Back to Basics: observing the core for an essential consumerism
A crowd of Parisian marketers were gathered on the first floor of the Tour Eiffel; CSA and H illustrated how they decoded and measured essence, a new fundamental consumerism criterion. 15 criteria of essence were outlined, and 120 brands, across 12 different industry segments have been tested and ranked by consumers in France, according to these criteria. It took 4 focus groups and 2000 online surveys.
Following the recent repetitive economic crises, in fact, it has become crucial for brands to recreate value according to consumers’ real expectations. Other forms of consumption are emerging, as consumers are more connected, and therefore better informed, and more exigent. Purchasing decisions are less spontaneous, more pondered and centred on the notion of what is really essential.
The Observatory grouped the 15 criteria of essence in 4 families:
- EXPERTISE (know how): Positive, Trustworthy, Exigent, Coherent, Long-lasting
- EVIDENCE (commercialization): Universal, Accessible, Simple, Honest
- EMPHATY (interaction): Useful, Proactive, Attentive
- ETHICS (level of engagement): Engaged, Generous, Transparent
The weight in function of the relative importance of each family was then calculated and the percentages are somewhat surprising:
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- EXPERTISE 43.9% (46.9% for the 50/60 yrs old)
- EVIDENCE 25.8% (29.4% for the 35/49 yrs old)
- EMPATHY 23.19%
- ETHICS 7.09% (9.8% for the 18/34 yrs old))
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The fundamental importance of the concept of ‘essence’ however is recognized by 80% of respondents across all demographics and socio economic. All of the 120 brands tested, were then ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. Only 9 brands made it above the score of 6! The lucky winners and 2011 French essence champions are:
Google, E. Leclrec, Decathlon, IKEA, EDF, QUECHUA, AUCHAN, FNAC, Picard.
Consumers’ personal attachment to the tested brands was measured as well, and a clear correlation between the level of attachment and the perception of its essence was found.
What does that means for communicators and marketers? Not only we are dealing with an ever rapidly changing environment, but, an increasingly global competition, pushes onto the market a schizophrenic offer, as varied and eclectic as ever. The example of the orange juice brand Tropicana was cited, present in the supermarket chains with no less than 17 varieties of orange juice under the same brand! Coming back to the bare essence, to the core value proposition of a product or service seems to be a smart strategy. Brands that will successfully reflect this notion will not only survive but thrive in the next phase. We look forward to finding out which ones they will be in the next edition of the Observatory next year!
For French view of the event and more details, you can check the H agency Facebook Page and the WebAngelist blog.