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This is arguably one of the hardest metrics you could possibly sell to a client, mostly because it sounds so warm and fuzzy. But once you get over this minor factor it has a significant reflection of how people’s values are changing.

A recent Contagious article refers to the next virus to take hold of society after the Internet as the ‘awakening of the consumer’. Here’s an extract…

“Awakening Consumers are waking up to the fact that we are all living on this little rock suspended in space. That our natural resources are finite, and our system of production and consumption, as it stands, is not sustainable.

Awakening is a process, and no one gets it right all the time, It is like when you are brushing your teeth and let the water run, then looking at the mirror you say, I am letting the water run. And once you start, you can’t stop. The process itself is contagious. Just how contagious? Next time you go shopping, see if you find yourself thinking about the values of one brand over another. If so, welcome, you’re a carrier.”

Now I like this as a sentiment but I think it is in some ways a lot simpler than that. I don’t believe it’s just about consumers being more socially responsible and aware of how their behaviour affects the bigger picture. Whether it’s the general day to day stress of life or the financial crisis people increasingly value happiness over wealth and materialism.

And just to highlight this point Adrian White, analytical social scientist at England’s University of Leicester has created the world’s first ‘happiness map’ creating a list of the happiest countries.

“White’s study, to be published later this year, was developed in part as a response to the British media’s fascination with life satisfaction. A recent BBC survey concluded that 81% of Britain’s population would rather the government make them happier than richer. Despite its often bleak weather, England ranked relatively happy at 41. White says: “There is increasing political interest in using measures of happiness as a national indicator along with measures of wealth”.
You can read the full article here.

So if the British Government can do it in dreary old England why can’t brands? I would guess it’s because if many were honest with themselves they wouldn’t get very good results.