Many of us would like to think that ethics are of significant importance when it comes to choosing a brand. However, how many would be willing to admit that it matters more than the cost and convenience?
Ultimately, it is the purpose that attracts us to brands and therefore, marketing agencies have to convince people that brands serve a purpose and can meet the needs of consumers. In our ever-changing world, we are beginning to think ethically. When we consider the retail sector, the under 30s are now more concerned about ethics. However, the under 30s are also driven by fast fashion and trends. Those brands that operate in a fast-fashion environment are known to lack ethics. Therefore, are people choosing to put convenience before ethics without realising?
So, should brands make their purpose clear before claiming to care about ethics? We can use low-cost airlines as an example here. This is because they state their purpose clearly which is to get people to their chosen destination at a low-cost. Therefore, these brands have customer loyalty and respect. People are willing to overlook ethics because they are getting something that they can benefit from. It is a win-win for those brands that are honest and transparent. So the purpose of a brand becomes attractive especially if it is easy to understand. Marketers might want to consider making it clear what brands do in order to gain the trust and custom of consumers.
The question that we need to address is would consumers still choose a brand if sustainability and ethics were clear and apparent? The answer is probably not.
Despite the under 30s stating that they care about ethics and sustainability, they also value convenience more than ever before as well as value for money. This is a move that could change the way in which brands appeal to the masses. All they need to do is be honest about their purpose. Consumers don’t make decisions based on the right reasons, they want a service or a product that is well priced and provides them with a solution. So, now is the time for brands to begin making their purpose clear because the honesty will go a lot further with their chosen audience and that can help to drive sales.