Is your brand too woke? consumers respond in new research
Published
29th Mar 2022
by chloe
According to new research, two-thirds (68%) of consumers are uneasy or unsure about hair and beauty brands teaching and promoting ‘woke’ causes.
This research is not intended to cloud the generous, authentic work that hundreds of brands are carrying out daily. However, it’s useful to see the way consumers perceive adverts and the promotion of brand purpose. We can take these stats into consideration and ensure the messages our brands deliver are authentic - like the actions themselves!
Consumer response to brands promoting 'woke' causes
The basics
The survey also found that when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), what most people (58%) want is for hair & beauty brands to "pay their taxes, treat people fairly, respect the environment and not use it as a PR opportunity".- One in four consumers think ‘woke-washing’ brands are inauthentic
- 58% of people want health & beauty brands to be a good, ethical corporate citizens first
- Groups that people feel are most under-represented in advertising are disabled, older and larger-sized people.
A snapshot of The Pull Agency's #FutureOfBeauty event on 24 March 2022. Get a closer look here![/caption]
What do consumers want to see?
The results showed that being an ethical corporate citizen is what consumers want most from health & beauty brands, rather than the in-vogue focus on brand purpose, such as showing support for a social justice purpose like climate change, LGBTQ+ rights or diversity and inclusion. Kathrin Rodriguez-Bruessau, head of brand strategy at The Pull Agency, comments: “While the marketing world would have us believe that a grandiose brand social purpose is paramount, consumers don’t seem to care as much or really understand the concept. According to most people, the first step is to just get the basics right and be a decent corporate citizen.” Interestingly, more than half of all consumers (58%) want to see support for climate change, 56% are eager to see support for female body positivity and 52% want brands to back diversity and inclusion. Kathrin continues: “We’re certainly not suggesting that brands shouldn’t promote social purpose, but if they decide it’s the right path to take, they must consider how it’s reflected in their ads, taking into account the consumer viewpoint. It is also important to take the time to check their company’s past and current code of conduct across all their procedures – including a quick check on any brand ambassadors.” [caption id="attachment_86728" align="alignnone" width="768"]
Get a closer look here.[/caption]
Representation in adverts
43% ranked ‘advertising that shows a realistic set of models or actors to reflect real users of the brand’ as the number one thing they want to see, followed by ‘advertising that uses a range of models/actors such as different ages, sizes, gender, ethnicities or disabilities to be inclusive’ in second place with 35% (rising to 40% of women). Older (48%), larger-sized (47%) and disabled people most of all (58%) were the groups that most consumers currently see as under-represented in UK health & beauty advertising, rather than LGBTQ+ or ethnic minorities. Overall, respondents felt the disabled were the least likely to be accurately represented in ads (only 21% thought they were). The nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK consumers was commissioned by The Pull Agency, a creative agency specialising in healthcare and beauty brands.
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