Flying the flag for food
Do people really get patriotic over packaging?
How much does national pride factor into our everyday purchasing decisions?
In the UK at least, ‘Buy British’ campaigns were an advertising staple as recently as the 1980s, and our food often comes with packaging featuring a British flag — but does this really inspire purchasing habits in 2019?
We took to our hive of users, or bees, in the UK to find out what people’s attitudes to their countries and the products made in them really are — here’s what they told us.
Made in the UK
First off, the good news for UK producers: buying goods made nationally is the single most popular way for British people to show they love their country — even more than supporting sports teams, or paying taxes…
Q: What does being patriotic mean to you?
“Finding that an important part of one’s identity is linked to their home country, and taking pride in that.” Male, 28
And the even better news? Almost 2 in 3 Brits — 64% — are willing to buy their groceries from UK businesses even if it means paying slightly more for the product:
However, it’s not the case that Brits think their products are better than those from other countries — far from it. While 37% agreed that British produce is best, 22% disagreed, with the largest group simply having no idea:
So on the surface, it looks like there’s something simple going on here — that Brits want to show their patriotism by buying national produce, so they’re willing to pay a premium price — even though most people don’t think what they’re buying is better than what comes in from overseas.
So — slap a few Union Jacks on the packaging, and brands should be reaping the rewards, right?
Well, our UK bees don’t buy British just because there’s a flag on the packet. It’s where the ingredients come from, and where the food is processed, that matter far more:
And it’s the desire to support local businesses that came up time and again from our bees:
“(I buy) to support the local economy, and to have a connection with the product that I’m buying, of which comes trust,” said a 28-year-old man.
“I don’t care where it is made. The only thing that is an issue for me is the environmental impact of transporting food from other countries,” said a 24-year-old man.
“I try to buy food that is local and in season, but authenticity matters too, eg French or Italian cheese,” said a 37-year-old woman.
Fed up of the B***** word yet?
So, we wondered — what happens if you throw Brexit into the mix? Our bees told us how they voted in the referendum, and wecompared the results of those who wanted to Leave, and those who said Remain.
Leavers like to see the flag on the packaging more than remainers — but the difference isn’t massively substantial, and both parties are still far more bothered about where the ingredients actually come from and our processed.
There is a difference between Leavers and Remainers in terms of their willingness to buy British, but again it’s not crazy — well over half of remainers (62%) would still buy local even if it meant paying slightly more. And while Leavers are more likely to say that British food is best, it’s still not a majority (47%).
Think national, buy local?
So it seems no matter what side of the Brexit divide a consumer is on, it’s not a question of blindly buying anything with a British flag on it.
Equally, our UK bees are interested in buying British and would pay slightly over the odds to do so — but supporting local economies and reducing our carbon footprints are powerful drivers behind that desire, along with national pride.
Indeed, the natural conclusion is that packaging focused on regional elements — rather than national ones — could be the smart way forward for brands. Local beers, regional sparkling waters, or Yorkshire Tea; buying each allows the consumer to both Buy British while thinking local — a potential win-win in a world where slapping flags on packs of sausages doesn’t have the same impact as it once did.
***
Streetbees can help your business understand markets in real time. Get in touch to find out more, or to access the findings in this report and play around with the data yourself.
Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter!
A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from Streetbees community members in the UK, carried out in March 2019. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
