Now more than ever consumers are consciously engaged with the social, political and ecological ramifications of their choices.

Case in point? Waitrose received over 30,000 questions about their use of plastic packaging on their Twitter page in just six months after the BBC’s documentary Blue Planet II was broadcast.

In 2019, it’s simply not enough to offer a great product, you must also offer a great brand, that users trust, believe in, and most importantly, feel they share values with. More than ever, it will be these shared values, that drive action.

With that in mind, we’ve created a short blog post, on the best ways to ensure your brand is doing just that.

1. If you don’t mean it, don’t say it

A soft drinks company would be laughed at if they released a statement saying they are committed to reducing obesity in the population if their main product also contained more sugar than any other drink on the market.

It may seem obvious, but as a brand, your product and your values should be in alignment, and this has to follow through to actually taking action. Don’t say something unless you’re actually going to follow it through!

2. Emotional beats rational

More than ever before, consumers are asking questions such as ‘does this product connect with me?’ and ‘does this product align with my beliefs’ rather than ‘does this product offer good value?’. That doesn’t mean that your product shouldn’t offer excellent value, but simply that your product must also appeal to your audience’s emotions.

A successful brand will endow their products with the correct set of emotional values, to resonate with their target market, thus driving both rational and emotional engagement.

3. Leading by example

Being a leading brand is no longer just about innovation. Companies can create enjoy positive coverage with audiences by adapting their business model, leading by example, and changing the conversation.

Morrisons, for instance, were the first supermarket to trial paper bags in their stores, and in doing so, not only won approval from their audience but also raised the standard that all of their competitors will now be held to.

Conclusion

These are just several short tips on how to align your brand with your target market. It should be course, be an ongoing conversation within your organisation, but perhaps equally important to your brand’s success, is to extend the conversation to outside your organisation.

By listening to your audience, you’ll begin to understand the values that your audience are naturally drawn to, which can help to make a difference both to your brand, and the real world.