Brand Duality: The Consumer’s Request for More

An art installation in San Francisco's Mission District serves as a reminder to look for opportunities to engage your surroundings.

Poet, writer, and activist Eve Ensler’s TEDtalk titled “Suddenly, my body” poignantly describes the moment in which she reconnected her body to the living continuum, Ensler’s phrase for our responsibility as individuals to be active participants in the world at large. Simply put, the living continuum describes the purpose for our presence of earth: to enrich the lives of the people and the places with which we interact. Listening to Ensler speak, I began to consider the ways in which the living continuum is in a roundabout way a common theme among the most successful brands and is a contributing factor in the uprising of awareness concerning how we use our presence on this earth to contribute to a greater good.

According to a new study of consumer engagement by Co.Exist, 51 percent of consumers are willing to reward responsible companies by patronizing their stores, and another 53 percent are willing to pay a 10 percent premium for products from companies they deem responsible. 85 percent of consumers want companies to actively engage with relevant global issues.

What’s somewhat surprising about these numbers is that it is members of the Millennial generation that are at the forefront of the push for more responsible consumerism. The Millennial generation is often criticized for staying in a perpetual state of adolescence, but blogger Courtney Martin’s TEDtalk “Reinventing Feminism” argues that the overwhelming task of stepping into a world plagued by issues such as global warming and wealth disparity attributes to Millennials’ resistance to full-fledged adulthood. And despite their penchant for seemingly adolescent behaviors, it is the members of the Millennial generation that are founding and supporting companies that bring such a necessary awakening to our culture.

Companies such as TOMS Shoes, Krochet Kids, Intl, and Flex Watches are doing their part to create awareness for a good cause while turning a profit. It seems the Millennials are on to something. By re-centering previous generations’ focus on the acquisition of stuff and concentrating on the idea that consumption, while necessary, can be used to promote a responsible agenda, companies can foster brand loyalty with a wave of young customers who are looking for something to believe in. The lack of job growth, down 9 percent in the last 5 years according to Co.Design, has only fueled this generation’s desire to find purpose in everything they do, including shopping.

A more fluid culture of knowing how your actions affect others is quickly becoming something of a calling card for my generation. Movements such as Occupy Wall Street demand transparency. We as consumers have been the subject of ferocious ad campaigning for far too long and are now letting companies know that what they have given us in the past is no longer good enough. This is the beginning of a demand for brands that make giving back to the world at large a priority, and brands that ignore this demand risk becoming obsolete.

Christine Geronaga has an insatiable curiosity for learning and finding new ways to think about practically everything. Her favorite author, Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote Eat Pray Love described creativity as not something that comes from you but rather something that passes through you from a divine source and is on loan to you to contribute to the greater good. Christine infuses that mantra into everything she takes on as a project coordinator at Gensler's Newport Beach office. Contact her at christine_geronaga@gensler.com.