Most consumers avoid products of disliked firms
A new global study commissioned by Weber Shandwick found that the company behind the brand is critical to consumer purchasing decisions. About 70 per cent of consumers surveyed avoid buying products if they do not like the parent company. Executives agree
“The Company behind the Brand: In Reputation We Trust” illustrates the challenging consumer landscape facing today’s marketing and communications executives. The research identifies six key insights revealing a world where consumers no longer just buy products based on their own merits but also shop by company reputation.
“Consumers are using their dollars as a vote of confidence in companies they trust,” said Tim Sutton, Weber Shandwick’s chairman for the Asia-Pacific. “As our research confirms, corporate and brand reputations are now nearly indivisible. The company standing behind the brand assures consumers that they can trust the quality, ethics and safety of the brands they are buying.”
The importance of a company’s reputation matters more than ever and when unified with the reputation of its product brands creates one powerful “enterprise” brand. As Weber Shandwick’s executive vice president of public affairs, Asia-Pacific, Alistair Nicholas said, “A strong corporate reputation is essential to unlocking the full value of the enterprise and strengthening its brands, products and services as a result.”
