Brand Purpose in Divided Times

In the report Brand Purpose in Divided Times, BBMG and GlobeScan build on six years of global consumer insights to reveal the unfiltered needs and desires of 16,000 consumers across 16 countries. Through in-person and telephone conversations, we listened to what people are feeling now and what they desire for their lives, their families and their communities.

And in the context of these dynamic tensions, we share best practices for how brands can connect more authentically to consumers’ aspirations for a better life and unlock more meaningful relationships, loyalty and participation.

As you will discover in this report, we may be feeling more divided than ever. Yet the path to brand relevance and resilience is recognizing what we have in common.

For a deeper look at the global data and for inspiration from some of the brands leading in today’s divided times, click here to download our report.

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Research, Reports & Publications

These Brands Are Starting Movements (And Your Brand Can Too)
Delivering on brand relevance also requires welcoming more and different voices to the table, using our collective wisdom to solve problems together and rallying consumers and employees to take action with us as brands. When net trust in global corporations is less than zero, it is understandable that brands may feel overwhelmed and afraid to go it alone. That is why thoughtful partnerships can empower brands to tackle meaningful issues without feeling like they are straining credibility or speaking out of turn.

Research, Reports & Publications

Consumers Want Brands to Put a Stake in the Ground on Issues That Matter
More than ever before, consumers want brands to put a stake in the ground. It is not simply about reacting to today’s news cycle, but rather knowing where you stand and standing strong when issues arise.

As traditional corporate philanthropy efforts have ceased to capture the love and loyalty of consumers, it is time to rethink old models of CSR and consider how your brand’s purpose can translate to more meaningful and culturally relevant efforts that excite and engage consumers.

Research, Reports & Publications

Define Your North Star: Brand Purpose Beyond Products
The new opportunity for brands is not only marketing incremental product benefits, but embodying a higher purpose that serves your consumers’ aspirations for a good life by directly addressing the barriers to it.

As capitalism shifts to unite profits and purpose, most brands know how to design a great product or a reliable service. Yet many struggle when their company’s deeper mission has become muddy or even irrelevant. Brand purpose lives at the intersection of a company’s authentic reason for being and the unmet human needs that it can uniquely fulfill in the marketplace and the world. Revealing this harmonic is the key to defining your north star.

Research, Reports & Publications

Start with Empathy: Design a Brand with People at the Center
To stay relevant in a world of limited resources and mounting concerns, brands cannot simply show up and sell more stuff. Like never before, consumers expect brands to make their lives better. Doing so means understanding consumers’ struggles, needs and aspirations and addressing the issues that matter to them in meaningful ways.

A fundamental design principle in divided times is to start with empathy and listen to what people are feeling and what they desire for their lives. Empathy is fundamentally about respect. When was the last time you truly listened? When people feel ignored, or when their basic human needs are not being met, it is time for brands to start listening.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

More Consumers are Punishing Companies for Their Behavior Rather Than Rewarding Them
For the first time since 2009, more consumers say they have punished companies for their behavior (28%) rather than rewarded them (26%), and the number of those who are punishing brands is up by 9% since 2013.

Research, Reports & Publications

Trust is Down, Expectations are Up as Brands Take Center Stage in Cultural Divides
Trust is down. Expectations are up. And like never before, the world’s consumers are turning to brands to address the social and environmental challenges that affect their aspirations for a better life in divided times.

According to a new global study by BBMG and GlobeScan, Brand Purpose in Divided Times, net trust in global companies to act in the best interest of society is negative (-2). And for the first time since 2009, more consumers say they have punished companies for their behavior (28%) rather than rewarded them (26%), and the number of those who are punishing brands is up by 9 percentage points since 2013.

Research, Reports & Publications

Brand Purpose in Divided Times
Whether it is extreme poverty, income inequality, corruption, human rights abuses or the ever-increasing impacts of climate change on agriculture and coastal living, more consumers are making the connection between corporate actions, the quality of their lives and the success of their communities – providing new challenges and opportunities for brand leadership.

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  1. Brand Purpose in Divided Times
    In the report Brand Purpose in Divided Times, BBMG and GlobeScan build on six years of global consumer insights to reveal the unfiltered needs and...