(MENAFN- PRovoke)
In times of chaos, there are demonstrable benefits to being bold and penalties for paralysis, according to“The Chaos Advantage,” a new study conducted FleishmanHillard and Contagious.
The research included an analysis of recent Cannes Lions and Effie Awards winners using WARC's proprietary GEISTE framework (which looks at work through the lens of government, economy, industry, society, technology and environment) to distinguish bold work from more conservative approaches to marketing and communications (see below for more detail on the GEISTE framework).
It also included a survey of 1,000 senior marketing and communications leaders across North America, EMEA and APAC.
Among the key findings:
87% of respondents agree that uncertain environments create opportunities for bold work.
Safe brands and bold brands experience public backlash at identical rates.
Two-thirds say their risk management processes block action more than they enable it.
58% say missing opportunities through caution is more common than experiencing negative consequences from bold action.
42% have already watched competitors capture share while they hesitated.
The report reveals real costs to playing it safe, with“dull content” requiring significantly more investment to achieve results, with brand conversion dropping 37% and long-term ROI falling 14% when organizations default to uninspired creative. Dull work requires $189 billion of extra media spend to match the effect of non-dull work.
And the cost of caution is measured not just in missed opportunities but in lost business impact.
“The data makes clear that uncertainty is now the operating condition, not a moment to wait out," says Ellie Tuck, chief creative officer, Americas at FleishmanHillard.“Organizations that treat caution as a risk management strategy are actually multiplying their risk. The brands that thrive are the ones taking action despite, and because of, the uncertainty.”
The report says“The Chaos Advantage” arises“when a brand converts a live macro threat into business growth by confronting an evidenced, real-world issue and acting with conviction to earn credibility and trust, at scale.”
“We're seeing this pattern where leaders know bold work wins but their organizations can't seem to approve and execute it,” adds Jim Joseph, global chair, brand impact at FleishmanHillard.“We commissioned this research to quantify the gap and understand what's actually blocking action. The answer is behavioral, not strategic.”
The report is broken down into three sections, the first of which details the chaotic environment-often referred to as the“perma-crisis” by communications professionals”-and its impact on communications and marketing professionals: 86% of respondents say the current environment is more unpredictable and disruptive and 78% expect the current level of uncertainty to continue. Almost two-thirds (65.3%) reported feeling overwhelmed over the past 12 months.
But while there is a broad acknowledgement (88%) that bold work tends to be more effective and impactful during challenging times, three factors are holding companies back, starting with what the study calls“the false-safety paradox”: cautious and less cautious organizations attract public backlash at near-identical rates (20% vs. 21%)-what we might, given recent events, refer to as“the Ed Sheeran effect.”
There are psychological effects at play, obviously,“Human instinct is to pause and wait for danger to pass,” says the report. But“when it comes to creating bold work, delay is the bigger risk.” More than six in 10 respondents (61%) say waiting too long is the bigger risk, yet 58% say waiting too long is what happens more often.
This isn't always the fault of marketers and communicators. The report identifies a“machinery of caution.” Two-thirds say risk management blocks action more than it enables it. Creative approval (38%) and campaign launches (37%) are among the first things to slow in times of uncertainty.
The second section of“The Chaos Advantage” identifies three hallmarks of organizations that identify opportunity where others see risk:
A clear external threat is articulated in the case study objectives that conforms with a macro-level shift aligning with the GEISTE framework, identifying a real risk for consumers, business or both.
Data supports the escalation of that defining condition. It shapes the strategic insight, demonstrating destabilisation and the need for immediacy / proactivity and enables the brand to address the issue with data-informed confidence.
Results demonstrate how a brand can build relevance, on the brand's terms, while others are waiting for permission. The brands driving business growth are treating external complexity as an opportunity to challenge category restraints reflected in their more ambitious success metrics.
Critically, the communications and public relations professionals,“earned is the channel of choice for The Chaos Advantage: social, owned, PR and events and online video are key, with brands seeing a role in adding education and information to audience interaction.” Campaigns are“built to be discussed, shared and reacted to rather than purely broadcasting for reach.”
The final section of the report provides a roadmap for marketers and communicators looking to apply The Chaos Advantage to their work. Preconditions for success include:
Right to participate: Does the idea match your brand's existing reputation and equity with customers? In order for work to connect with consumers in the conversations that they are having, a brand needs to demonstrate why it has a right to be there.
Reason to watch: How well does the brand use Chaos Advantage creativity to exploit the opportunity? In a world where the job is to stop thumbs scrolling and start finding new ways into conversations, creativity is critical.
Ability to execute: How well can the organization clear internal barriers to maximize potential and time? If an organization needs to move can it do so quickly, boldly, and just as important, safely?
In short, companies need to know what they stand for, create something worth acting on, and assess legal and reputation risk in advance.
Says Contagious editorial director Alex Jenkins:“The research validates what we've seen across award-winning work. Companies growing through uncertainty are those responding with creative conviction rather than hesitation. This is less about recklessness and more about understanding that the operating environment has fundamentally changed and requires a different strategic response.”
Adds Tuck,“There's a bigger implication here for marketing and communications leaders. The old marketing playbook was built for a world where brands could control the message. That world is gone. Communities decide what's worth talking about. You can't buy your way through chaos. You have to know how to move through it. And that's where modern communications and the ability to predict shifts, earn attention and mobilize influence become a critical engine of modern brand growth.
“That's the conversation we want to start.”
FleishmanHillard and Contagious will host a series of events across the United States and United Kingdom to explore the findings, provide examples of brands that have leveraged uncertainty as a competitive advantage and highlight modern communications solutions to achieve bolder, business-driving work amid chaos.
The GEISTE Framework:
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