Is Conventional Etiquette Finally Coming Back? Implications For Branding

Our society is becoming more diverse, often contributing to polarization yet also demanding greater inclusion.  It is indeed a highly dynamic culture today with evolving standards of etiquette.  It has been over a hundred years since Emily Post wrote her iconic book “Etiquette” (1922) which shaped good behavior, civility and manners for decades.  Recently however, with the advent of social media and its flood of rude misinformation, which is even more evident during an election year, most people think politeness and manners are in decline:

• 85% of Americans believe society is less civil than a decade ago (source: Economist 7/24)
• 90% of parents think youngsters aged between 6 and 18 are disrespectful.

Personal Branding for Services

As the pendulum continues to swing more from a manufacturing economy to a service based society in America and Europe, the repercussions of an impertinent culture could be devastating.  In particular, the importance of sensitive, meaningful personal branding, an essential ingredient for courteous and successful customer service, has never been more critical.

Positioning one’s personal brand is similar to branding for a product, service, country, etc. in that the heart of each is a promise of value to a certain target audience or customer.  Basically it’s how one wants to be perceived so he/she can make a lasting positive impression and ultimately develop a trustful relationship.  As a rule of thumb, the impression made in the first 15 seconds of meeting someone will remain for a long time for 80% of people.

In the person-to-person service business, appropriate social etiquette and sharing similar values are essential for positioning each worker’s brand, which is also key for building a strong business brand.  IPSOS recently confirmed this in a study, finding that the public views brands as a more trustful messenger on social issues (77%) versus personalities (48%) and politicians/the press (both 50%).

Big consulting firms like KPMG have introduced soft-skills training for recent pandemic-era graduates.  According to a recent survey of bosses, more than half of American companies are enlisting experts to help employees hone their professional personas.

Research indicates that good manners will even have a positive impact on the use of AI.  A new study in China, Japan and Britain found that rude requests cause chatbots to make things up and omit important bits of information.  Google has recently added a “pretty please” feature to prompt children to say the “magic word”.

Encouraging Signs of Improving Etiquette

Despite the reality of our divisive society and disturbing vitriol on social media, the Economist has reported a surge in learning more about gentility and proper etiquette, for two reasons:

1. Covid stopped people from interacting face-to-face, which has made people worried about their social skills.
2. There is confusion about what constitutes best practice in today’s global digital world.

In the world of online “influencers” and specialty etiquette firms, there is ample evidence of this renewed interest in improving etiquette,

• Online etiquette lessons (e.g. on posture, table manners, etc.) via #Etiquette posts on TikTok have been viewed 5 billion times
• William Hanson, an etiquette coach with 5 million fans on Instagram and TikTok, leads an etiquette institute (The English Manner) and has seen a 60% increase in attendance at his in-person sessions after Covid, mostly between 25 and 45 years old.
• Many finishing schools offer courses now such as “international etiquette” and the “European art of dining”.

Hopefully these signs of restoring good manners, behavior and sensitive etiquette will be the start of a widespr4ead positive “whiplash” reaction to the ubiquitous poison we hear from conspiracy stories, relentless name-calling and crude personal attacks of political opponents, plus all the dangerous misinformation on social media.  Most people desire a return to Emily Post’s traditional manners, so maybe these etiquette building initiatives will spread during this election year too.