Chapter 3
THE PUBLIC GETS WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS
As is the case with any emerging and dynamic phenomenon that’s going to have a lasting impact on consumer and brand behaviour, solid evidence-based insights are vital in order to really understand what’s going on and offer genuinely useful advice. At Havas, we’ve recognised sustainability as such a phenomenon, and as a result have created a firm-wide initiative called Sustainable Futures. Working with the research company, GlobeScan, the initiative is focused on understanding sustainability in the broadest sense; in the context of firms and their brands; and – very importantly – from the consumer’s perspective.
As part of this initiative, we have a conversation with more than 25 000 active consumers in nine markets each year to explore and understand their views, fears and hopes on a range of issues linked to the wider sustainability debate, as well as drilling down on how they perceive their most trusted brands when it comes to sustainability; and how those perceptions impact on brand equity. The research includes a number of proprietary components, such as a conceptual model for how businesses engage in sustainability at all levels, and a blended-variable output that allows a ranking to take place of any company across any sector, to explore which sectors and firms are leading from the consumer perspective.
We’ll discuss many of these elements and their outputs in later chapters, as they offer valuable insights into the importance ...
