looking for every opportunity to economise.

The new GP consortia will clearly have their work cut out to ensure that prevention and early awareness don’t fall off the radar as people struggle to maintain healthy behaviours on lower budgets. There are opportunities, but there are risks too. Can we expect people to take more advantage of free health services, or will risk aversion lead them to cower from cancer screening appointments? Will recycling take off as people save every last drop, or will it be harder than ever to motivate people to do anything for the public good? When it comes to penalties, will people start parking within the lines to avoid fines at all costs, or will the state become the enemy, to be cheated at every corner?

Of course, it’s impossible to tell. But what we can do is apply the insights gathered through all our work over the last decade to understand the trends and behavioural patterns we can expect to see. We have begun to look at some consumer shifts, looking at individuals as they were then, as they are now, and how they will be, or can be, with the right impetus.

For example, those people who might describe themselves as ‘single minded’, who in an age of abundance were bullish in pursuit of their goals, are now more likely be anxious – channelling their focus into concern about their own and their families’ welfare. But this is precisely the same group who, in an age of responsibility, can be galvanised to build on their natural resourcefulness. Similarly, people we might describe as ‘passionate’, who were once powerful drivers of accumulating wealth, are now more likely to be rigorously frugal. These are people who will think in a joined up way, seeing the opportunities as well as the threats, and staying open to genuine innovation.

By placing your audience at the heart of your communications, you’ll have a much better chance of cutting through all the noise and distraction to truly engage the people you need to. It’s not enough to tell people what you are doing, you need to show that you are involved in what they are doing.
Although we’re drilling down into tactics here, it sounds obvious to recommend that organisations make very careful use of every PR pound. But what this really means is – do nothing flash. For example, only use celebrities if they’re doing it for free or are genuine supporters. Is it appropriate? Did we vote Labour through Eddie Izzard or Conservative through Take That? We’re all increasingly cynical and distrustful.

For every consumer, communications need to be benefits-led - what’s in it for them? Help people make the connections they need and want to make. Think positive rather than just focus on the gloom. Understand how your audiences’ lives and experiences have changed over the last few years, and adapt accordingly.   

It’s never been so true that to change the way people think and act, you have to understand them first, not just who they are now, but who they were then, and who they will go on to be. Effective communications are targeted, focused and built around the audience, and with this in mind, we can all create longer, better, more sustainable change.