Brand activism in a time when “purpose” is king

Consumers are looking for brands to take a stand. In sensitive, highly emotional times—set off by a series of back-to-back global events in 2020—people are no longer satisfied with superficial messages and advertising from the companies with which they do business. Even before the societal and economic impact of COVID-19, and the sweeping change demanded by the Black Lives Matter movement, consumers were interested in buying from companies that shared their values. 

Now, brands are taking a stand on issues like equality, with many eschewing advertising on major social media platforms. In fact, hundreds of advertisers, including several huge brand names, won’t be spending money on Facebook until the company starts stepping up its game to stop hate speech. How do brands make these kinds of moves and remain authentic to their brand promise, while also best serving their target audience? 

Consumer insights can help. It is essential for brands to understand consumer reactions and sentiment, quickly and holistically, in order to avoid a misstep. Many large brands pulled advertising campaigns after the pandemic began to gain momentum in order to avoid appearing insensitive with an off-base message. One wrong move during a time of heightened sensitivity can blow up—in a bad way. Understanding an audience that is changing day by day is essential. 

Many market research companies are using their skill and expertise to shed light on how consumers are feeling right now. Brands can tap into some of this information to get a sense of what consumers want to hear right now. For example, AMC Global recently published results of a study that asked respondents exactly what they wanted to hear from brands—and how they wanted the tone to be. This can provide context, but analyzing your own original survey data and generating easily updated reports is essential for advising business actions. 

An easy way to report on your survey data is to analyse and generate shareable reports right inside of Microsoft Office. Downloading and integrating OfficeReports into programs that you already use means you can start processing your data right away. 

With many people still working from home, onboarding and training can easily be done on an individual basis with our flexible customer support. A free trial, and several cost effective licensing options, means that no big budget approvals are needed. Anyone can use OfficeReports for advanced survey data analysis in Microsoft Excel, and easy automated reporting in Microsoft PowerPoint. And, reports can be updated continuously with new data—essential during a time of change. 

Keep your finger on the pulse of your consumers to help advise critical moves. Examine your target audience’s needs and demands alongside your own brand values in order to develop a purposeful strategy that rings true and that you can stand behind. It is time to take action, but make sure that your action is well-informed with the right market research data. Your customers are looking to you to make an actionable difference, tell them about it in the right way and be a leader in important issues like human rights and equality. Fast, cost-effective survey data analysis and reporting with OfficeReports can help!