Inspire buyers, stress CSR: McCann
Advertisers and product owners should stress brand communication by telling the truth and helping consumers to get self-sustainable inspiration, as well as promoting the brand as a good social enterprise, according to McCann Worldgroup (Thailand).
Chief innovation officer Waridda Voraakom, who is also responsible for McCann Truth Central, a unit for consumer insight research at the marketing-solutions provider, said yesterday that in the coming year, consumers were expected to go back in order to move forward as regards using new advanced technology and social media in daily life, as it would no longer be as exciting an innovation as before.
This prediction seems to be in contrast to previous ones, in which the main focus was on digital media and brand innovation as core catalysts.
In its consumer-trend snapshot for 2013, McCann Truth Central found that there were core mega-trends involving truth, wanderlust, pioneering and illumination in the brand-communication process.
Waridda said consumers were still seeking truth and commitment from brands in respect to the economy, politics, society and the environment.
For example, consumers are taking a deep look mostly at what they eat and use. They need to have information related to the whole production process, as well as brand history, before making a decision to spend their money on each product.
Given this trend, consumers are likely to be empowered with more technology, and this power could help make their lives better.
Brands should, therefore, create an inspiration and motivation for consumers, she said. For example, Nike has developed the Nike+ FuelBand wristband to track all-day activity and help users undertake more exercise. Users know how much energy they burn via a mobile application on their iPhone.
Additionally, companies should stress the fact that they are social enterprises, she said. With the rise of brand philanthropy, collaboration with non-governmental organisations, and consumers’ desire to make a difference in general, the common goal of making the world a better place will become what enterprises and stakeholders aim to achieve in the next year.
Consumers will play a big role in this collaboration effort if they are convinced that their voices are being heard and their views taken into account, Waridda said.
