2021年品牌参与指数报告（英）-18正式版

WelcometotheParticipationageWelcometothelatestwaveoftheParticipationBrandIndex.It’snowadecadesinceIrisstartedchartingtheemergenceofanewmodelofbrandbuildingthatusesParticipationratherthanPersuasion.Butthedisruptionofthepasttwoyearshasacceleratedashiftthatisnowclearlyheretostay.Next-generationfootwearbrandAllbirdsis4th,OatlybeateveryotherCPGbrandandIKEAhasrisen11places.Buttherearealsomultipleremindersthatthebestwaytoengagepeopleistoentertainthem:Disney,Nintendo,NetflixandTikTokallpopulatethetop20.Weliveinapeople-poweredworldnow.Astheybecomeevermorehyperconnected,peopleareturningtoeachother(ratherthanadvertising)forideasofwhattobuyandhowtolive.Thebiggestbrandsofthepastfewyearshaven’tbeenbrandsatall,butpeople-poweredmovementsandinfluentialsuperstars.Theimplication?Marketingthattellspeoplewhattodonolongerworks.Itmustinsteadinvitepeopletoparticipate.AndperhapsthegreatestshocksexistinB2B–whereexcitingnewdigital-first,data-smartbrandslikeSplunk,Alight,PalantirandTwilioareusingParticipationtoreinventtherulesofdemandgenandoutperformeventheleadingconsumerbrands.Butdespitethesuccessstories,thechancesoffailurehaveneverbeengreater.Overallindifferencetowardsbrandshasdoubled.Brandtrusthasdecreasedsignificantly.Andwiththerapidshifttowardsadblockingandvideoondemand,8outof10brandsinthestudyarenotevenbeingthoughtabout.Meanwhile,there’sabigwarningsignforbrandslookingtousefirst-partydatatosurviveinapost-cookieworld.Thepercentageofconsumerswhofeelcomfortablesharingtheirdatawithbrandshasdecreased33%.Thestrategiestoachievethisrangefrombuildingpurposefulbrandplatformstoinnovation-ledcustomerexperiencesandpeople-poweredinfluencerprogrammes.Buthowshouldamarketerprioritisethem?Howdotheseleversinteractwitheachother?Andcrucially,whatcommercialoutcomesdotheyeachachieve?WecreatedtheParticipationBrandIndextoanswerthesequestions.Byusingdatatoconnect25differentleversofParticipationtotheperformanceofthebrandsutilisingthem.Nowinitsfourthedition,theIndexexplorestheperformanceof150brandsinbothB2CandB2Bin3keymarketsacrosstheUS,EuropeandAsiawithover7,000consumersandbusinessdecision-makers.Inotherwords,keepuporgetcancelled.Thegapbetweenthewinnersandlosersisgettingbiggerandonlythebrandswhofindwaystoparticipatevisibly,valuablyandmeaningfullyinpeople’slivesareguaranteedsurvival.Readonforfeaturesonhowthesebrandsarecombiningtheimpactofpurpose,data,cultureandpeopletounlocktheirParticipationpotential.Andofcourse,ifyou’dlikesomehelpdoingthesamethengetintouch.Sowhat’snewthistimearound?Forthefirsttimeever,Applehasfailedtotopthestudy.Tesla’srelentlessfocusonbuildingabetterfuturehasmadethemthenewchampionsoftheParticipationBrandIndex–andquadrupledtheirsharepriceintheprocess.Notonlythat,butGlossierhascomefromnowheretotakesecondplace.Readonforanin-depthanalysisofhowthebrandhasharnessedthedynamicsofpeoplepowerbetterthananyother.BenEssen,ChiefStrategyOfficer,IrisBeyondTesla,otherbrandsputtingsustainabilityattheforefrontoftheirpropositionnowdominatethetopten.2FrompersuasiontoParticipation:themegatrendshapingmodernmarketingPersuasionisnolongeraviablemarketingstrategy.It’snotmerelythatconsumersnolongerwanttoseeyouradvertising–itisthattheyareactivelyavoidingit.2.Fromcentralisedtodistributedpower:Peoplehaverealisedtheirpowertoshapeandinfluencetheworldaroundthemratherthanbeingshapedbyit.WhethertheyareRedditusersupendingthestockmarket,Tik-Tokteensskeweringpoliticalrallies,orthemainstreamingofcryptocurrenciesasanalternativetogovernment-controlledfiat–wehaveenteredanewhyperconnectedworldwhereinformation,ideasandinfluencespreadinaradicallydemocratizedwaythatplacesthepowerinthepeople’shands.Anyonecanbuildanaudience,anyonecanmonetiseanideaandanyonecanbuymediaspace.Thisradicallyaltersthebalanceofpowerawayfrombrands.Therearesomethingsmoneycan’tbuy?Haveyouheardofbitcoin,mate.Almost70%ofconsumerssaythattheyuseoneormoreadvertisingavoidancestrategieswithdoubledigitgrowthinthoseusingadblockers;switchingtostreamingservices;orsimplyfindingwaystoavoidalmostallads.Theresult–only14%ofthebrandsintheParticipationBrandIndexsucceedinbeingthoughtaboutregularly.Itturnsoutthatpeopledon’treallywantcompaniesandmediatellingthemwhattodo.Inthebroadcasterawhenallmediawasonewaytheydidn’thaveachoice.Butastechnologychanges,peopleareseizingtheopportunitytosettheirownagendasanddecidewhetherandhowtheywanttoletbrandsintotheirlives.Webelievetherearethreebigshiftsthathavecontributedtothis.3.Frombrandtocustomercentricity:DigitaltechnologyhascreatedareverseCopernicanaffect:theworldnowrevolvesaroundus,notviceversa.Mediafragmentationmeanspeopleseeandhearonlywhattheylikeorwant,andtheproductsandservicestheybuyhavebeentailoredtopeople’sneedsandexpectations.Thereisno“mass”marketanymore.Weliveintheageofcustomercentricity–products,servicesandexperiencesarebuiltforandaroundusasindividuals.Assuchitisactivelyjarringtoseeanadvertisementforaproductorbrandthatisirrelevanttoyou.Haveityourway?Didn’trealisetherewasanalternative,mate.1.Fromconsumingtointeractingwithmedia:Consumersdon’twant,needorlikeadvertisingbecausefundamentallytheirrelationshipwithmediahasshiftedfrompassiveconsumptiontoactiveinteraction.Passive,consumption-medialikenewspapers,filmandTViseitherflatorindecline.Whileinteractivemediaengagementhasincreasedprofoundly:activesocialmediausershavenowpassedthe3.8billionmarkglobally,spendingadailyaverageof2hoursand16minutesconnected;andin2020videogamerevenuetopped$160billion–fourtimesthatofthemovieindustry.Peoplenolongerwanttobetold–theywanttoexploreandseeforthemselves.Justdoit?Alreadydoneit,mate.3People’srelationshipswiththeworldaroundthemhaschanged-soitfollowsthatbrandsneedtore-wiretheirrelationshipswithpeopleaccordingly.Nolongercanbrandsseektopersuadeconsumersthroughsimplyadvertisingatthem.Insteadtheymustseektofosternewmomentsoftruthbyparticipatingwiththem.ParticipationBrandsarethosebrandsthatareabletocreateavaluableroleinpeople’slivesthatconnectstotheirambitions&aspirations;theirneedsanddesires;theirpassions&interests;theiridentity&relationships;theirhabitsandrituals;andconvertsthisintocommercialvaluebydemonstratingAtIris,webelievethatbrandscanexpressrelevanceandmeaningacrossfivedimensions–wecallthemthefivepillarsofParticipation:1.PassionatePurpose:Creatingabrandthathasagenuineandvisibledesiretoparticipatepositivelyinitscustomers’livesrelevanceandmeaning.2.ExperienceInnovating:Creatingabrandthatmeetsandexceedsitscustomers’expectationsineveryinteraction3.CultureShaping:Creatingabrandthatplaysacredibleroleinsupportingorshapingpeople’spassions,lifestylesandconversations4.PeoplePower:Creatingabrandthatfeelslikeacommunityshapedandinfluencedbyitscustomers5.DistinctiveCharacter:Creatingabrandthatisconsistentlyclear,vibrantandinstantlyrecognisableThisisaverymodernapproachtomarketing–onethattaketheoldartofemotion,creativity,anddisruption;andblendsitwiththenewscienceofchannels,dataandbehaviour.Allunderpinnedbyanunderstandingthatnothinginfluencespeoplemorethanotherpeople.Itisthisblendthatwebelieveliesattheheartofsuccessfulbrandbuilding.The5PillarsofParticipation4ParticipationBrandingsupportsmarketingperformanceParticipationBrandssurvivedthedipandbouncedbackquickerTherecessionandsubsequentbounce-backthatbrandsandbusinesseshavefacedoverthepast18monthsoftheCOVID-19pandemichasbeenkeenlyfelt.However,whenwetracktheaveragesharepriceofthetop10globalbrandsinthestudyagainstthebottom10weagainseethepowerofParticipation.Welookedatsharepricespre-pandemic,inthemidstofthedipandafterit,andcanseethatthetop10hadashallowerdipandfasterbounce-back.Fundamentally,webelievethatParticipationBrandingmattersbecauseitdrivesmarketingperformance.Fromawarenessallthewaythroughtotheloyaltyloopandre-purchase,ParticipationBrandingstrategiescorrelatestronglywithperformancemeasures.Inthedip,thetop10ParticipationBrandswereinsulatedfromrecessionwiththeiraveragesharepriceactuallyincreasingby1%.Thebottom10brandssharepricefellby8%.Andwhilstonaverageallbrandsinthestudybouncedbackintogrowthfollowingrecessionthetop10’sbouncebackwassignificantlymorepronounced.EvenmoresoforB2Bbrands.Infact,thefurtherdownthefunnelweget,thestrongerthecorrelationsbecomebetweenParticipation&performance:A3yearinvestmentinthetop10globalbrandsintheParticipationBrandIndexwouldhaveearnedareturnalmost2.5timesthatofthebottom10brands.And,aninvestmentinthetop10brandsintheIndexwouldhaveproducedareturn4.5timesthatoftheS&P500overthesame3years.Allofwhichgoestoshowthatifyou’dusedtheParticipationBrandIndexasawaytomakeinvestmentdecisionsoverthepastthreeyears(we’renotadvisingyoudo,andthisdoesnotconstitutefinancialadvice!)–you’dbebetteroffandwouldhavebeeninsulatedfromtherecession.Therefore,wemightconcludethatthosebrandsthatinvestinParticipationcreatedeeper,stickierrelationshipswiththeircustomersthatcanbetterwithstandeconomicandsocialturbulence.ThisshowsthatParticipationisavirtuouscircle:themoreopportunitiesyoucreateforconsumerstoparticipatewithyourbrandthroughthefunnel–ordecision-makingjourney–thestrongerthepursuantmarketingperformancebenefit.Moreover,acrossthedecisionjourneythehighestscoringParticipationBrandsalsoenjoygreatersalience,highermentalavailabilityandrelevance.Wherethedatagetsmostinterestingisinunderstandingwhichleversdrivewhichresults.5Meetthefrontrunners1.TeslaledthewayintheParticipationBrandIndexstudythankstoitspassionatepurposetoelectrifytheautomotivesector,alliedtothemostdistinctiveofcharactersinitsfounderandCEOElonMusk01050913020610140307112.Glossier'sclaimthatitoffersbeautyinspiredbyreallifeledittotopthechartsforbrandsthatcreateopportunitiesforyoutoexpressyourself3.Apple’scommitmenttoformandfunctioninallthatitdoesmarkeditoutasthebrandthatcreatesproductsorexperiencesthatarebeautifulandwell-designed4.Allbirds’centralfocusonsustainabilitymeanspeopleseeitasabrandthatstandsforsomethingitbelievesin045.adidas’workriddingtheoceansofplasticwithParleyhascontributedtoconsumersthinkingitismakingapositiveimpactontheenvironment6.Mercedesremainstheultimatestatussymbolwithmanyconfirmingtheyboughtthisbrandbecausetheynoticedotherpeoplewere7.IKEAisthebrandthatlistenstoitscustomersmost,enabledbyitsIKEAFamilyCRMprogramandastrongsocialmediastrategythatchampionsitscommunity8.Nikehasbenefittedfromtheriseinsneakerandstreetwearcultureandisseenasabrandusedorendorsedbysomeonepeoplefollowonsocialmedia089.Disneyiswayoutinfrontasthebrandthatcreatesexcitingandmemorablemoments–beitinthecinemaoratitsparksandresorts10.Samsungisseenbymanyasprovidingexcellentongoingserviceandsupporttogetthemostoutofitsproducts11.Nintendo’sout-of-the-boxthinkingleadsittobeseenasoneofthebrandsshapingthefuture12.Etsyfuelspeople'spassionsandinterestsbysupportingmakerculture,1215inspiringpeopleandcreatingnewconnectionsviaitsplatform13.Amazonleadsthepackasthebrandthatmakesiteasyforpeopletofindandbuytheproducttheywant,gofigure!14.Ben&Jerry’stirelessactivismforsocialandenvironmentalissuesledpeopletoconcludethatitfundamentallycaresaboutitscustomers15.Starbuckslocal-focusonitsstoresandnurturingpeoplemeansitisseenasabrandthatmakesyoufeelpartacommunityoflikemindedpeople6TheGlobalTop25TheGlobalTop25brandsintheindexmakesforinterestingreading.Thetoptwobrands–TeslaandGlossier–arenotableforacoupleofreasons:firstlybecauseneitherbrandiswhatwemightconsidera‘pandemicbrand’–afterall,we’vebeeninlockdownforagoodportionofthelast16months,sotravelisdown,andsincewe’vebeenseeinglesspeople,ingeneralmake-upsaleshaveslumpedtoo.Andyetthetwomostparticipativebrandsinthestudywereacarbrandandacosmeticsbrand!Thislinkstothesecondnotablethingaboutthetoptwobrandsinthestudy–botharebrands–onewouldsuspect–whichitscustomersmightfeelarestronglylinkedtotheirownself-image–whetherliterallyinthecaseofGlossierormorefigurativelyasastatussymbolinthecaseofTesla.WemightconcludethatParticipationBrandsarethosethatunderstandandreflectsomethingconsumerssee(orwanttosee)inthemselves.Participationisaboutidentity.Andwherethismightbetrueforasportsteam,apoliticalmovementoraband–itremainsequallytrueforbrands.Peopleparticipatewith-andin-thethingsthatmattermosttothem.Beyondthetoptwobrands,therearethreeothernoteworthystoriesinthedata:1.Digital-firstdominates:beithardware(Tesla,Samsung,Nintendo)orsoftware(Amazon,Uber,Twitch)ParticipationBrandsaredigitalfirst.Giventheamountoftimeweallspendinthedigitalsphere,itwouldofcoursemakesensethatthisisreflectedinthebrandsweparticipatemorewith.Peoplecan’tparticipatewithyourbrandifyoudon’tmeetwheretheyare.ParticipationBrandsunderstandthis.2.Insurgentbrandsflourish:thestrongperformanceofinsurgentbrandslikeGlossier,Allbirds,OatlyandTik-TokshowthatbrandParticipationcanbefosteredinarelativelyshortspaceoftime.Infact,it’sthosebrandsthattargetakeyaudience(orneed)withacompelling,participativepropositionthathavethebestchanceoftakingontheestablishedorder.Allfourscoredstronglyas‘CultureShapers’and‘PeoplePowered’–showingthatgivingpeopleanewperspectiveandempoweringthemtoexploreitcanbeapowerfulwaytodrivebrandgrowth.3.Purposealliedtocharactermattersmost:It’scleartoseethatthe‘purpose’and‘character’pillarsoftheParticipationIndexarethedualenginesofParticipation–providingtheoverallhighestscores.Articulatingaclearvisioncharismaticallyisthesurestwaytoinspirepeopletojoinwithyou.BeitTesladrivinganelectricrevolutionwithPRmagnetElonMuskatthehelm;orOatlyreducingtheCO2inyourcoffeeorcerealwithastrong,differentiatedtoneofvoice–purposeandcharacterwaskeytoallthebrandsinthetop25.7GlossiershowshowtobuildaParticipationBrandthroughthepowerofloopedconversationsCommunitycomesfirstBypositioningGlossierasanoff-shootof‘IntotheGloss’,thebrandlaunchedwithalargefollowercommunity.(Twomillionuniquevisitorspermonthand120,000followersonsocialmediabythetimeofGlossier’slaunch.)ButforWeiss,thiswasnotsimplyanopportunityto“sellstuff”toacaptiveaudience.Instead,shefocusedonunderstandingandfulfillingtheneedsofthecommunityshehadbuilt,andbyfosteringthatcommunity,sheknewsaleswouldfollow.AposterchildforParticipationBrandingGlossieristhehighestscoringbrandamongthe50brandsonourU.S.ParticipationBrandIndex–aphenomenalpositionwhenweconsiderthatitislessthan10yearsold.(ThebrandhasmorerecentlyexpandedintoEurope,andsitsin7thpositiononourUKStudy.ThepatternsthatwediscussbelowintheU.S.dataarealsoseenintheUKnumbers).AbusinessbornoutofablogGlossierperformsstronglyonall5Participationpillars.Andwhenwedrilldownfurtherintothedata,itisclearthatthepillarthatreallypullsthebrandapartfromothersinthestudyis‘PeoplePower’.GlossierhasenjoyedincrediblesuccessasaDTConlinebeautyandskincarebrandsinceitlaunchedin2014,andhassincebeenvaluedat$1.2bn.AcloserlookatthedatarevealstheprecisecharacteristicsofGlossier’sPeoplePower.Itisthemoreprofoundaspectsthatrisetothetop.Thisisabrandthatisseentoprovidetrulymeaningfulconnectiveexperiencesratherthanjustbeingabrandthathasalotoffansandinfluencersonsocialmedia.It“makesmefeellikepartofacommunityoflikemindedpeople”,“listenstoitscustomers”and“createsopportunitiesformetoexpressmyself”.AlthoughtheGlossiercompanydidn’tmaterialiseuntil2014ithasitsoriginsin2010,whenTeenVoguefashionassistantEmilyWeissstartedhersidehustle,thebeautylifestyleblog‘IntotheGloss’.Theblogtookoffbecauseitspokehonestlyaboutarangeofbeautytopicsthatinteresteditsreaders,givingthemaplatformonwhichtosharetheirfavouriteproductsuggestionsandbeautytipswithotherwomenlikethem.Whilemostbrandsworktopushtheircustomersdownamarketingfunnel,Glossierhasfuelledgrowthbypioneeringanecosystemofloopedcustomerconversations,harnessingthemomentumofpeoplepower.Inthisarticle,wepullapartthisinspiredmodelofbrandbuildinganddrawoutsomekeyprinciplestoconsiderwhendevelopingyourParticipationBrandingstrategies.Whereotherbrandsmightdreamofcultivatingcommunitiesofpassionatefans,andsomemightactuallysucceed,theseareoftenseenasaudiencestobekeptengaged,andsometimescynicallyactivatedasadvocates.Glossiergoesfurther,puttingitscommunityatthebeatingheartofitsbusiness,asitssourceofinspiration,notjustwallets.Glossier’secosystemoftwo-wayconversations,throughwhichitasksquestionsofitscommunity,listenstoandactsontheirideas,hascreatedauniquebusinessmodelandcompetitiveadvantage.ChartrevealingtheprecisecharacteristicsofGlossier’s‘PeoplePower’.Source:U.S.ParticipationBrandIndex,2021,USA8Thebrand’secosystemofloopedconversationsClosingtheloop•Aretheneedsofyourcustomersattheforefrontofeverydecisionyoumakeasabusiness,oronlysomedecisions?The‘contract’attheheartofGlosser’sbrandexperiencefacilitatescustomer-to-customerandcustomer-to-brandinteractionsthroughoutthewholecustomerexperience.Ascustomersgetclosertopurchase,Glossier’scustomerservice‘G-Team’areonhandtoanswerallquestionsposedonsocialchannels.Glossierseesitscustomerserviceteam–notasacostcentre–butasafundamentaldriverofinnovationandvalue.Becauseofcourse,theG-Teamharnessthedailyinfluxofcustomerinsight,feedingbacktoinformproductlaunchesandinnovation.•Doyouhaveacommunityofpassionatecustomersorcouldyousetaboutbuildingone?Ifso,howcouldyouengagetheiropinionsandideastomakePeoplePowerarealbusinessdriverforyou?Openingtheloop•Doyouseecustomerserviceasacostcentreoramanifestationofthecustomerexperienceandacontributorofvalue?Glossieropensupconversationswithcustomersthroughinspirationalcontentintendedtoprovokeinteractionandinstiltrust.Lastly,Glossierknowshowtoharnessthepowerofitsexisting,regularcustomers.Loyalcustomersareturnedintorelatablemicroinfluencers,stokinginterestinnewproducts.WhileGlossierusesitsreferralschemetospreadthewordfromoneGlossieraddicttothenext.It’snowonder,then,thatoneineightGlossiercustomershearaboutthebrandthroughword-of-mouthrecommendation,whichbeginsthecycleofloopedconversationsanew.•Howmightyouchangehowyoucommunicatewithyourcustomersifyousaweveryinteractionasthestartofaconversation?Theexperientialstoresarelaidoutandmerchandisedtoencouragelongdwelltimes,conversationsand,crucially,socialsharing.And,socialchannelsareusedtoshinealightonexistingcustomerUGC.•Inwhatwayscouldyoufacilitatecustomer-to-customerinteractionthroughyourexistingchannelsorplatformtofostercommunityandletyourfansdothemarketingforyou?TheGlossiercustomerliesattherootofallproductlaunches.Socialchannelsareusedtobringfollowersintothefoldandtoconductinvaluable,first-handcustomerresearch.(Atypicalproduct-sourcingpostgets300+detailedcomments.)Insummary,Glossier’sParticipation-drivenmodelofloopedcustomerconversationspresentsaninterestingalternativetothetraditionalmarketing‘funnel.’Insteadoflookingto‘push’customersalongthepurchasejourneyaccordingtoabrand’sagenda,itfacilitatesconversationsandconnectionsthatinstiltrustandallowcustomersthefreedomandagencytoinfluenceandadvocateonbehalfofthebrand.Effectively,thisisaboutpeopledoingmoreofyourmarketingforyou.WhatGlossiercanteachusaboutParticipationBrandingOPENINGTHELOOPCLOSINGTHELOOPTakinginspirationfromGlossier’secosystemofloopedconversations,otherbrandscanaskthemselvessomekeyquestionsastheylooktodesigntheirParticipationBrandingstrategies:Customer-LedProductLaunchesCustomerExperienceGlossierPromotedUGCUGCInspirationReferralChartshowinghowGlossierpullsapartfromothersintheParticipationPillar,PeoplePower.9PolishyourPurposebeforeit’stoolateInthepastfiveyears,consumersareincreasinglycaringaboutacompany’spurpose,themuchdiscussed,debatedanddeceptivelysimplestatementthatunderlinesacompany’swhy.Accordingtoa2019Accenturestudy,65percentofconsumerswantbusinessestotakeastandonissuesthatareclosetotheirheart.Makepurposeparticipativeseemtofocusontheirindividualenvironmentalimpact:howthey’rereducingtheirwaterusage,Veganism,andplantlife.WhileBenandJerry’shavediversifiedtheirareasoffocustoincludeworker’srights,dismantlingrace-basedsupremacy,sustainabilityandmore,perhapsdilutingtheirfocus.Likemanycompanies,Oatlyinvitesconsumerfeedback.However,intheircase,theyaskspecificallyaboutmakingtheirproductsmoresustainableandmoreresponsible.Theyalsogiveoutmicrograntsof$1000topeopledoing‘amazingthings.’InJune,theylaunchedthe‘BigIdeaGrant’,specificallyfocusedonsustainability,aimedatthecoffeecommunityandneverleavingtheiroriginalaudienceofbaristasbehindthem.Ben&Jerry’s,whilealsoparticipative,gotfamousforincludingtheirconsumersintheirflavourchoicesratherthanhowtodeveloptheirpurposeinitiatives.StartwithfallibilityInconclusion,whileBen&Jerry’scontinuestoboldlyventureintoarangeofpurpose-driveninitiatives,Oatlyprovesthatbytheiruniquededicationtopurpose,theycanriseabovetherestandmaketruerconnections.Whentheworldischangingsorapidlyandconsumerexpectationsofwhat‘doinggood’arechanging,it’schallengingtolivebytheexampleacompanysets.ThemisdirectedPepsicampaignstarringKendallJennerisonebigwrongturn.BeyoncemakingheadlinesforwalkingoutofaReebokmeetingduetolackofdiversityontheirteamisarightone.Theattempttomoveabrandinaspecificdirectionisn’teasy.Oatlystartswithanadmission.Ontheirwebsitetheysay:Wearenotaperfectcompany,notevenclose,butourintentionsaretrue.Wewouldliketobejudgedbythegoodwedoandnotjusttheprettywordswesay.It’sthefirstthingweencounterintheirpromisetotheworld.Bloomwhereyou’replanted.Oatlyconfessesthattheyonlyknowoats,notalmondmilk,notsoymilk.TheyalsofocustheirCSReffortsonwhattheyaredoingasacompanyoronmovementsanddecisionsthatrelatetotheirproducts.WhiletheyhavemadestrongstatementsinsupportofBlackLivesMatterandothersocialmovements,thevastmajorityoftheirefforts12Boomers,

Millennials&theeco-intention-actiongapConventionalmarketingwisdomdictatesthatpurpose-ledmarketingappealstoMillennials.Indeed,ourParticipationBrandIndexsupportsthis,showingpositivecorrelationsbetweenthepurposeandperformancemeasuresinthestudyforMillennials(18-34s).However,remarkably,theParticipationBrandIndexalsoshowsthatBoomers(55+)haveevenstrongerpositivecorrelationsacrossthesamepurposeandperformancemeasures.ComparisonofBoomerandMillennialcorrelationsbetweenPurposeandPerformancemeasuresAsyoucanseefromthedatavisualisedaboveBoomersarealmosttwiceaslikelyasMillennialstothinkaboutyourbrandregularly;bewillingtopaymoreforitsproducts;andrecommendthebrandwhenithasaclearlydefinedpurpose.Onthefaceofit,thisseemscounter-intuitive.However,itwouldappearweneedtoreconsiderthisgroup-thinkandensurethatourbrandpurposesareinclusiveandactivelyengageBoomersasmuchasMillennials.13Boomersarebridgingtheintention-actiongapVariousbehaviouralstudieshavehighlightedatrendintheworldofsustainability–thatwhilstMillennialssaytheyareconcernedabouttheimpactofclimatechange,BoomersareactuallymakingmoresustainablechoicesthantheirMillennialcounterparts.ResearchersintheUKandtheU.S.havehighlightedthisMillennialintention-actiongapthatBoomersaremanagingtobridge.Similarly,wemightconsiderthatwhilstMillennialssaytheywantbrandswithgreaterpurpose,itisBoomerswhoareactivelyparticipatinginandwithpurposefulbrands.DatafromtheParticipationBrandIndexshowsthatBoomersaremuchmorediscerningaboutwhichbrandstheyconsidertobepurposefulrelativetotheirMillennialcounterparts.IfabrandwishestoengageaBoomeraudiencearoundpurpose–beitsocial,environmentalortechnological