Be Kind: why purpose matters

STATE OF THE YOUTH NATION
Be Kind:
Why Purpose Matters
Gen Z Brand Love Series Vol.2 / 3
Originally produced by YouthSight*
SAVANTA.COM
m a k e b e t t e r d e c i s i o n s

B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Who are Gen Z
in 2021?
We describe Gen Z as the generation
of young people born from 1995
onwards.
As of today (2022) the oldest are
currently 26 years old.
*This eBook was originally produced
by the YouthSight team - who are
now part of Savanta
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Introduction
“If we don’t live by our purpose, then we don’t have a brand. Our purpose is to leave
the planet a better place than we found it." - Dee Bulsara, Managing Director at Ocean
Saver.
To grow brand love with young consumers you must be authentic and have a social
conscience. Young people will call out brands that do not put the greater good before
business and last year almost 2 in 5 young people said that they had boycotted a brand.
The demand for businesses to do better is growing and this trend was accelerated by
the Covid-19 pandemic when brands came under fire for putting business before health.
Our bespoke research is informed by
exclusive tracking data from the UK's
leading Gen Z insight tracker, State of
the Youth Nation.
Savanta was born when eight best-in-class agencies, all specialists
in their fields, joined forces to offer big agency benefits, while
retaining a refreshingly boutique mindset.
Since conception, we’ve expanded our sector expertise by adding
more agencies to our family.
The result? A full range of integrated intelligence services at global
scale, married to deep sector, issue and methodological expertise,
delivered with an entrepreneurial spirit and client-first mindset.
All to help our clients. Make Better Decisions.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Brand
collaborations
Acting ethically and being genuinely
kind is essential to winning over young
audiences. According to our trend
data from State of the Youth Nation 1
in 5 young people (aged 16-24) said
they value ethics the most in a brand
and over half would prefer to only buy
products from companies they believe
are acting ethically.
DID YOU KNOW...
73% of Gen Z are willing
t o s p e n d m o r e o n a
s u s t a i n a b l e p r o d u c t .
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2021
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Young people
care more about
ethical brands.
Online resources make it easier for
Gen Z to find out what they need to
know about a brand’s ethical values or
sustainable practices/products. This
will inform their choices.
The website Good on You is rising in
popularly (their Instagram following
has grown from 130k in 2020 to 260k
in 2022). The site allows consumers
to quickly find out how different
brands rate ethically.
Purchase decisions are increasingly
informed by ethical values and
principles rather than trendiness.
ACCORDING TO STATE OF THE YOUTH NATION...
T h o s e w h o v a l u e b e i n g o n
t r e n d / f a s h i o n a b l e d e c l i n e d
f r o m
11% to 2%
IN 2019 IN 2021
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2021
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Case studies:
brands that put purpose before profit
Airbnb: opening homes in times of crisis
Airbnb announced that they will offer free,
short-term housing to up to 100,000
refugees fleeing Ukraine.
Toms: in business to improve lives
The shoe brand Toms invest a third of
their profits to improve the lives of those
who need it via grassroot grants. Part of
their efforts included the launch of their
School of Grassroots Good – a four-part
series led by Gen Z activists who share
their knowledge in video masterclasses,
which advocate for greater inclusivity
and mental health support.
Match CEO x Bumble: relief pledge
The rival dating platforms teamed up to
create relief funds for people affected by
the Texas law that bans abortion from as
early as six weeks into pregnancy.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Case studies:
Patagonia: Action Works
Tommy Hilfiger: Moving Forward
Together
Tommy Hilfiger advocates for
sustainability and diversity within the
fashion industry and their partnership
with FutureLearn provides free digital
learning courses on topics including
community building and LGBTQ+
allyship. They also partner with brand
ambassadors including Jameela Jamil
and Indya Moore who provide live talks
on social media that empower fans to
drive change.
Patagonia helps grassroots groups find
solutions to the environmental crisis.
Their aim is to connect individuals with
organisations who share their passion.
RYAN GELLERT,
CHIEF
EXECUTIVE AT
PATAGONIA
People often ask, ‘Are you a forprofit
business or are you an
NGO?’ And the answer in my
mind is yes; I think we’re some
weird mashup of those two
things. What we really are is a
for-profit business, and we use
the business to try to influence
larger, more systemic issues.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
C a l l i n g o u t h y p o c r i s y :
The Rise of Cancel Culture
oung people are quick
to spot hypocritical
brands and their trust
in companies is at an
all-time low. In 2016 a
quarter of Gen Z said
they do not trust
companies, and in
2021 this figure had
risen to over a third
(State of the Youth
Nation, 2021).
Gen Z are hyper
aware when
businesses make
mistakes and are not
afraid to hold them
accountable. Young
people are more likely
to participate in ‘takedown’
culture if brand
goes against their
ethical values.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Fair treatment of staff is important to young consumers
P&O Ferries: sacks 800 crew members
In March (2022) P&O Ferries abruptly
sacked all 800 British crew across its
entire fleet with plans to replace them
with cheaper agency workers as a
"last resort" to save the company.
PR STRATEGIST
STUART BRUCE
AT THE BBC
It’s the worst example of how to
treat employees I’ve seen in
more than 30 years of doing
crisis communications.
Staff were told it was their “final day
of employment” as the company
reportedly lined up coaches carrying
replacement agency staff at Dover
and Hull.
According to Marketing Week, the
health of the P&O Ferries brand has
since plummeted with an immediate
and significant impact on P&O’s
impression score, a measure of
overall sentiment towards the brand.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Crisis will put a spotlight on
brands to do the right thing...
The pandemic was an equaliser and
everyone had a role to protect. While the
majority of brands heeded Boris Johnson’s
request to ‘stand by your employees’,
several wealthy business owners came
under fire for their treatment of staff and for
putting business before public health.
Oh Polly: NHS Competition
In 2020, the online clothing retailer Oh Polly
ran an Instagram competition for NHS
workers. The winner (Lara) couldn’t make the
video call to accept prize (she was busy
working a 12-hour shift) and in response, Oh
Polly withdrew her prize as it was in their
T&Cs that the winner must attend the Zoom
call – this was not kind!
Wetherspoons, Sports Direct and Topshop
were among the chains customers have
been urged to boycott for their unethical
decisions during the Pandemic.
DID YOU KNOW...
4 0 % o f G e n Z h a s
b o y c o t t e d a b r a n d
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2021
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
The Crisis in Ukraine
Following the crisis in Ukraine, brands
including Netflix and Levi’s were quick to
suspend trading in Russia. But, other brands
were slower to respond. McDonald’s and
Coca Cola (who have since pulled out of
operations in Russia) came under fire for
not taking immediate action and the
hashtags #boycottmcdonalds and
#boycottcocacola were trending on Twitter.
Social media is revolutionising
activism
Social media has given a platform for young
people to get their voices heard and raise
awareness of issues they feel passionate
about.
Gucci: causes offense
Back in 2019 Gucci's
balaclava jumper
received criticism for its
racist connotations,
leading to celebrities
including Spike Lee,
Dapper Dan, T.I. and 50
Cent (among many
others) to call a boycott
of the brand.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
Key
takeaways
Businesses need to work harder to earn the trust of Gen Z – they wont stay loyal if your
company is hypocritical, treats staff poorly or are not prepared to support causes they
care about.
Be authentic
Gen Z will be quick to spot
companies that are
greenwashing. Don't be
tokenistic or profitmotivated
- find a purpose
you and your customers
care about and embed it
in your core.
Take action
Don't just virtue signal -
take action to support
causes you believe in.
Don't be afraid to have an
opinion, especially if it
aligns with your purpose.
Collaborate & empower
Collaborate with young
people and empower
them to create change
with you. Partner with
charities, causes or
similar businesses that
young people are
passionate about.
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B E K I N D | G E N Z B R A N D L O V E S E R I E S
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