Indians are the most socially conscious consumers
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 12 November 2010, 08:01 IST   |    1 Comments
Printer Print Email Email
Indians are the most socially conscious consumers
Bangalore: Indian consumers are more likely to consider environmental and social aspects when making purchase decisions than others, reveals a new study by Havas Media and MPG's Brand Sustainable Futures (BSF) report. The study also highlights the fact that while Indian consumers are one of the most receptive consumers globally, Indian companies remain unsure over the relevance of sustainability on their brands. The study covered over 30,000 consumers in nine countries - Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the U.S. It also evaluated over 150 brands across 10 different industries. The study concludes that environmental pollution is the major issue of concern for Indian consumers. The proportion of those 'very concerned' about it is well over half (57 percent), compared to just over a third (35 percent) of global respondents. Availability and lack of information is the major obstacle to buying responsible products in India. Indian consumers appear to have higher than average expectations of companies in terms of sustainable endeavor and there is a stronger feeling of empowerment. They are also more active in recommending products/brands (97 percent compared to 90 percent globally), rewarding responsible companies (88 percent compared to 80 percent globally) and in particular when it comes to seeking out information about corporate behaviour (84 percent compared to 63 percent globally). It also states that appreciation for companies that partner with a charity or NGO has increased since 2009, with 83 percent agreeing this year compared to 73 percent in 2009. Tata, Reliance, ITC and Nokia are perceived to be the top socially and environmentally responsible companies. In India, company communications and corporate events would be sufficient to make consumers believe in a company's commitment to the environment and society. Globally it was found that the vast majority of mainstream consumers would not care if two thirds of today's global brands disappeared in the future. Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media and MPG Asia Pacific said, "As a strongly committed group, we believe we have the responsibility to use our expertise in communications to explore new ways of addressing some of today's key challenges faced by CEOs, CMOs and brand managers. The most important challenge today is how to build a meaningful brand in this era of transparency, sustainability and mistrust. Today it's important for brands to make a difference rather than just be different. This approach will contribute to building consumer trust and sustained results for brands." "Successful companies in India understand that sustainability in a key concern for Indian consumers and have made an effort to engage them through their sustainability profile. Our research clearly shows that brands can redefine their relationships with consumers and other key opinion formers through sustainability," said Anita Nayyar, CEO of Havas Media and MPG India.

siliconindia