There have always been consumers who looked to brands for leadership and action in social causes – and most companies responded with traditional, somewhat predictable activities. But the past year has put brands in a sometimes-uncomfortable spotlight; they are expected to act more urgently and with greater sincerity, but also at risk of criticism across social media for any missteps. Sitting on the sidelines is perhaps the riskiest option of all – but how can brands move forward wisely?
GfK found, in fact, that Americans are divided on brands and social activism. While over half said that treating all races and genders equality is essential for establishing brand loyalty, one-third said they “frequently” avoid certain products or services because of their social positions.
This split is also clearly generational, with research from GfK Consumer Life showing that Millennials and Gen Z look to brands to take social action – even if they disagree with their positions – while older consumers would rather brands stay on the sidelines.
Source: GfK Consumer Life
"Once you get somebody into your brand, and you have some affinity, you can't just turn your head and walk away. Loyalty is there until it's not. We really need to continue evolving. What are the offers that continue to be appealing to those who are already our brand advocates, versus those who are maybe still considering us? Loyalty needs to be an additional way that we think about how we evolve our offering." – Amy Wills
"I think what consumers are really looking for from brands is not to take a definitive stand on one side of an issue or the other, but just to position themselves with some humanity, with some decency." – Amy Wills
"We're recognizing that brands need to play a greater role beyond the confines of product and benefits and service. Consumers are looking for direction and for corporate America to become more active. It's a little more challenging for a more traditional brand – one that's been around for decades – to all of a sudden start engaging. What we don't know at this stage is, how will their established customer base respond?" – Eric Wagatha
"The word we come back to is authenticity – brand authenticity. Are your activities, your ideas authentic to your brand? We've seen too many examples of knee-jerk reactions. When we're talking about social responsibility, it really needs to resonate with the core of the brand positioning." – Eric Wagatha
