Author: Razor

The December treadmill

Posted on by Razor

Have you watched this video of Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis, doing the rounds? If not, please do so. (Don’t just read the title and switch off thinking you’ve already got the gist of what he’s going to say.)

Don’t worry, I’ve not turned anti-Christmas or anything like that. It’s December tomorrow and, I assure you, I’ll be swept up by the festive magic. What I’m talking about is the needless stress and worry usually going on behind the scenes – and it turns out, I’m not alone.

Even retailers have sensed the mood of the nation and scaled things back a bit versus last year. #EltonJohnLewis aside, there aren’t really any ‘cinematic’ masterpieces doing the rounds. (LOL at this Twitter response, by the way.)

The first time that the thought of Christmas brought me out in a cold sweat was 2014. I’d been several months into redundancy, was being anti-social, and feeling incredibly low. Then I got a Christmas job at my local department store which saved my sanity – such is the power of retail. We had a family chat agreeing to forgo presents that year and instead focus on food, games, and films. Even though I had to wake at stupid o’clock on Boxing Day to work the sales, it remains one of my favourite Christmases to date. Yes, I felt incredibly guilty about being the reason for no gifts, but taking that extra pressure away from each other was the best feeling.

It got us thinking about how we used to wait for birthdays and Christmas as children to get the treats we wished for. As adults, most of us are fortunate enough to be able to buy what we want, when we want it. So, rather than being total Scrooges and giving each other nothing, we now agree a number of gifts or a spend cap up-front to keep ourselves in check. Or, even better, we opt for event/experience tickets so as not to have to find storage space in our homes for more ‘stuff’. (The latter also doubles up as a birthday gift policy among my friends.) Happy days.

But the stress isn’t always financial. There’s also the time and thought it takes to come up with something meaningful. (We’ve all made that joke about kids being more interested in the box than the gift itself.) Sometimes, no matter how well you know someone, you just cannot figure out the right gift for them. You might come up with a fantastic idea…but then it comes in/with different colours/shapes/sizes/features and, oh my word, what would you pick if you were that person?!?! <Insert mind blown emoji here.>

Some of my colleagues will scoff at this for sure. They are skilled market researchers and know how to extract key information from people without being rumbled. You should hear the variety of conversations we have at Razor HQ. I know that our resident thoughtful present-giver, Chloë F, quietly makes a note of gift ideas all year long and springs into action when the right time comes. 

Inspired by the Fowler’s shopping skills, I made my first purchase on Instagram this year. It’s amazing what gift ideas you can pick up when scanning to see what public posts your friends have liked. It’s sneaky but it works!

Happy (stress-free, I hope) shopping! And do give us a shout if you need any ideas. We’re very good at brainstorming.

 

 

Christmas unwrapped

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With Halloween and Bonfire Night well out of the way, it’s okay to start thinking about Christmas, right? In fact, it’ll be here before we know it so we might as well spur into action and see what’s cropping up on this year’s wish lists. Those in the know have placed their bets on 2018’s best seller toys. And we’ve packaged up a few of our favourite trends.

Collectibles
Pikmi Pops appears to be this year’s strong contender against LOL Surprise and Hatchimals Colleggtibles. These brightly coloured lollipop-style surprise balls include stickers, scented toys, accessories and lanyards.
Shopkins’ Hairdorables are a little more pricey but come with 11 surprises to unwrap before the owner discovers who their cute mini doll will be. There are 36 varieties to collect – each with different hair, outfits and accessories. There’s even a YouTube ‘Hairdorables’ channel to foster strong loyalty and fandom.

Slime mania
Anyone with kids is most likely used to having the tell-tale signs of this popular trend dotted around the house. With many kids avidly watching YouTube tutorials and making their own slime at home, parents are left to deal with slime residue on furniture and carpets.

Hamleys recently showcased Elasti Plasti in its six brightly coloured pots. The slime expands by up to 100 times, makes weird and wonderful noises, and can be blown into large bubbles. So Slime DIY Slime Factory is the ultimate do-it-yourself kit that makes neon, pastel and metallic slime along with confetti, glitter and sprinkles.

Robotics & coding
It’s never too early to get the young ones into coding. Given the attention and hype that AI gets, it’s not surprising that a few gadgets caught our eye. Botley the Coding Robot is aimed at the early years and teaches kids programming skills with stickers, coding cards and activity accessories. Boxer is a pocket size AI robot who comes with a mini remote control and tiny football. His cute facial expressions change throughout the 10 game cards.

Last, but not least, we have the BB-9E App-Enabled Droid that parents will pretend to buy for their kids but probably end up playing with themselves! It’s an updated version of last year’s droid from soon-to-be-released The Last Jedi movie and uses a smart device to control it.

Unicorns
Yep, this trend shows no sign of abating. Be it ride-on unicorns that have castor wheels inside the hooves for an authentic ride – or Vtech’s Myla Fantasy Unicorn that comes with a wand that changes the colour of the unicorn digitally.

But the one that really tickles us (or our toes) is a craft kit that converts a pair of stripy socks into your very own personal unicorn pet.

Licensed toys
These popular toys continue to dominate seasonal gifting but the two that stand out are both by Viacom IP: Paw Patrol’s Ultimate Fire Truck which comes with a super cool extendable ladder, and Nella The Princess Knight Talk and Sing doll which says 10 phrases and sings the program’s theme tune.

Both toys are popular with pre-schoolers.

Old school role play
Some things never go out of fashion – like toys designed to encourage role play. Mini kitchens and supermarkets have always been popular but we love this fancy option by Waitrose which also helps build brand familiarity at a young age.

Aspiring mechanics and engineers will enjoy the Bosch Toy Workbench which comes packed with tools, accessories, and sound effects for realistic play. Brilliant for kids to play together and boost their social skills. Playmobil City Life Wedding Limo is somewhat traditional with its limo containing a bride, groom, and a driver. It comes with flowers, champagne and glasses, a tin can trail and veil. It says that the bride cannot fit into the driver’s seat so, if there is a runaway bride scenario, at least the driver will come in handy!



Razor Kids is our specialist kids and family research unit. We turn chatter into commercial insight.
To find out how we can help your brand, get in touch with #LesleyRazor or #ChloeBRazor.
020 3865 1075


The devil is in the detail

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Spooky sales, weird ales, and marketing trails. Halloween’s no longer just dedicated to little kids collecting enough sweets to open their own pick ‘n’ mix stalls. It’s stretched way beyond trick and treating.

These days it’s an actual holiday season. Ghoulish productions, haunting VR experiences, Dracula cupcakes – you name it. With a forecast spend set to hit £419m this year, brands can’t afford to be zombies.

Some of us feel nostalgic about our childhood Halloweens. We think about our first ever mummy costume made using the softest loo roll, or cutting eye holes in a bed sheet to become a ghost. (Sorry, Mum.)

Speaking of nostalgia, I must mention Halloween 2008; the time that my Mum gave apples and pears to the beady-eyed children on our doorstep. Suffice to say, I did not enjoy collecting eggshells from the porch that year.

Fast-forward to the present where the ever-increasing popularity of Halloween represents a need for escapism; giving us a way to forget about our deadlines, to forget about the economy, to forget about politics and world affairs – the real-life scary things.

It’s a chance for anyone to be anything; whether that’s Frankenstein’s monster, Freddy Krueger, or ruining the film Frozen for young children by dressing up as a ghoulish Elsa.

As one of the biggest retail occasions (outside of Christmas), marketers look beyond targeting just kids. It’s a holiday of mass opportunity. Brands that generate interest and buzz from their exciting campaigns and promotions will stick in shoppers’ minds come the biggest retail occasion in less than two months’ time. (I won’t drop the ‘C’ word again but I’m clearly talking about that event where – if you’re my age – the most exciting present you can expect is a pair of Family Guy socks.)

Though Halloween is the perfect way to get into a stronger position ahead of the ‘C’ word, it’s important to remember that what you do could also go against you. Weak efforts (like a single pumpkin displayed at store front with a faint outline of a face used by a fine marker pen) will be considered a lazy and boring attempt to capture the season. Let’s face it; no business wants to be regarded as the Homer Simpson of their market.

Going beyond dress-up and trick or treating

Campaigns can focus on providing a service as a way of creating brand awareness. Last year, Budweiser sponsored a Halloween party.

Weird Beard Brew Co adopted their own unique event this year with a tap takeover in branches of The Draft House.

Some scary badges I know. Go check them out!
(I haven’t been paid for this endorsment, although if you’re reading this Weird Beard Brew Co, you know where to find me.)

Last year Topshop crated a lot of buzz in their Oxford Street store last year by partnering with Stranger Things for a live gory production.

As someone who watches horror films from behind a blanket, I did not go to see it with my own eyes.

Full marks to Fanta and Snapchat for creativity this year. Every can bought, releases a scary Snapchat filter.  

     

What a brilliant way to generate brand affinity and fun! I’d imagine the Fanta Lemon witch filter would be quite the sight, but hey, I might put that as the cover of my next blog.

Asian markets have also jumped on the ghoul train. Don’t be shocked if next year you find that your friend travelling in Thailand sends you some of Dracula’s finest cooked noodles.

    

So, this Halloween, don’t be an angel. Be a demon. Climb aboard the brand wagon and get involved in frights, lights and scary nights!

I’ll see you soon. Probably in-line for the latest flat screen TV on Black Friday.



I now pronounce you big data and market research

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For any laggards out there, big data is the (too large for traditional processing) collection of consumer data relating to our behaviours and attitudes – all captured through our online activity. Companies harness this info to target their desired audience(s). Big data erupted over the last decade and consumer research has never been more effective. 

Three of the companies heavily connected to this are Google, Facebook, and Amazon; all using big data and market research in their strategic decision-making – for better or for worse.

Despite concerns over privacy issues, I’m okay with this. With summer officially gone, I was in the market for a new winter jacket. After a simple Google search and visit to a few online retailers, I transferred my focus to social media where I was suddenly bombarded with adverts of furry parkas as I scrolled through various platforms. I’m now £49.99 out of pocket but am also guaranteed warmth against the chilling winds that will surround me in the coming months.

All it takes is a few searches showing interest in a set of new salt and pepper shakers to impress Grandma with my cooking skills (mainly to add some much-needed excitement to the flavourless chicken I’ve just popped in the oven), and I’m suddenly being targeted with ads for new bowls, cutlery sets, and a new blender. Some may find this annoying but, for me, it makes shopping easier and more enticing than ever. My wallet’s been dented but at least I get to make a delicious smoothie whenever I want.

Unsurprisingly, there’s been a tidal wave of conversation around big data; you have the clear benefits to business strategy and consumer needs on one side – and the societal implications of living in a big data environment on the other. 

In a highly hedonistic and post-modern market environment, I say ‘hell yeah!’ to big data.

Unlike during the 60’s, when my Grandad was told that Brylcreem was the only way to get the Elvis shine and hold, consumers now give the directions. It’s us in the driving seat and brands are our passengers. We’re creating demand like never before. Having our behaviours and attitudes mined and analysed means our needs and demands are met instantly through segmented targeting.

When I need something, I want it now (I am a millennial after all). So, it’s good to know that my data’s been collected and my needs are being catered to. (And I will get it delivered tomorrow afternoon thank you very much.)

Naturally, this phenomenon raises considerable ethical issues – particularly when companies transfer any consumer data they’re holding to external companies without prior consent. The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal is a high-profile example. In spite of this, the collection and transfer of data across multiple industries continues and competition has never been so fierce.

Big data has transformed the quality of secondary data sources because they tell the researcher the ‘whats’ and allows them to tailor their methods to discover the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’. 

Despite experts claiming big data could replace market research, it’s clear that a long and happy civil partnership between both will serve consumers far more effectively; not to mention, giving brands a competitive advantage.

I’ve got to go now. Instagram’s just shown me the perfect panini grill I’ve been searching for.


‘I’m fine. I’m totally fine!’

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We love a good natter over lunch at Razor HQ. (We chit-chat all the time but it’s even better with food.) Anyway, one of our recent lunchtime discussions steered itself towards social media and growing up in the digital age.

It’s been a hot topic for quite some time and I always end up with a feeling of sadness when thinking about it. While today’s teens have so many opportunities, there’s a flip side that isn’t so happy and rosy; there’s what feels like constant self-marketing, rating self-worth by number of likes, and feeling a need to always conform to the masses. I once read somewhere that 8 out of 10 girls around the world avoid a range of everyday activities because they feel bad about the way they look. 8 out of 10 girls?! How did things get so bad?

A couple of hours after our conversation ended and, as if perfectly timed, a contact shared a Dove advert on my LinkedIn newsfeed and I just love it.

As part of its Self-Esteem Project – designed to help kids with body confidence – Dove created an ad that scratches beneath the surface of what being ‘fine’ really means. It focuses on the complexity of young people’s minds – from being bombarded with impossibly perfect imagery to struggling with self-image and trying to figure out who you really are, all whilst going about your normal day to day. It makes me tired just thinking about it all!

Alongside this ad, they partnered up with Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe using a series of videos to educate kids about body confidence and self-esteem. The short one-minute clips cover topics such as teasing and bullying, comparing looks, media, and celebrities.

We’ve seen brands like ASOS and Misguided challenging the norm and targeting girls before now, but their campaigns tend to focus on the older teen audience. This is one of the first brands I’ve seen actively targeting tweens and younger and talking so openly about the pressures of living in a social media world.

When we carried out our own Razor Kids study ‘The Beauty Project’ with teens and tweens back in the Spring, Dove wasn’t a brand that was cutting through with any of the girls and if anything, was perceived as a bit ‘mumsy’. This move is bound to increase positivity towards the brand for our future shoppers and hopefully encourage more parents/friends/teachers/relatives to take a bit more time to check in and ask what ‘I’m fine’ actually means.

Well done Dove!

 

 

 

Healthy eating

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As consumers increasingly look for more convenient, healthy food options that deliver on flavour, could the recent launch of Deliciously Ella’s frozen food range help revolutionise the category and change consumer perceptions?

It’s been years since I last bought a frozen ready meal. The only reason I visit the freezer aisles is for peas and the odd late night trip for some Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra Core (a girl’s got to have some guilty pleasures in life!). I naturally assume that frozen ready meals are of poorer quality, full of nasties, and lacking in flavour. And who can blame me, given the bad rep frozen ready meals have had over the years (*cough* 2013 horse meat scandal)?

I imagine I’m not alone on this subject and it would most likely take a new kind of frozen ready meal to draw rejecters back into the category. It feels like the Deliciously Ella frozen range has the potential to achieve this and here’s why:

  • Plant-based – Deliciously Ella is known for her veggie-focused recipes/products and this new range could provide a good mid-week or easy meal solution to help consumers cut-back on meat. All the packaging states that it’s ‘vegan friendly’ and reassures on taste with simple and clear ingredient listings and imagery on front of pack to aid decision-making.
  • Fresh and healthy – While I haven’t reviewed every frozen meal on the market, I would guess that most of them contain some additives and stabilisers to ensure longevity and boost flavour. The fact that this range doesn’t contain anything artificial is a real plus and could encourage more brands to look for ways to offer healthier alternatives.
  • Practical – The range is based on meals for two, so even if you’re buying for yourself, you can have leftovers the next day. This could help minimise food waste (and the dreaded guilt of having to throw food out!). It’s also priced quite reasonably at £3.99 – £4.99 for a meal for two and all the packaging is recyclable – something that could help consumers feel more virtuous in their food choice.
  • High quality – Deliciously Ella has huge brand-building success and credibility for creating fresh, healthy and great tasting food. Don’t get me wrong, there are other ‘healthier’ brands in the frozen food category (like Amy’s Kitchen). But few have the brand capital of Deliciously Ella, so this feels like a real opportunity to drive innovation and help lapsed/rejecter consumers re-engage with frozen food.

So, while the Deliciously Ella frozen range won’t necessarily be right for all occasions (roughly 45-minute cook time and you’d need to buy/prepare side dishes to go with it), it does have the potential to provide a practical solution for consumers looking for genuinely healthier meals that don’t compromise on taste or break the bank.

I’m excited to see whether it can shake up the category and help drive innovation. Particularly if, like the rest of the brand’s products, it becomes available to the masses in Tesco and Sainsbury’s (it’s currently only available at Whole Foods and theough Ocado). Watch this space…

And if healthy eating is something you’d like to learn more about, you’ve come to the right place. We conducted a large-scale study earlier this year and identified six discreet typologies to help grow your business. Kate Razor would be happy to tell you about the latest consumer perspectives and trends. Drop her a line.

Social justice sells

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“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

POWERFUL WORDS, BRO!

Whatever your stance on Nike’s latest campaign, it’s certainly made waves around the world. It’s hard to write this in an unbiased and non-political way because Trump is a c*ckwomble. But I’ll do my best.

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the long story short:

  1. NFL player, Colin Kaepernick, kneels during pre-game national anthem in a #blacklivesmatter protest against police brutality.
  2. Trump et al lose their cool, publicly damning this action.
  3. The protest receives further backlash claiming it’s disrespectful to the US flag, the national anthem, and to war veterans.
  4. Others kneel in solidarity and the movement spreads.
  5. (Repeat points 3 and 4 a few times.)
  6. Fast-forward some months and Nike names Kaepernick as the face of its 30th anniversary ‘Just Do It’ campaign.

     
In 2017, Kaepernick said, “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s significant change and I feel that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, and this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.”.

When Nike then named Kaepernick as the face and hero of ‘Just Do It’, backlash came from Trump and other pissed-off Republicans who’ve burned their Nike goods or cut the swooshes out of their clothing. But the fact is that many of those most upset were not core customers in the first place.

    

Taking any brand into the eye of a political storm is a bold stance. For Nike, it’s clearly been a deliberately divisive strategy; one that’s certainly paid off based on the latest figures.


When you alienate one group, you’ll appeal to another by default. 18-34 year olds are clearly the future target audience for the brand and this stunt has resonated with them. 50% of this audience told a Marketing Week survey that they now view Nike more favourably. 49% would even be more likely to purchase products from Nike in the future. Only 9% said they would buy less; does that sound like failure to you?

No doubt Nike will be here long after Trump has left The White House. And this campaign is a great example of when disruption and a cause can work for big brands.

Social justice sells.



Virtually there

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My wife accuses me of ‘moderating’ her when I think we’re just having a chat. It’s not because I’ve asked her to fill in a food diary, do a selfie video, or map a series of choices that I’ve written on index cards for what we might do this weekend…honestly, it’s not. (I only did that one time and it was very insightful.)

I bridle, but I think she has a point. For twenty years now, my job has been to put people at ease and then…get something from them. At the risk of sounding Machiavellian, this is my approach to both client relationships and market research participants (or consumers, or humans, or whatever you’re supposed to call them nowadays). 

That’s the job, right? To engage people in conversation and learn some stuff about them. Sure, you’re also going to turn it into insight…and a debrief…or a new brief…but it all starts the same way. With rapport.

This week, I’m interviewing women via Zoom Video Conferencing (my new favourite toy). We’re talking about weight loss and it gets pretty personal. They’re at home and they’ve not had to dress up or tidy up for the camera. I’m at home and I haven’t dressed up either (but I am doing them the courtesy of getting dressed). Our pets walk past the camera and their children can be heard arguing off-stage. It’s like life is only slightly interrupted.

And it’s great. Because it’s rapport. And because I’m good at my job, I’m really good at rapport. It doesn’t matter that there are also six clients on the call (with muted camera and microphones) and that they’re messaging me questions from the sidelines. The questions are useful and their presence is unintrusive. We’re on a level. There’s no fuss or faffing – just space to have a conversation. 

We wrote another proposal recently that recommends virtual interviews only – and I know the client is sceptical. If we don’t win it, I’ll be sad but I’ll understand. But I honestly, honestly believe that if we’re good at our jobs we can develop rapport with anyone – quickly, easily, on all our own terms. 

I’m under no illusions that virtual depths are anything new. But having been a staunch ‘face-to-face’ is best kinda researcher, I’m now changing my tune. Life is hectic, we all want market research to be easy, and none of us enjoy schlepping home from the other side of town late at night and hungry. But we do it because we believe in it.

Maybe we’re just not trusting ourselves to enjoy a different way of chatting; being mutually comfy, staring straight into someone’s eyes and talking? Rapport is what qual researchers should be really good at. So, let’s use it and make everyone’s life just a little bit easier. 

As for my wife, she’s truly excited to be going with me on an accompanied shopping trip where I shall scrutinise her choices and then buy her a coffee for a summary chat afterwards. 

Born to moderate? Moi?

 

 

A ‘hop-ed’ piece

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The craft beer revolution may be retreating from its explosive peak; but it’s here to stay and its impact on the market will be long-lasting.

Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed a journey from being a traditional ale (and sometime lager) drinker to being a DIPA and Saison swiller. But, recently, I felt that journey had reached a crossroads. A bank holiday BBQ with friends meant I needed to buy beer; so, in the preceding week, I scoured a host of craft beer sites looking for the interesting brews that would inspire my taste buds and put me ahead of my chums in our ‘craft beer arms race’. Naturally, my friends were all engaging in this daft competition too. As a result, we washed down our burgers and bangers with a raft of very expensive, incredibly strong and, largely undrinkable, beers from flamboyant cans. This is probably atypical and, quite frankly, sad behaviour but I suspect that many beer drinkers will have experienced echoes of this scenario.

There are signs of craft beer growth slowing in the US, and I can see why it’s appeal may be waning. Firstly, there’s the problem that assails modern consumers in so many areas of their consumption – choice paralysis. Whether it’s on or off-trade, making a decision has become infinitely harder as even bog-standard boozers have a dizzying array of beers stretching the length of the bar and mainstream supermarkets range scores of craft SKUs. Remember the good old days when you could just ask for ‘a pint of best’ and you knew what you were getting?

Then there’s the cost and strength – a bruised wallet and thumping head after my BBQ were my initial triggers for writing this! Obviously, when beers cost £6 a can and weigh in at 8.5% ABV, they can’t be a part of mainstream session drinking (highlighting the limitations to growth for the category). Linked to this is the fact that the same hop-forward, premium-priced craft beer – which feels well-suited to drinking in a Dalston industrial estate taproom – seems out of place in the neighbourhood pubs of the suburbs and provinces.    

Finally, craft is finding it hard to retain its cool. On the one hand, the leading-edge of craft is part of the caricature of the achingly cool hipster which is becoming passé. And on the other, as big brewers buy up the micro-breweries or develop brands which invoke craft tropes, the authenticity of the category is being chipped away.

But that’s not to say craft is dead. The impact of Punk IPA and its ilk is likely to be similar to that of punk rock. Punk rock raged and snarled during its 18-month peak in the late 70s before retreating from the limelight; but it continued to influence music and culture for decades to come. Similarly, craft beer taps into too many long-term established trends to simply evaporate.

Provenance has excited food and drink consumers for years, making even the most mundane product sound interesting (who knew Himalayan salt could be so exciting?!). Craft beer plays to this brilliantly with beers brewed super-locally. The focus on provenance is aligned to other enduring trends around artisanal product, collaboration and experience. These are brought to life on a trip to any microbrewer’s taproom. (On a recent visit to Beavertown I enjoyed a small-batch collaboration with a Danish brewer next to the tank it had been brewed in, whilst I ate street food from a local start-up.) What’s more, experiences like this are ripe for social media sharing/boasting and the edgy can designs are highly Instagrammable too!

In addition, with younger consumers less likely to drink regularly and the consumer trend towards small treats, there is genuine interest in unique, special products at a premium price-point amongst a key group.

So, what does all this mean for the next few years? For my money, I suspect a slowing of UK craft growth but for it to remain a sizeable fixture on the drinking scene. Craft beer itself may change, with more lower percentage options – like table beer – proliferating, and some of the more extreme flavours falling by the wayside (particularly away from taprooms and specialist sites). In an effort to play to the desire for artisanal product and social media-friendly experiences, craft brewers are likely to put even greater focus on events and gifting.

And of course, there’s no doubt that craft has – and will continue to – influence the mainstream. Think big brewers producing hoppier styles and playing with more daring branding.

Next BBQ season I suspect I’ll be drinking a 4.5% pale ale whilst listening to Sham 69!

Corporate mantra

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Brand purpose has been a big trend in marketing for some time now. Like all trends, it has its champions (most prominently, Unilever CEO Paul Polman) and its detractors (Marketing Week columnist and professor, Mark Ritson, for one). Either way, it’s not going anywhere soon.

For those late to the party, ‘brand purpose’ is the idea that brands should strive to make a more positive contribution to society than just turning a profit. In contrast to CSR, a brand’s purpose should extend from the product; i.e. how the brand makes a profit.

Supporting a good cause – however worthy – is not considered a brand purpose if it doesn’t relate to what the brand does. You’ll notice a slight paradox here: purpose is about more than just making profits, yet it must also derive from how those profits are made…

Contradictions aside, campaigns around purpose have started to come downstream from original pioneers like Patagonia and Dove. Recent positioning work has seen us testing ‘purpose-based’ territories for all sorts of brands. And the reaction from consumers has been overwhelmingly positive.

Without fail, the ‘purpose one’ will generally come out second or top in a group scenario. And that’s not just a group effect; one-on-one they’ll tell you the same. It’s because purpose appeals to our ‘ideal self’ (who we would like to be), rather than our ‘real self’ (who we actually are).

Most of us would like to think of ourselves as the type of people who would pay more for the responsible brand – rather than opting for the cheapest, or the most premium, or the most fashionable. But, in reality, these factors exert a greater hold over us than we would often like to admit.

Unfortunately, brands themselves are also guilty of idealising consumer behaviour. The assumption is that by appealing to our better instincts, we will naturally flock to their product/service. That’s not to say consumers aren’t seeking responsible behaviour from brands; rather, that purpose needs to be thought of within a broader set of choice factors. Moreover, established ideas around aspiration remain sticky – in some categories consumers really do just want to feel cool/stylish/sophisticated rather than virtuous.

That said, when brand and cause are aligned, purpose can be a powerful way to enhance a brand’s offering.

Ikea has given new expression to founder Ingvar Kamprad’s purpose to ‘create a better everyday life for the many people’ through its commitment to sustainability. But rather than simply using it as a comms platform, the company has embedded it into every aspect of the business – from packaging to product to store design.

Crucially, Ikea hasn’t changed what it stands for; by folding sustainability into its existing purpose, it’s enhanced what it offers in the process.

This approach to purpose recognises what drives consumer behaviour at a basic level (affordable, stylish furniture i.e. the ‘real self’) while also allowing consumers to indulge their ‘ideal self’ by framing the brand as a sustainable choice.  

As more and more brands throw themselves headlong into purpose, Ikea’s thoroughgoing yet realistic approach surely presents the most viable way forward for the concept.