Consumers praise brave brands on social justice

Brands can successfully connect with consumers through positive coverage of their actions around social causes, according to a recent study by Kantar. 

Why it matters 

From the #metoo movement to Black Lives Matter, it is clear social media has a powerful role to play in galvanizing public opinion in favor of social justice issues. It’s important for brands to understand how this can affect them and what they can do about it.

Kantar’s study selected 17 personal values and 15 actions and then analyzed more than 1.5 million consumer conversations in the US over the last two years to identify disruptive trends related to values.

Key findings

• Consumer demand for values showing momentum include bravery and improvement; actions such as donations, supporting black-owned businesses and anti-racism are likely to disrupt.
• There is strong support for helping black-owned or minority-owned businesses to succeed. Uber Eats, with its initiative to waive delivery fees for black-owned restaurants, resonates with consumers.
• Consumers’ online conversations refer to ‘bravery’ in the context of racism, community and family, and associations are made with companies like Nike, Apple and Facebook.
• Online American consumers also widely applaud Nike’s effort to support Colin Kaepernick, the footballer and civil rights activist.
  
• Consumer interest in diversity is gaining momentum, and brands being talked about in this space include tech giants Google, Apple and Facebook.
• Brands should ensure they develop a deep understanding of cultural trends, using technology to gather data so they have ‘an ear to the ground’.

Key quote

“Now more than ever brands must strive to go deeper and understand the scope and context of how consumers will react to the important social justice issues and act. We know that disruptive values in this space include improvement through diversity and bringing about ‘bravery’ in our organizations” – Mercedes Bender and Cynthia Vega, Kantar.

Sourced from Kantar