Consumers want brands with values, and they want them with a big old helping of bravery. Brands are being challenged to stand up for important issues and show they care about more than just profit. And it’s this challenge that inspired our Stand With Me consumer behaviour trend.
The Stand With Me trend is about brands showing their backbone
Brands who show they stand with people on real-world issues are making a bigger impression. We’ve seen that making public pledges has graduated from planting trees and painting orphanages to bigger, bolder and more courageous initiatives.
Why? Because people are becoming more conscious about what they buy. They’ll go out of their way to consume brands that have a sense of purpose and tackle the issues that affect the world. And they’ll look for brands that mirror their own values or represent ones they aspire to live by.
Be brave, it’ll pay off
More than 8 in 10 Millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to good corporate citizenship. And a third of consumers are now choosing to buy from brands they believe are doing social or environmental good.
So, those brands willing to take a stand have started to win the respect of customers and even the custom of their competitor’s customers. It’s never too late to direct that moral compass to get more consumers onboard with your brand.
Smirnoff are the first to stand for more
Smirnoff took gender equality by the horns with one ground-breaking initiative: aiming to double the number of women headlining at 2020 music festivals.
This is a perfect example of a brand using the Commitment Pledge bias, which is based on brands making a public stand. Because the more public something is, the less likely we are to back out of it. They also managed to incorporate Personal Investment into their initiative, which involves consumers being more committed to the success of something if they can play their own part in it.
How can you leverage this?
Find out more about our Stand With Me trend and the connection between consumers and behavioural economics in our latest report on the top trends driving consumer behaviour. Download it here.
By Phil Monks
Deputy Creative Director