Consumer influence on brands has grown over five years

Weber Shandwick’s report The Company Behind The Brand II: In Goodness We Trust shows that 68% of consumers and 59% of executives believe brands are influenced by consumer opinion more than they were five years ago.

The report, which conducted an online survey of 2,100 consumers and 1,050 senior executives across 21 markets worldwide, shows that 86% of global consumers believe they are a powerful force in influencing companies today and 91% of executives agree.

Consumers think the most effective ways to do this are through reader reviews (59%), information sharing (56%) and buying from or boycotting companies (48%).

Executives are even more likely to feel that companies are affected by sharing information (68%), reading and writing consumer reviews (67%) and boycotting (57%).

Consumer discussions are dominated by what’s “good for them”

While, unsurprisingly, 50% of the consumers in the report are most likely to discuss or share information about customer service from companies they also want assurance that a brand will ‘assure’ their overall sense of well-being and emotional connection.

The top topics consumers discuss or share information about regularly include; how healthy or good company products and services are (47%), how they feel about the products/services from companies (47%), how safe company products/services are (42%) and how honest and ethical companies are (40%).

According to the report, the good news is that executives sampled in the survey report that, for the most part, their companies are promoting the same topics consumers are having discussions about, including how healthy/good their products or services are for their consumers.

Micho Spring, chair of global practice at Weber Shandwick, said: “One of the more frequent conversations we are having with our clients today is how can a company keep itself and its reputation from harm? As our new study shows, preparedness must be approached from two angles.

“First, ensure that the organisation, not just its products and services, is purposeful — good for all its stakeholders, external and internal, as well as society. Second, when a company derails from its mission of good, how it then reacts is at the centre of its reputation, which requires thorough preparedness and a distinctive culture of common values.”

Related Posts
Opinion: How challenger agencies can compete with the big agency networks
Barbara Bates, global CEO at Hotwire, highlights the key areas where challenger agencies can go the extra mile to compete with their larger counterparts. For a long time in [...]
60 Seconds with The Academy co-founder Mitch Kaye
60 Seconds with The Academy co-founder Mitch Kaye
Mitch Kaye, co-founder of The Academy, reveals why he and Dan Glover started their second agency, how the pair work together and his love of AFC Bournemouth. What made you [...]
Discover how PR can move from evolution to revolution
At CommsCon earlier this month, we heard a range of fantastic speakers articulate their view of what comms professionals can do to improve their output. They encouraged their [...]
Brendon Craigie Tyto PR
Opinion: Why “PR” is having a renaissance
Brendon Craigie, co-founder and managing partner at Tyto PR, examines why PR professionals are once again adopting the PR moniker. The public relations industry is in the [...]