Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s topic: Do the public expect brands to do good, and what does that actually look like?
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Truth be told, when I was first offered the opportunity to cover today’s topic, I was hesitant.
There’s been a lot of bandwagon jumping around the area of brand purpose and corporate social responsibility, not just in brands trying to boost their credentials in the space, but agencies positioning themselves as the ones to do so.
But the subject of today’s podcast - Leo Burnett’s study of public expectations around brands doing good - is more pragmatic.
In my conversation with Catherine King, chief strategy officer of Leo Burnett, we cover a lot of ground - including scepticism around brands’ true intent, the reality that companies’ underlying behaviour matters more than actions happening only at a branding level, and the moment when brands can actually start talking about their activities.
We also dive into the intriguing statistic that Sky News Australia viewers appear to be the most likely to be selfish, with 27% of them saying they’d be unwilling to pay more for a brand that does the right thing. By contrast, Ten News viewers are the most altruistic, with 84% saying they’d be willing to pay more.
Unmade Index: Four steps forward, three steps back
The nine media and marketing stocks on the Unmade Index experienced mixed fortunes yesterday, with four on the up, three on the down, and two staying flat.
The index grew slightly, by 0.38%. Fresh from its upfront event (and probably coincidentally) Seven West Media’s price grew by 3.3%. Meanwhile the biggest drop came from HT&E, down by 1.98%.
Audio production of today’s podcast was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers and sound design for corporate videos, digital content, commercials and podcasts.
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If you’re in Melbourne, don’t forget to take a look at out Marketing in 2023 event, which is only three weeks away now.
I’ll be back in the morning with news on today’s Ooh Media upfronts.
Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
tim@unmade.media
What good is doing good? Leo Burnett's Catherine King on what the public expects from brands