91% say brand behaviour is influential factor in making purchases
Marketing agency 23red has discovered in a survey of 1,000 people that 91% say the way a company behaves is influential in a purchase decision and 60% say a company’s ethics affects their decision making.
The research ties in with the launch of the agency’s integrated marketing proposition “Great Good”, which educates brands and businesses on how best to align their commercial interests with their core values.
There is an age and gender split, with a majority of under-30s ranking “ethical brand values” as a priority when spending on the high street and a greater percentage of women than men demanding social responsibility from their brands.
Jane Asscher, 23red managing partner and founder, said: “The real challenge for brands is how best to harness the values at the heart of their business as marketing tools, without appearing cynical.
“This isn’t about sound bites and tokenistic gestures; it’s a paradigm shift. It’s about making specific and quantifiable changes, such as the recent initiative from PepsiCo with its drive to improve water consumption efficiency, thereby significantly reducing its impact on the environment.
“Similarly, Marks & Spencer has so far saved £50m with its ‘Plan A’ initiative, which sets out 180 green commitments to achieve by 2015. These are all concrete examples of real progress. But it isn’t about immediate returns; it’s a long term initiative and represents a sea-change in how businesses interact with society. We have found that these views are reflected within our client base and the market as a whole.”
It was also discovered that if an ethical initiative is to be perceived by consumers as authentic, PR announcements, advertising and marketing initiatives need to be weighted towards measurable outcomes, as opposed to simply reporting on the launch or the capital investment involved.
Asscher said: “While there’s a consensus that news of ethical activities needs to be shared with the public an emphasis on initiatives over results can diminish the value of what is being achieved and arouses suspicions that it is masking something. To influence consumer behaviour, an ethical initiative must not only work, it must also be seen to work.”