MAGNA and Twitter have teamed up to release the Impact of Culture: What it Means for Brands Today study, which seeks to understand consumer perception of a brand’s involvement with culture.
The study found that Aussies not only want but expect brands to be involved in culture and those that do benefit in a big way. The study showed a brand’s involvement in culture plays an important role in shaping consumer’s purchase decisions. In fact, it is almost as important as having a positive brand reputation.
The key findings from the study include:
- More than half of consumers think it’s important for brands to be involved in social issues & movements, and almost half think it’s important for brands to be involved in events & trends.
- Brand involvement in culture is especially important among consumers 18-35, and Twitter users.
- While there are many ways for a brand to be culturally relevant the top ways include giving back to the community (59 per cent), supporting social issues that benefit everyone (52 per cent), demonstrating that they put their customers first (52 per cent), and are inclusive of all (52 per cent).
- Being involved in culture is nearly as important as having positive brand perceptions. In fact, a brand’s cultural involvement makes up almost one-fifth of a consumer’s purchase decision.
- Brands supporting social issues have the most potential to impact consumer purchase decisions.
“For the purposes of this research we were keen to let the Australian consumer guide us,” said MAGNA intelligence and insights director Hannah Rook. “Culture is often hard to define and we definitely found consumers’ perspective on culture had expanded. In fact, 74 per cent of Australians thought of culture other than that of tradition. It’s exciting for brands today to see just how diverse their cultural involvement can be and where priorities lie for Australians.”
Twitter Australia head of agency Emily Foat said: “Our definition of what culture is has changed but its importance has not. Consumers want brands to get involved in the issues and moments that matter most to them and those that do, will reap the rewards.
“For marketers, this presents an exciting opportunity because involvement in culture is something in their control. Price and quality will always be the top driver of purchase decisions, but those are relatively set, and brand perceptions can take years if not decades to meaningfully shift. A brand’s involvement in culture is something that can be changed with a single campaign, and it’s something Twitter in particular is well positioned to help with.
“Brands do need to remember it’s not a one size fit all approach. Brands should be thoughtful in their approach to getting involved in culture to ensure authenticity to their brand and their audience. But brands that do, and get it right, will go a long way to win the hearts and minds of Aussies.”
Here are a few ways brands can demonstrate their alignment with Australian culture:
- Sponsor events that people are excited about: this could be anything from the Women’s World Cup to Mardi Gras.
- Align with trends, long term and of-the-moment: think clean beauty, sustainability, wellness, or supporting local businesses.
- Take a stance, and invest in the social community: inclusivity, gender equality, disaster relief, climate change, donations to national heroes — these are all important issues Aussies want to see brands get involved in.
