Touchpoints and their importance in the Covid 19 crisis.

In the "Vorsprung durch Wissen" study, residents from four countries - Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France - were surveyed. The focus was on the following questions: How do people keep up to date with the Corona crisis, how do they form an opinion about what is happening, what frightens them and what wishes do they have for the time after Corona?

To answer this question, more than 80 analog and digital touchpoints were examined. Touchpoints are all the ways in which a person can interact with a topic. The spectrum ranges from posters to websites to a personal recommendation.

How the touchpoints were evaluated

In order to be able to assess the impact of the touchpoints studied, a uniform currency was used: In addition to reach (passive and active reach), the relevance of a touchpoint (touchpoint value) was also recorded. The Touchpoint Value is composed of an emotional, a rational and an action-oriented element. This three-dimensional recording thus corresponds to the recognized attitude concept from persuasion research.

What stands out in the touchpoint matrix

Due to the Covid 19 crisis, specific crisis touchpoints were also integrated into the study, such as "testimonials from affected persons," "behavioral recommendations in public spaces," or "neighborhood assistance." The following key findings for Switzerland emerged:

• The number 1 touchpoint is "Instruction / recommendation from the government (federal / cantonal), health offices or other government institutions". This touchpoint achieves absolute top scores in terms of reach (92.5%) and relevance (77.1 score);
• 23 of the 82 touchpoints surveyed achieve above-average relevance and reach among the Swiss respondents;
• Among these 23 touchpoints, there are four digital touchpoints: "Live ticker," "Website of public TV," "Coverage on newspaper portals," and "Website of the World Health Organization (WHO)."
• In addition to the digital reporting on the newspaper portals, the printed "Reporting in Daily Newspaper" can also be found here;
• The "reporting" and "advertisements" of the high-circulation newspapers of the major distributors Coop and Migros are also among the core touchpoints.

Benefits for everyday practice

Thinking and acting from the customer's point of view has become the norm in companies in recent years. But when it comes to the importance of touchpoints, gut feelings and facts diverge widely. Properly interpreted data helps to think outside the box, objectify the new reality, and ultimately make better and therefore more effective decisions. Knowing how people behave in this crisis and what changes will be triggered in the medium term is the raw material for successfully shaping the future.