品牌的社交声音.pdf

The social voice of brands How British and American consumers feel about brands expressing opinions on social issues 2 Contents Introduction . 3 How important is it for brands to have a clear point of view on political or social issues? . 4 Are brands perceived to be exploiting issues? . 8 Beware of the boycotters? . 12 How should brands communicate? . 16 Who wants brand purpose? . 19 Conclusion .23 About the data .24Introduction 3 M ore and more, brands are expressing opinions on social and political issues, supporting causes, and presenting themselves as influencers on wider topics in society. But to what extent do consumers believe that brands should associate themselves with certain issues? This paper uses YouGov data to compare the point of view of consumers from the US and Britain. It explores whether they think its appropriate for brands to comment on social issues and to what extent it depends on the industry. It also looks at whether the reward outweighs the risk of losing customers when it comes to brands nailing their colours to a particular issues mast. The data shows that GB and US consumers are broadly similar when it comes to the bigger picture. Tend to disagree Definitely disagree Tend to agree Neither agree nor disagree Definitely agree Companies and their brands should be able to express how they feel on a topic 100% 0% 50% More than half (52%) of people in Britain think that brands should be able to express how they feel on a certain topic, compared with 61% of those from the US. Whats more, just under half (48%) of Americans say they like brands that are willing to get involved in social issues and 42% of Brits say the same. Almost six in ten (59%) people in both countries dont think brands should express views on social or political issues, but, as well see later, this depends on the industry and the issue. This indicates that its up to the brand themselves to weigh up the risk versus the reward and understand what causes will resonate with their own audience and what will put them off. I like brands that are willing to get involved in societal issues I dont think brands should express views on political or social issuesHow important is it for brands to have a point of view on social issues? 4 Nowadays brands face huge pressure to “get it right” when it comes to commenting on social issues. While some brands have a clear fit with certain issues or topics, for others it can be a minefield where they risk coming across as disingenuous at best or offensive at worst. And often its not enough for brands to simply “opt out”. For instance, in Britain many brands have come under fire from campaign group “Stop Funding Hate” for advertising in (right of centre national newspaper) the Daily Mail something a brand may have done for years previously with no comment. Which daily newspapers do you read most often? Paperchase customers GB nat rep 14% 14% The Daily Mail/ The Scottish Daily Mail Paperchase recent customers Negative noise Purchase intent The Mirror/ Daily Record 13% 16% The Guardian 10% 3% The Times 9% 5% The Sun 5% 20% Positive noise Event Sept. 2017 30 20 10 0 40 Aug. 2018 Mar. 2018 In November 2017, stationer Paperchase bowed to pressure and pulled their pre-Christmas ad campaign from the Daily Mail. This led to a sudden spike in positive and negative attention amongst customers with the brand facing criticism both before and after discontinuing the campaign. Although attention died down fairly quickly and there seemed to be little impact on lower funnel metrics such as purchase intent, the question of whether the brand should have made this decision remains. Whilst the brands customers over-index in reading (left wing national) The Guardian, their most read newspaper is the Daily Mail (14%). As such their customer base may not have been those who were bothered by the brand partnering with the paper.5 Should brands promote a clear and transparent point of view on societal issues? While brands can be caught in a storm thats not of their own making, how do consumers feel about brands actively getting involved in social issues? Do they think its important and that brands have a duty to put their weight behind a cause? How important, or not, is it to you that the brands you like have a clear/transparent point of view on wider issues in society? There is not much difference between the US and Britain on this topic. More than half in both countries (58% in the US and 57% in Britain) believe that companies should have a point of view. On the flip side, just one in eight (12%) Americans and just one in ten (10%) Brits place no importance at all on the topic Somewhat important Very important Not very important Dont know Not at all important GB US 12% 10% 20% 23% 10% 10% 36% 42% 22% 15% How important is it for brands to have a point of view on social issues? 6 Why should brands get involved in social issues? The reasons people believe brands need to have a clear and transparent view are also similar between the two countries. Among those who said its important for brands to get involved, the most common reason is that they want to trust the brands they interact with and also that they believe brands should behave responsibly. Between the two countries, the biggest difference is in how much of a responsibility people think brands have to society. This is much more of a big deal in Britain with 54% giving this as a reason compared with 41% of people in the US. Attitudes towards brand involvement in social issues Brits who think it is important for brands to get involved in causes are also more likely than the population as a whole to care about things such as tax avoidance. Half of this group (51% vs 29% GB nat rep) say that people and organisations investing money in offshore tax havens is an important issue to them. US GB I want to trust the brands I interact with 58% 54% I want the brands I use to behave responsibly I want to understand who Im giving my money to I want to support businesses who share my values Brands have a responsibility to the society they act in I dont want to support businesses who have values I disagree with I like brands that arent afraid to say what they think 58% 53% 54% 52% 39% 43% 54% 41% 41% 33% 30% 32% How important is it for brands to have a point of view on social issues? 7 Among those who think its important for brands to have a point of view on social issues, there is a split by industry in both countries but they have fairly similar views. US People believe that its most important for charities to have a point of view, followed by pharmaceutical and media companies. Overall, for every industry asked about, more people from the US think its important for brands to have a point of view than their counterparts in Britain. GB Somewhat important Very important Is it more important for certain industries? How important is it for brands to have a point of view on social issues? Charities 63% 24% 87% 55% 27% Media 82% 54% 27% Pharmaceutical 81% 48% 34% Finance 82% 46% 36% Food & Drink 82% 42% 40% Retail (e.g., supermarkets) 82% 41% 39% Tech/electricals 80% 37% 39% Auto 76% 37% 43% Household 80% 36% 40% Clothing 76% 35% 37% Cosmetics & Personal Care 72% Charities 52% 31% 83% Pharmaceutical 43% 35% 78% Media 42% 35% 77% Finance 37% 40% 77% Food & Drink 36% 39% 75% 29% 39% 68% 29% 45% 74% Tech/electricals 25% 46% 71% Auto 25% 41% 66% Household 23% 43% 66% Clothing 22% 49% 71% Charities rank highest in the US (87%) and GB (83%). Very/Somewhat important Retail (e.g., supermarkets) Cosmetics & Personal CareAre brands perceived to be exploiting issues? 8 The scores are fairly similar to the number of people who think it is important for brands to have opinions on social issues indicating that brands need to really know where their own audience lies on this spectrum. Brands that express views on political or social issues are just trying to exploit them 6% 21% 19% 33% 21% 2% 22% 19% 40% 17% Tend to agree Definitely agree Tend to disagree Neither agree nor disagree Definitely disagree GB US Buzz: Have you heard anything positive or negative about Pepsi? US nat rep GB nat rep 28-06-2017 01-02-2017 19-04-2017 -20 0 20 10 -10 Pepsi airs ad featuring Kendall Jenner In both countries, well-intentioned campaigns centred on social issues have created negative chat around brands. (See GB & US general sentiment scores for Pepsi around the recalled ad featuring Kendall Jenner). There is a group of people in both countries who think that brands getting involved in political or social issues are just trying to exploit them. There is not much difference between the two (54% in the US vs. 57% GB) but a higher number of people in the US definitely agree that brands are exploiting issues (21% vs 17%). It is important to note, though, that just 6% of Americans and only 2% of Brits definitely disagree with this statement.12% 20% 51% 17% GB 0% 9 Are brands perceived to be exploiting issues? “Brands that express opinions on political or social issues are just trying to exploit them” In both countries, millennials are less likely to agree with this statement when compared with older generations. Differences between generations Tend to agree Definitely agree Tend to disagree Neither agree nor disagree Definitely disagree 1% 11% 12% 52% 25% Silent generation (1928-1945) Silent generation (1928-1945) Baby boomers (1946-1964) Gen X (1965-1981) Millennials (1982-1999) US Baby boomers (1946-1964) 21% 17% 34% 24% 4% Gen X (1965-1981) 20% 17% 33% 24% 6% Millennials (1982-1999) 23% 21% 32% 18% 6% 17% 17% 43% 20% 2% 24% 19% 38% 16% 2% 26% 20% 37% 13% 4%10 Those who definitely agree that brands are exploiting issues One in five (21%) Americans definitely agree that brands who get involved in political or social issues are just trying to exploit those issues. This group tends to be older and male. Almost half (49%) finished high school but did not go onto higher education. They also tend to hold more conservative views. In which, if any, of the following areas is it acceptable for a brand to communicate their point of view in marketing materials or other communications? This group over-indexes on the following issues: Increasing reliance on digital assistants is dangerous to society 73% vs 50% nat rep Kids need two parents to grow up well balanced 74% vs 54% nat rep The value of family has decreased over the past few decades 84% vs 67% nat rep Young people depend more on their parents today than in past generations 90% vs 76% nat rep Ironically, the internet has made us less connected 79% vs 64% nat rep The below table is ranked to show the biggest differences between this group and the general population. Those who definitely agree that brands are exploiting issues (US) US nat rep 35% 24% Animal cruelty Human rights 38% 24% Education 34% 24% Environmental issues 33% 21% Gender issues (metoo, feminism) 17% 7% US Profile Are brands perceived to be exploiting issues? Difference 14 12 11 10 1011 Those who believe brands are exploiting issues In Britain, the 17% who believe that brands are exploiting certain issues share similar demographics to their counterparts in the US and have a skew towards being male and older. In which, if any, of the following areas is it acceptable for a brand to communicate their point of view in marketing materials or other communications? Those who definitely agree that brands are exploiting issues (GB) GB nat rep This group over-indexes on the following issues: I think businesses are trying too hard when they use emojis in their ads/ comunications 79% vs 63% nat rep Reality will always beat ideas 68% vs 48% nat rep I think newspapers should encourage debate and challenge perspectives 91% vs 77% nat rep I prefer watching TV on my laptop or tablet 37% vs 15% nat rep Overall you get a better quality of life in the country 87% vs 73% nat rep Are brands perceived to be exploiting issues? GB Profile The below table is ranked to show the biggest differences between this group and the general population. 15% 5% Gender issues (metoo, feminism) LGBT+ rights 18% 7% Environmental issues 38% 28% Human rights 31% 21% Local issues 23% 13% Difference 11 10 10 10 10Beware of the boycotters? 12 For some consumers, a brand having a strong view on a subject will make them more likely to buy that brand, but for others this may have the opposite effect. Nike recently experienced this risk versus reward scenario when the brand chose Colin Kaepernick a former NFL quarterback widely known for kneeling during Americas national anthem in protest of racial injustice as the face of its 30th anniversary “Just Do It” ad campaign. American Nike customers are more receptive to brands taking a stand on social issues I like when companies have a moral message 78% vs 68% nat rep Companies and their brands should be able to express how they feel on a topic 68% vs 61% nat rep I like brands that are willing to get involved in societal issues 65% vs 48% nat rep The US and GB are quite even when it comes to saying they would boycott a brand that expressed a view they didnt like around half for both. However, people from the US are much more likely to agree that they will buy from a brand that has a view they agree with. The sportswear manufacturer may have come to the same conclusion and YouGovs own data shows that its recent customers in the US tend to be more receptive to brands taking a stand on social issues.13 Beware of the boycotters? Whats more, fewer Brits agree that advertising influences what they buy, hinting at a belief that they are, in general, less susceptible to outside influence from brands compared to Americans. Tend to agree Definitely agree Tend to disagree Neither agree nor disagree Definitely disagree If a brand holds a view I disagree with, I will stop buying from them 30% 5% 26% 15% 32% 18% GB US 8% 26% 15% 32% 14% If a brand I like expresses a view I agree with in ads, Im more likely to buy it 5% 19% 12% 44% 19% GB US 7% 21% 20% 42% 9% Advertising helps me choose what I buy 12% 28% 14% 38% 8% GB US 16% 35% 13% 31% 5% US & GB purchasing attitudes14 The framework below shows that consumers can be split into different groups depending on whether they will increase their level of spending with a brand or refuse to buy from a brand if they express a cer