Australians are more into me-ship than mateship, according to the Havas Labs 2025 Aussie Futures report which identifies a seismic shift in values after years of economic strain and social change.
The findings, of a survey of 2,000, reveal six critical needs of Australians: ‘help me get by’, ‘help me connect’, ‘help me save the world’, ‘help me break free’, ‘help me progress’ and ‘help me build status’.
Havas Creative Network Australia chief strategy officer Olly Taylor said brands can only add value if they understand what is meaningful to Australians.
“Unfortunately most people think that brands aren’t that meaningful, which is a bit of a sobering thought,” he told AdNews.
“We believe you have to add meaning to brands by understanding what’s meaningful to people. And in times of real upheaval, what's meaningful to people changes.
“After a number of years of turmoil, we wanted to understand what impact the cost-of-living has had on people’s psyche and what they want from brands and the future.”
The report shows that years of economic strain and social division have shifted Australian values across personal, financial and professional dimensions.
Security has emerged as the top national value over physical health and wellbeing, freedom and community.
Mateship plummeted to 17th from third in the rankings as Australians increasingly choose their personal futures and success over collective values.
One in five Australians report a strong sense of community, but less than half view social groups as essential to achieving life goals.
Only 34% of Australians are optimistic about the future trajectory of the nation, but 54% are hopeful about their own personal futures.
One in two describe success as ‘achieving financial stability’.
Havas Media Network Australia chief strategy officer Mitchell Long said real and existential fear has affected the national psyche.
“In 2022, equal opportunity was seen as the value that epitomised Australia, and people basically all agreed on that,” he told AdNews.
“This time, when we asked people what value they wanted more of, it was security and I think that’s very telling because people are scared about things outside of their control.
“Their greatest fear was global conflict, followed by environmental degradation, rising inequality, and misinformation.”
Havas’ has designed playbooks to help marketers meaningfully connect with Australians based on their needs in the current climate.
The report captures the complexity of, and interconnectedness between, Australians’ beliefs and aspirations in ways that traditional demographic groupings like age or gender cannot.
As part of the nationally representative study of over 2,000 Australians conducted by YouGov, Havas has grouped the nation into six new segments based around core needs - Support Seekers, Caring Connectors, Aspiring Altruists, Enjoyment Explorers, Progress Pioneers and Status Seekers.
Long said Australians are looking for more tangible and practical solutions from brands.
“Different Australians are prioritising different needs in order to get ahead in their lives,” he said.
“Portions of the population are less optimistic and just looking for practical support and guidance from brands to make their lives easier.
“Others are living in the now, despite how bleak the macro outlook might be, and are simply looking to enjoy their lives.”
Taylor said people have lowered their aspirations for the Australian dream as traditional markers of progress, such as buying a first home, are increasingly out of reach.
“We’ve now entered this era of micro progress,” he said.
“They’re changing their dreams to something else, which might be more travel or buying things that they want.
“When there’s a change in purchasing behavior it is both a threat and an opportunity for all brands.”
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