• by Charlene Weisler , Op-Ed Contributor, May 12, 2020

Gerry Philpott, president and CEO of E-Poll wanted to better understand the state of the nation during the pandemic. To that end, his company launched a study that he said was, a a”gut check of where the country is right now… both in [people’s] optimism and where they see their lifestyles ahead. Will they go right back to what they were doing?  If not, what has changed, and why?”

To that end, the company polled 1,677 persons 13+ the week of April 16-20, weighted to reflect their demographic proportions in the U.S.  

The interview was edited for clarity and condensed.

Charlene Weisler: What makes this study different?

Gerry Philpott: We felt our clients are getting a lot of data around certain aspects of the virus and its impact, but very little on what advertisers, networks, creative, etc. need to get back to some normalcy in our business and what they should be preparing for.

We asked some questions in a way to get at what it was like before and what they intend to do after, as we don’t have previous studies similar to this to go back to.

Weisler: What are the greatest takeaways?

Philpott: They included:

— How influenced certain people are by what they are hearing from the leaders they like and the national news and social media they follow, which tends to be in line with their leadership preference.  

“We’re all in this together” is a bit misleading, since you have conservatives who believe there’s a much faster timeline for normalcy, and are more optimistic, which is reflective of the president and Fox News, etc. 

And then you have the moderates and liberals, who are more cautious about returning to normal and are taking a wait-and-see on how optimistic they should feel.

We all know how influential media is or we wouldn’t have such a robust advertising universe, but it was the stark difference played out in the variances between conservatives and others that drives that home.

— It was interesting to see in black and white what we had been anecdotally hearing about how people were going back to some activities that had been replaced by all the smart gadgets and busy lifestyles that have been the norm the last decade or more.  Things like sewing clubs, hobbies/building models, board games, along with families having ‘cooking’ nights where they take turns with recipes they find or are rotated through friends.  

— The myth by some in the government that people are just rushing to burst out of their homes to get back to a full normal just isn’t in the data.  Not ours, and not what I’ve seen in other studies.  

I believe there will be a pull back to more connecting socially both digitally and in person as families and friends/neighbors rekindle old activities in their surroundings, but not this rush to get out to theaters, restaurants, large venues and vacations.  

They will eventually, but many of the activities they’ve found to be enjoyable now will continue going forward. (Look how many videos of what so many neighborhoods have been doing with kids' birthday parties, etc, This didn’t exist near this level before the crisis and it won’t suddenly disappear after.  Some old things are new again.)

— While it makes sense with the economy the way it is, most will be putting off large purchases, with many putting it off for two years or more.  What stood out was how many younger people (millennials) are planning to hold off major life decisions such as marriage, children, changing jobs or moving to new locations.  

Weisler: Do you think political attitudes have shifted in any way pre- and post virus, and if so, how?

Philpott: We don’t track political attitudes on a regular basis, but just given the number of surveys published where political parties are part of the equation, it appears that the situation has remained pretty static the last six months or so.

Weisler: In your opinion, and from your research, how long do you think it will take for consumers to regain their pre-pandemic behavior? And does it vary by category?

Philpott: Based on what our study has shown, we think it will be quite some time to return to pre-pandemic behavior (possibly a year, if ever).

Once it does start to get back to normal, we don’t see a major difference in behavior to what conservatives vs moderates or liberals will be doing, as it will be determined more by state and local circumstances. .

Weisler: What do you suggest as next steps for advertisers and for the industry overall?

Philpott: For advertisers, the data clearly shows people need and want information they can use and are more receptive to messaging that is uplifting and entertaining.  It’s been a very rough time, and if advertisers can tap into the resiliency of the American public in a way that’s engaging, respectful and hopeful, they will get their messages across.