More than 70% of Australians believe they are a ‘work in progress’ when it comes to living their true identity and expressing truthful self-expression, leaving brands walking a tightrope when it comes to reflecting people’s identity, according to new research conducted by Nine and cultural insights agency FiftyFive5.
With more than one third of brands studied failing to resonate with supporting people’s identities, the research - which was revealed at today’s Big Ideas Store - shows brands that tokenistically represent inclusivity or perpetuate stereotypes are having a negative impact on consumers’ perception, with brands that fail to be authentic and back their inclusive marketing regardless suffer, illustrated by the on-going controversy engulfing Bud Light in the US and trans woman Dylan Mulvaney.
A panel discussion featuring chief strategy officer of Kaimera Stewart Gurney, author and commentator Maria Thatill, Married At First Sight’s Sandy Jawanda, Loren Watling from FiftyFive5 and head of Powered Studios Jessica Parry featured the topic of identity and self-expression, what that means in 2023 and how brands can be inclusive and authentic in their marketing.
Watling said we talk about identity and that everyone is on their own journey, but you can easily hypothesise that perhaps people in certain phases, stages or ages of life might be feeling more at one, and a bit more aligned with their identity.
“What we saw is that no matter who you are there are elements of your identity that you feel you are moving towards, that are evolving, that you are still figuring out," said Watling.
"When we look at generational theory, we always talk about how in your teens you are working out who you are, getting to grips and experimenting. But that is now happening still into your 50s, 60s and 70s. It’s not something you figure out and then you’re stuck - it changes and evolves.”
According to the research, the correlation between brands being viewed as supportive, and the likelihood of being considered/purchased can not be ignored. Watling said such a correlation finding is "powerful."
“You don’t often see [research] results like that, where you can see so strongly how if someone believes that a brand truly is supporting and representing in a real true and authentic way, then that likelihood and intent to consider purchasing from that brand increases," said Watling.
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