Ep122: What Makes a Brand "Good"?

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Maria Redin, General Manager and Strategy Lead at GOODcorps, a social impact consultancy that grew out of GOOD Media.

GOODcorps has worked with top brands such as Pepsi, The Gap, Starbucks and DICK's Sporting Goods. (BTW, DICK's won two Halo Awards earlier this month at the Cause Marketing Forum conference in Chicago!)

Megan, Maria and I discuss new insights from phase one of a three-part research project that explores “goodness” in brands and how consumers perceive what truly makes a brand “good.”

1. Good brands are good people. Respondents evaluate “good” brands similarly to how they judge a “good” person. Human traits and characteristics are used to describe brands they consider “good,” including integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.

2. Goodness is a buy button. The “goodness” of a company comes second to other purchase decision drivers, like price. However, responses did show that companies with strong community relations and sustainability programs have remarkably loyal customers.

3. Good has to be easy. When it comes to judging the sustainability of specific products, consumers could only comprehend certain categories, such as clothing and food, while categories like consumer technology and automotive felt overly complex. Respondents do not want to spend time researching, but instead, desire more transparency and curation for products from “good” companies, regardless of category.

4. Good is about leadership. Respondents appreciate companies with leadership who speak proactively out about key issues. Of note, the CEO’s of Salesforce and Patagonia were mentioned as social entrepreneurs who show a fierce passion for their product and are values driven.

5. Good starts with home (with employees). When sharing how they evaluate brands, respondents point to the treatment of a company’s employees as key before mentioning its philanthropy or sustainability efforts.

GOODcorps plans to move into phase two of its research this summer. We'll keep you informed!