The fear is global, but so is the community

Humans long for connection and community at the best of times, let alone the ones we’re living through now, starved as we are of human contact. 

We’ve seen entire streets, entire cities, throw open their doors and windows to celebrate key workers. Whole villages are having impromptu dance parties, clothing manufacturers are stepping in to make protective garments for health workers and supermarkets are donating millions to food banks. 

Communities are springing up everywhere, with brands stepping in both to reassure and entertain their own.

New research conducted by creative agency Wunderman Thompson has revealed that UK social media conversations during the coronavirus pandemic have shown a heightened focus on community, with the number of posts across social platforms using that word increasing by 82% over the past month.

Above: Joe Wicks has become the UK's PE teacher since lockdown began.

Communities are springing up everywhere, with brands stepping in both to reassure and entertain their own. And, as our craving for human interaction and being part of a community only grows throughout lockdown, many brands and businesses are helping to both foster and support these communities. As the political activist Helen Keller said, “alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

Going live

From virtual exercise classes and #PEWithJoe to CALM’s live-streamed comedy gigs, brands are bringing us all together, wherever we are. You only have to log in to your Instagram to see quite how many brands are hosting live cook-a-longs, interviews, pub quizzes or sharing simple product tips and tricks.

By retaining the core beliefs of connection and community, Secret Sofa helps its brand continue to tell stories.

Secret Cinema is congregating their community on the Secret Sofa, inviting audiences to simultaneously stream the same movie every Friday night, complete with costume suggestions and cocktail menu. By retaining the core beliefs of connection and community, Secret Sofa helps its brand continue to tell stories, to bring their experiences to the masses, and to enjoy a good bit of silliness in the process. Which, let's face it, can feel in short supply right now.

Collaborative creativity

Some of the most powerful things to emerge from our current state of global lockdown are the moments of collaborative creativity. Whether that’s cross-agency, in the form of ISOLATEDTalks.com, pulling together inspirational talks from industry leaders to share ideas and raise money for the Samaritans; cross-creative, see the newly launched Not Fur’Long, a group of furloughed advertising people using their time and skills to support small businesses and brands; or businesses that are typically competitors, as in the case of the manufacturing coalition, including Airbus and McLaren Formula 1, working together to build ventilators; we’re seeing what can happen when old rivalries are cast aside.

Above: An ISOLATED Talk, this one from shots columnist, Amy Kean.

Other brands are encouraging their communities to collaborate with one another. We’ve seen a sharp increase in user-generated ads, particularly as production is affected by the lockdown. BBH London released the latest in the Tesco Food Love Stories that kicked off with nan teaching her family how to cook Easter lamb remotely. Following this, people have been asked to share their own #FoodLoveStory; an escalation in bringing Tesco’s customers further into the brand fold, as the campaign celebrates the communities that are built upon the food we eat.

Perhaps the greatest tool brands have at their disposal is the ability to both help and connect people.

As part of ITV’s ongoing mental-wellness initiative, ‘Britain Get talking’, Uncommon created a two-minute film, ‘Clap from our carers’. Clips from healthcare workers from around the country show doctors and nurses thanking people for staying inside and for showing their backing during the crisis. It is a unifying film; one that demonstrates just how much we all depend on one another for support and, most of all during this time, a collective feeling of unity.