brandshare Consumer Study Proves it Pays to Share

 By Denisha Stevens, Executive Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Dallas

The importance of sharing is a key lesson learned in childhood. Edelman’s new consumer study, brandshare, reveals the same holds true for marketers. The inaugural brandshare report released in October is based on research conducted across eight countries and hundreds of brands. It reveals that 90 percent of consumers want brands to share, but only 10 percent think brands are currently doing so in an effective manner. Consumers want brands to have meaningful conversations, invite others in and collaborate with them. More specifically, it’s how brands share that matters to consumers. Below are highlights of the study which provide a roadmap for marketers:

• The more substantive, transparent and participatory the sharing is, the more it correlates to real business outcomes. Consumers reward brands that share by purchasing, using and recommending them. 

• There are six key behaviors required to successfully share a brand: shared dialog, shared experience, shared goals, shared values, shared product and shared history. 

• Consumers are looking for a more thoughtful dialog with brands, in which their opinions are solicited and their responses are acted upon. 

• 91 percent of consumers surveyed want brands to enable their personal goals. They want to be asked about their unique needs, specifically in product categories where they lack knowledge or expertise. 

• Shared product remains an important facet to growing brand share. 91 percent of respondents expressed a desire to have input on the design and development process.

• The most powerful predictor of intent to purchase and recommend is shared history. While consumers don’t actively ask for it, 45 percent say they feel good about a brand when they know the company’s history. 

Brands need to shift their priorities and content strategies to align with what consumers are asking for. They need to act on what they hear and share who they are, where they come from and what they care about.

The survey was produced by research firm Edelman Berland and consisted of online interviews conducted between June 12, 2013 and July 12, 2013. The brandshare online survey sampled 11,000 consumers in eight countries, and 100 local and multi-national brands per country. For more information, visit: http://www.edelman.com/insights/intellectual-property/brandshare.