Nearly half of the UK want brands to spread British values on the continent - the EU disagrees on what these values are
Attitudes to the Brexit vote in the UK are slowly improving and in this new environment nearly half of British consumers believe brands should be communicating positive British values, according to a report.
British values
Consumer research from JWT claims that 45 per cent of the UK public wants their brands to spread British values throughout Europe despite the Brexit.
The public also wants supposedly British brands to put their money where their mouths are and support local economies by hiring local talent (37 per cent), investing in UK charities (27 per cent), and contributing to local communities.
Four in ten British consumers want brands to keep them informed about how they are helping Britain to trade globally and a further third want to know how said brands are keeping the island nation connected with Europe.
So brands are to be ambassadors of British values, and when asked what these values are, the respondents overwhelmingly selected traditional, proud, multi-cultural, cultured and open-minded.
The poll reached out to France, Germany, Italy and Poland between 29 July and 1 August to tap into Europe’s Brexit perceptions. The disposition is less sunny on the continent with these nations overwhelmingly describing the UK as nationalist and isolated - values that clash with the EU's internationalist goals.
James Whitehead, the co-chief Executive of J. Walter Thompson London, said: “This is a huge opportunity for brands who, untainted by the political fall-out, now have an exceptionally important role in giving consumers top-to-bottom help and guidance in the months to come in a post-Brexit Britain.
“They have the potential not only to transparently and intelligently inform consumers about business, trading and manufacturing both here and in Europe, but can also be the ones to recalibrate this disparity in the 'Essence of Britain' between ourselves and Europe, while also helping them with what is important to them on their doorstep and at a local level.”
Back to the UK, the research found that while there’s less pessimism in the air regarding the UK’s departure from the trading alliance and legislative jurisdiction, half of those respondents in the UK said they would vote remain if the referendum happened again, while 37 per cent said they would vote leave and 13 per cent said they were “unsure”.
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