The 21st century has just over 80 years to go, if we consider that it began in 2001. However, it seems that what did not happen in the previous 19 years is taking place in the last ten months. Hardly anyone will be able to let 2020 go by as another year. The experience that COVID-19 may leave us will transcend our generation. It is not for less. Its effects will be with us for some time in the medium term.
At the beginning, between the denial process, the ignorance of the implications of the SarsCov-2 infection and the statements of various health authorities, we think that this crisis would be similar to other recent ones such as SARS or the AH1N1 influenza: a few months of care and we could continue with our previous daily lives. However, this was not the case.
The world meets 10 months of health contingency at the end of the month. And there are no signs that we are reaching the end of the emergency. This is because we do not have an effective vaccine to achieve mass immunization, an effective treatment to treat the infection or all the details of the contagion cycle are known to a reasonable degree. The result has been an erosion of society, and this erosion is one of the causes of public demonstrations and acts of disobedience in several cities.
Since childhood, our grandparents and parents have spoken to us about tolerance for frustration. Perhaps its application was limited to developing the capacity to know how to wait or to give up some satisfactory in view of the circumstances. Today, many have had to push this process to the limit. That is in the case of those who had the opportunity to practice it previously.
Knowing when the pandemic will end is not possible at this time. There is a good chance that several months will go by before we begin to see the end of the health crisis. Therefore, the recommendation for people is to avoid attrition by anticipating an upcoming date of return to normality and assuming that social distancing measures will remain for one more season. It is also the case of the suspension of activities that involve high concentrations of people in closed places for a long time.
Now is the opportunity for consumers and companies to establish new relationships as some of these new ways will last over time. Life will never be the same again, but today we are in a position to reinvent how we relate, what we expect from those around us, and who we will count on in difficult times.
In market research we live conjunctural days; full of uncertainty and opportunities. It is time to demonstrate the role we have as analysts to build bridges between the consumers and the brands. We invite you to write the stories that will help everyone face a new future with the best possible tools, data and information.
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