Research has shown that Gen Z consumers are increasingly looking to spend on brands that take a stand on social issues, with social media platforms providing a means for businesses to connect with their respective brand communities and use their voice to support relevant causes and movements.

That directly relates to identity and how people choose to align on political and cultural issues. It’s important that brands consider how their core messaging and subsequent actions support their stances and beliefs.

Show Me Your ID

To glean more insight into this, Twitter recently partnered with OMG Research to explore how conversations related to identity are being conducted via Tweet/s. According to Twitter:

“When it comes to serious matters, such as racial justice, gender equality, and climate change, people on Twitter not only welcome brands into these conversations but expect them to speak up on behalf of their followers and others who share their values.”

Again, social media has inadvertently changed the ways that brands connect, which has also changed customer expectations around what they share and how they act in support. In this chain, identity influences behavior, which is an important consideration for all brands. Let’s look at a couple of key insights from Twitter and OMG’s joint efforts.

Key Themes within The Identity Conversation

  • Race & Ethnicity (39%)

  • Political Views (36%)

  • Gender Identity (10%)

  • Sexual Orientation (8%)

  • Health & Ability (6%)

Tweets that included unique words associated with ‘My Identity’ also yielded some surprising results. The word ‘preferred’ was 18.3x more likely to be associated with ‘My Identity’ Tweets than any other word. ‘Equality’ only weighted 2.5x. Likewise, 2 in 3 people agreed that brands can influence how people express their identities.

When asked when brands can speak about social issues, the majority of respondents (46%) answered ‘when social issues are directly related to a brand’s industry’. Ironically, what gets the least response is ‘when a topic needs consistent discussion’, coming in at only 13%. There’s also a quick visual overview of how People on Twitter weigh in on actionable topics for brands, with the side that ‘Expects Brands’ outweighing the side that simply ‘Welcomes’ them. It seems that consumers are very keen on brands taking action.

The Wrap

These are some very useful insights and would surely help out brands better plot, if not direct their messaging. If brands manage to hit that sweet spot, then it’s safe to assume that they’ll significantly improve their alignment with the consumers they wish to improve their connection with, thereby facilitating more meaningful transactions and exchanges.

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Sources

https://bit.ly/3R3anBV