Why are first impressions becoming more important?

Blog Andy Drake – Managing Consultant

A lot has been said about how the COVID pandemic has accelerated a lot of human behaviours and trends that were already inherently growing (e.g. shopping online, working from home). We also know that in the marketing and advertising world that there is growing acceptance and appreciation of the importance of consumer attention in an ‘always on’ world with distractions aplenty and brands fiercely vying for that attention. But what about that first encounter a consumer has with an ad? How does that impact the consumer journey, and how can brands ensure they do the most in that space?

the consumer journey

DVJ fully supports the importance of gaining and retaining attention, and another ‘layer’ is the view that the significance of first impressions have become even more important when consumers both search and buy online (where milliseconds matter), watching entertainment and advertising in the home and on the move and when people return to shopping in retail stores. First impressions matter even more in all aspects of the consumer journey, details that make some brands more prominent in the memory structures or that make transactional paths easier (ideally both).

The implications will be really significant for brands and advertisers through all aspects of brands and their growth targets: from new product development and innovation, packaging, advertising and communications to sales strategy.

In this series, we will look at how first impressions matter through each of these elements of the consumer journey:

• Online search and e-commerce, where design and ease of navigation are prerequisites. Arguably, the pandemic has ‘democratized’ business. Where simply to survive, many businesses have had to pivot their operating model. In the case of small business, maybe for the first time.
• In the home, watching entertainment and advertising. It’s a truism that people have been spending more time at home and whilst that balance may change we think it’s a fair bet that for many the home will remain a safe haven. So, that presents an opportunity for brands and advertisers but that is qualified by ever more content choices and multiple devices for people. Standing out has in that sense become even tougher.
• Return to bricks and mortar retail. This is a huge unknown but clearly currently defined by large swathes of empty space, growing recognition for the reinvention of the town centres and high streets at a fundamental level of what will be their purpose. So, this raises very serious questions of attraction, never mind the attention. The next level down is store owners are going to have to think about utilising the space they have smartly to balance shopper confidence with maximizing sales. That puts a premium on clarity of communications and strong visual identity. For brands in stores, with consumers finding their way in the ‘new’ world, standing out at the point of purchase (physical availability) and indeed before store visit (mental availability) will become even more pertinent.

The opportunity

It’s challenging but the greater prize is the pent- up demand that now exists. The Bank of England says the UK economy could hit pre-pandemic levels in early 2022 if households start spending the £125bn in pent-up savings once the vaccine is rolled out. UK households have built up record levels of savings during the pandemic, saving up to five times as much as in any other nine-month period on record, with the economy effectively in hibernation.

This blog is part of a series on First Impressions.
Read the blogs here.