Brand activism: 3 takeaways from our global community

We spoke to 3,700 people worldwide to understand whether people think brands should have a higher purpose — or if it’s just a ploy for increased profits.

As demonstrated by recent high-profile campaigns from Lush and Pepsi, brand activism — companies supporting a cause — is an increasingly prevalent part of marketing.

It’s a controversial topic; critics argue that the approach is often superficial and opportunist — but others say it’s time for big corporations to support important causes and stand up for what they believe in.

So what do our bees think? We asked 3,700 people across seven countries to understand their attitudes to this new wave of corporate consciousness.

1 in 3 globally ‘don’t trust brands with a cause’

There’s a sizeable minority that think brands who identify with a cause ‘are just trying to promote themselves’ — a problem for any company using activism as a strategy!

However, it’s more of an issue outside of the West. In the UK and US, where marketing spend is among the highest in the world, trust between companies and consumers is more established. In the UK, 21% agree with the statement, and the figure drops to 18% in the US.

Conversely, Indians are much more cynical about company motivations. Almost 1 in 2 (45%) agree with the statement that brands are often disingenuous about their beliefs.

Almost 9 in 10 think brands should try and improve the world

Despite this skepticism, we found that 86% believe that companies ‘should aim to make real improvements in the world’.

This feeling is most prevalent in emerging economies such as India (88%), Nigeria (92%) and Kenya (93%); in the UK (79%) and the US (84%), it’s slightly lower.

Clearly, there’s a paradox here for brands. Consumers doubt their motives and think current brand activism is centred around self-promotion — but at the same time, they also believe that companies should be trying to do better!

It’s tough to square that circle. Could public opinion be swayed with authentic campaigns that clearly make an impact, rather than obvious and cynical attempts to jump on bandwagons?

If a brand finds a place that works for them, it could win the hearts, minds and wallets of an emerging class of conscious consumers.

Consumers like to support a cause — but at what cost?

The final piece of the conundrum: although people think it’s important for companies to support a cause, they don’t want to pay more for products as a consequence of that activism.

In the UK, less than 1 in 5 are prepared to pay extra for products by a brand involved in activism, slightly less than in the US (3 in 10).

Again, there’s a clear split between the West and elsewhere. Over 4 in 10 Nigerians and Kenyans say they would pay more for products from companies involved in social causes.

So what does all this mean?

Brand activism is a game of risk and reward — and the risks look greater outside of the West.

In the West, we’re more inclined to trust brands’ intentions, but less inclined to pay more for their products. We’re also likely to be more familiar with what causes brands care about, like the Body Shop’s crusade for natural ingredients (in the UK).

Elsewhere, consumers see the need for brands to make a difference and are more prepared to pay for products that help, but are also more skeptical of companies’ intentions.

Play the game right, and big gains could result; fail, and risk alienating an audience completely.

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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from Streetbees global community of members, carried out in June 2018. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.