Ujwal Arkalgud has had a busy 18 months. As co-founder and CEO of research firm MotivBase, Arkalgud studies the meaning behind what consumers say and write and decodes it for brands. Among MotivBase's clients are Clorox, Procter & Gamble and General Mills.

On the latest episode of the “Marketer’s Brief” podcast, Arkalgud discusses how the coronavirus has altered consumer behavior and what marketers might learn from some of the changes, particularly regarding concepts including sustainability and eco-friendly products.

“The pandemic has been the perfect breeding ground for us in a way,” says Arkalgud. “When clients, companies, marketers look at behavior, what they forget is behavior can change overnight; it changes anytime something happens in culture.”

MotivBase has spent recent months tracking the rise in demand for cleaning products during COVID-19. Previously, many consumers had been seeking out eco-friendly solutions but in 2020, they scooped up any cleaners they could find—even those kitchen products boasting chemical ingredients. Many manufacturers of household cleaning products asked Arkalgud if the “natural trend” was done. On the contrary, he says.

“The meanings around natural cleaning haven’t changed,” Arkalgud says. “The knowledge of the average consumer around the benefits of cleaning with natural products like vinegar were increasing through the pandemic, though behavior, sales data was not demonstrating that. It teaches us that when we look at meaning, we maintain focus which allows us to get past the short-term blips to think about what will settle in.”

On the podcast, Arkalgud also discusses how brands can responsibly add sustainability messaging into marketing, particularly following a recent Greenwashing in Advertising guide released by the 4A's.