In the wake of the pandemic, community has become a growing focus for consumers and brands alike. It is a shift which has been embraced by soft drink brand Belvoir’s latest campaign from Hell Yeah!, which not only underlined that we have all been pronouncing the brand incorrectly but showcased the brand’s heritage.  

While the cost of living crisis continues to top the business agenda, it is clear that in the wake of the pandemic, heritage and community remain deeply important to brands and consumers alike. Dulcie Cowling, ECD and Founding Partner at Hell Yeah, explains: “As we’ve come out of the pandemic and stopped our weekly pot and pan banging with the neighbours, it’s clear that people still have a real yearning to feel connected to others.” 

She points to data that confirms consumers want to feel more connected to their communities. A shift that she believes can be a competitive advantage to brands who get it right and one which will be increasingly important as the cost of living crisis begins to bite “As people look to cut back during the cost of living crisis, people are investing only in the items that mean the most to them. Brands that provide a sense of belonging as well as just a product have a better chance of staying in peoples’ baskets,” she explains.

Community and the cost of living crisis

The challenge for marketers is that you simply cannot manufacture heritage. As Cowling explains: “Belvoir is a brand that’s been built on a strong sense of community and place, since it started in the 80’s.”

She continues: “The fact that the locals still come to the farm to handpick the elderflowers, and that every year the harvest is a local event is a story that we knew would resonate well with consumers. People are the heart of the brand story, and so it was important to us that the real people of the Belvoir community featured in their first TV ad.” 

Redefining brand Britain

The focus on the local community also extends to a reappraisal of what it means to be a British brand. Beyond the wide lens of the divisions of Brexit and the divisiveness of a new Prime Minister, the pandemic narrowed many people’s lens on the world around them, with significant implications for brands. At a time in which so many things were and are outside of the average consumers’ control, that desire to connect with and derive a sense of control from local communities remains.                                                 

Cowling explains: “The pandemic reduced our horizons right down, and for many people created a new localised perspective.” It is a focus which means shopping local is more than a buzzword and provenance and authenticity are important tools for marketers.”                   

“When we first started working with Belvoir Farm, we were, like many people, surprised to learn that it’s a quintessentially British brand, from the heart of the Leicestershire countryside,” says Cowling. A fact which means in its first foray into TV advertising, the team recognised it was imperative for us to make the connection in people’s minds between the Belvoir Fram brand and the patch of the British countryside where it’s always been produced.

To land this fact the campaign centred on the fact that locals pronounce it “Beevah”, not “Bel-voir”. An anomaly which Cowling describes as “charmingly British”. She explains: “We knew this would be the fact about the brand that stuck with people and would create the biggest talking point.”

Back to nature

The campaign also capitalises on the reappraisal and renewal of the role of nature in consumers' lives in the wake of the pandemic. For the generation battling digital overwhelm that return to the focus on simple pleasures and wildlife is a notable trend for marketers. 

“We know that people are reassessing their priorities post-pandemic, and among many people there is a yearning to reconnect with nature. The pandemic forced people to break out of their routines and appreciate simple pleasures,” explains Cowling. 

She explains that the ‘Welcome to our Wild’ platform developed with Belvoir Farm is all about reconnecting with nature. “It’s not about a curated, prim version of the natural world, but about letting nature do its thing and working in harmony with it. It’s the culmination of small things, such as the drinks changing colour with the seasons (because so does fruit), the acres of wildflowers and trees they’ve planted, as well as the introduction of pollinators onto the land, that all make Belvoir Farm just a little bit wild,” she adds. 

A breath of fresh air which overwhelmed consumers will doubtless embrace.