Branding

On May 11, 2011 Japan experienced a life changing weather event when a tsunami hit the shores of the small island.  Lives were forever changed as houses were destroyed, property was washed away, and lives were taken because of the earthquake that set off the massive storm. There were a lot of negative impacts on the island of Japan that took place on that awful day in May but there was one good thing that came out of the tragedy.

 I was astonished to read an article today, found on AdAge, that the storm did have one positive impact in Japan. The impact was on how the Japanese are now putting more thought into what they consume and how they consume it.

“77% of people said they were actively seeking out brands they believe are helping recovery of the country and personal stability.” – AdAge

This should be a neon flashing sign to the producers of thousands of products around the world. We have added a large group to the already larger bandwagon group of people searching for products that first off benefit/help sustain their country as well as products that are environmentally friendly to the different lands we call our home.

How does this affect marketing?

Simple! We need to produce products and market them in a way that people connect to the product and feel as though they are doing some good through purchasing the product.

“Our own research indicates that over 60% of people want "to be part of a shared process in product and service development.” – AdAge

You are more likely to purchase a product if you feel good about purchasing the product. It’s a very simple idea, but an idea that we don’t think about a lot of the time.

We need to brand our products according to what’s important to the consumers.

To read the full article head to:

 http://adage.com/article/agency-viewpoint/japanese-earthquake-changed-consumer-habits/228124/