BELIEFCONSUMPTIONBASED
P R E S E N T E D B Y
W E L C O M E T O T H E E R A O F
Over the past 2 years, we’ve witnessed a
fundamental change in the way audiences connect with individuals and brands online. They have become more vocal about their
values and beliefs – who and what they relate to – and about the brands they do business with.
This change in consumer behaviour has transformed the way audiences build
relationships – with brands and with each other
W h at i s t h e c ata ly s t f o r t h i s s h i f t ?
Digital communication tools have
empowered audiences to find and
rely on like-minded communities,
rather than branded messages, to
form opinions about companies,
products, and services.
a u d i e n c e s n o w p l ay a n a c t i v e r o l e i n d e f i n i n g t h e m e a n i n g b e h i n d t h e m e s s a g e
Defining the meaning behind the message
Whether it’s the
positive image association
of hipster culture with
Starbucks and Samsung…
Defining the meaning behind the message
Perceptions in the marketplace
are now a result of both brand
and audience-generated content.
Or the
negative associations
of quality against pet
food sold in grocery
aisles…
VS
Through a community called “Subie Girls”, Young women have adopted the Subaru brand as
a means to show the world their liberated and savvy identities.
Go Daddy lost thousands of customers when community members of reddit.com decided to
boycott the brand for its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
meanings drive loyalty
From girls who use the Subaru brand
to talk about their liberated selves
(love for cars, driving ‘stick-shift’,
understanding and appreciating its
technology), to thousands of redditors
who chose to boycott GoDaddy for
its support of SOPA, meanings that
originate from values and beliefs drive
our loyalty or contempt for brands
and organizations.
how a brand is perceived is no longer completely in its control.
New Balance customers ran a petition on change.org after the Chairman donated $500,000 to pro-Romney organization.
Welcome to The era of belief-based consumption
Where audiences want to do
business with brands that believe
what they believe.
Where there are new rules for
brands looking to build deep
relationships with their audiences.
organizations MUST now CHOOSE:Either influence and build brand perception and audience
relationships by articulating values and beliefs through
content and experiences OR leave it up to interpretation.
That is why the Top performing brands in the world lead with Their beliefs and values
In partnership with Jim Stengel, Millward
Brown research found at the end of a 10 year
long research study that brands who lead
with a strong set of values and beliefs (strong
ideals) consistently outperform the S&P
500 by almost 400%. Millward Brown identified
50 key brands that lead with ideals and
outperformed the market in a given timeframe
Belief-based consumption isn’t a fad or a
trend. It is the way audiences expect to
build relationships with the brands they love.
The digital age has amplified this reality.
N E W R U L E SF O R B R A N D S I N 2 0 1 4
The insight gathering process
must evolve.
Ethnographic analysis is critical to understanding
audiences.
Photo Credit: Zaqi, http://www.flickr.com/photos/xul/498810340/
Observation and analysis of online
behaviour facilitates a deep understanding
of the digital lives of audiences and how
they view the world.
It enables the creation
of programs and content that build a more authentic human
connection with audiences.
Engagement does not drive relationships,
Shared values do.
Go beyond product features and benefits. Dig deeper.
Photo Credit: staffan.scherz, http://www.flickr.com/photos/staffanscherz/7922246042/
Content needs to
connect with audiences
emotionally.
Focus on highlighting an
organization’s value system to connect with audiences through a shared set of ideals and a shared vision
for the future.
Core community is everything.
The most passionate consumers must echo beliefs & values to
give credibility to brands.
Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley, http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/7848412058/sizes/h/in/set-72157630727658254/
Every brand has its core
community – people who are passionate
followers of the brand – that will advocate for it through good times
and bad.
It is crucial both to
identify a brand’s core community and know how to engage
them to build strong bonds.
Consistency is Not just expected –
it is demanded.
The most passionate consumers must echo beliefs & values to
give credibility to brands.
Photo Credit: treasuresthouhast, http://www.flickr.com/photos/74568056@N00/5992884101
Maintaining consistency in
communications in the marketplace is
paramount.
Building credibility in
the digital age is difficult, but
losing it is very easy.
Audiences will know when your actions are
inconsistent with the brand identity you have established.
H O W C A N W E A S S I S T Y O U ?Built on the foundation of Belief-Based Consumption, Sonic Boom’s
strategic methodology, BOND, enables organizations to understand
the values and beliefs of their audience and apply that knowledge
to build brand advocacy in the marketplace.
P h i l o s o p h y b e h i n d b o n d
With thousands of organizations vying for audience attention across communication platforms every passing second, building trust and relationships with communities has become a difficult and daunting task. Companies today find themselves spending millions on influencer programs that dissipate soon after completion, rendering low continuity and return on marketing efforts. This is because most initiatives are implemented with little knowledge of what audiences do online and off (behavioural data), and almost no understanding of why they do it (what’s truly driving them).
The truth is that audiences today have incredible access to niche sources of information and communities across the web, which has allowed them to become picky about where they spend their time. We are witnessing the proliferation of powerful niche communities such as reddit, buzzfeed, and boingboing, where audiences congregate due to a shared set of values and beliefs first, rather than shared interests (which have become secondary).
With thousands of organizations vying for audience attention across communication platforms every passing second, building trust and relationships with communities
has become a difficult and daunting task. Companies today find themselves
spending millions on influencer programs that dissipate soon after completion, rendering low continuity and return on marketing efforts. This is because most
initiatives are implemented with little knowledge of what audiences do online and off (behavioural data), and almost no understanding of why they do it (what’s
truly driving them).
The truth is that audiences today have incredible access to niche sources of
information and communities across the web, which has allowed them to become picky about where they spend their time.
We are witnessing the proliferation of powerful niche communities such as
reddit, buzzfeed, and boingboing, where audiences congregate due to a shared set
of values and beliefs first, rather than shared interests (which have become secondary).
S o n i c b o o m b o n d
C o n ta c t u s t o l e a r n m o r ewww.beliefbasedconsumption.com
www.sonicboom.com
Strategy at Sonic Boom
THANKYOU
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