Australians expect brands to be involved in culture and those that do benefit in a big way, according to a study by MAGNA and Twitter.
The study -- Impact of Culture: What it Means for Brands Today -- shows that a brand’s involvement in culture plays an important role in shaping consumer’s purchase decisions.
It is almost as important as having a positive brand reputation.
Key findings of the study which surveyed 1,003 Australians over the age of 18, including 753 in the general population and 250 Twitter users:
- More than half think it’s important for brands to be involved in social issues and movements, and almost half think it’s important for brands to be involved in events and trends.
- Brand involvement in culture is especially important among consumers 18-35, and Twitter users.
- The top ways for brand involvement include giving back to the community (59%), supporting social issues that benefit everyone (52%), demonstrating that they put their customers first (52%), and are inclusive of all (52%).
- Being involved in culture is nearly as important as having positive brand perceptions.
- A brand’s cultural involvement makes up almost one fifth of a consumer's purchase decision.
- Brands supporting social issues have the most potential to impact consumer purchase decisions.
“For the purposes of this research we were keen to let the Australian consumer guide us,” says Hannah Rook, intelligence and insights director at MAGNA, part of the Mediabrands Australia.
“Culture is often hard to define and we definitely found consumers’ perspective on culture had expanded.”
Almost three quarters (74%) of Australians thought of culture other than that of tradition.
Emily Foat, head of agency at Twitter Australia, says the definition of what culture is has changed but its importance has not.
“Consumers want brands to get involved in the issues and moments that matter most to them and those that do, will reap the rewards,” she says.
“For marketers, this presents an exciting opportunity because involvement in culture is something in their control.
“Price and quality will always be the top driver of purchase decisions, but those are relatively set, and brand perceptions can take years if not decades to meaningfully shift.
“A brand's involvement in culture is something that can be changed with a single campaign, and it's something Twitter in particular is well positioned to help with.
“Brands do need to remember it’s not a one size fit all approach. Brands should be thoughtful in their approach to getting involved in culture to ensure authenticity to their brand and their audience. But brands that do, and get it right, will go a long way to win the hearts and minds of Aussies.”
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