New Havas Study Reveals Consumers Expect Businesses to Solve Global Problems

Transparency, sustainability, and a purpose beyond profit are more than popular catchphrases. They’re now bottom-line expectations for how larger businesses and brands are expected to operate, according to new research by global marketing and communications firm Havas Worldwide. 

The latest issue of the Prosumer Report, “Project Superbrand: 10 Truths Reshaping the Corporate World,” seeks to understand how the corporate social responsibility movement has evolved over the past decade since Havas Worldwide’s study on The Future of the Corporate Brand in 2007. 

Key findings include: 

·        Your Oompa Loompas Are Going Viral: Forget trying to keep corporate secrets under wraps. A majority of survey respondents—including 7 in 10 leading-edge Prosumers—say they make it a point to find out about the companies that provide the products and services they buy.
·        Heroes Wanted: Two-thirds of the global sample agree that businesses actually bear as much responsibility as governments for driving positive social change, and 62 percent say they’d like their favorite brands to play a bigger role in solving social problems.
·        Clear Values Are Invaluable: More than three-quarters of Prosumers say they prefer to buy from companies that share their personal values, and two-thirds of the global sample say a clear set of values helps companies be more profitable. 

Peter Pippen, Senior Strategic Planner at Havas Worldwide said, “Just like brands are hoping to play a bigger part in their target audiences’ lives, consumers are increasingly expecting brands to contribute more than just their goods and services. This report highlights not only the need for businesses to have a clear social purpose, but also the benefits of doing so as shoppers reward these brands with their dollars.” 

“Project Superbrand: 10 Truths Reshaping the Corporate World” draws on findings from an online survey of 10,131 people aged 18+ in 28 markets: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The survey was created by Havas Worldwide and fielded by Market Probe International. 

Prosumer Reports is a series of thought leadership publications by Havas Worldwide—part of a global initiative to share information and insights, including proprietary research, across its network of agencies and client companies. For more information, or to download the latest white paper, please visit: http://bit.ly/Suprbrnd.