What consumers are actually asking brands to do for them, and whether marketers are reading the signal accurately.
Volatility is no longer the exception. It is the operating environment. Trade conflicts, persistent inflation, geopolitical instability and deep political polarisation have reshaped the world consumers live in, and with it, what they expect from the brands around them.
DEPT®'s latest Strategic Navigators research, produced in partnership with The Marketing Society, set out to answer a deceptively simple question: what are consumers actually asking brands to do for them right now? And are marketers reading that signal accurately?
DEPT® surveyed 3,000 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. Alongside this, The Marketing Society convened senior marketing leaders from organisations including Barclays, British Airways, Diageo, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Trainline, TUI and Rolex to test the findings against the reality of leading brands through this moment.
The picture is stark...
87% of consumers express concern about rising prices
67% say macroeconomic events are actively dictating their financial choices
70% describe their current mood as uncertain, anxious or cautious
This is not a disruption to ride out. It is a new baseline, and it has changed what consumers trust, where they invest their attention, and what they are ultimately willing to pay for.
But the most important finding is also the most hopeful. Consumers are not disengaging from brands. They are reassigning the roles brands play, moving them from cultural to contextual. In effect, consumers have drawn a perimeter around their lives. Inside it sit the products, services and routines they trust and depend on. Outside it sit the brands that feel interchangeable or hard to justify. The brands that win will be those that earn and defend a specific role inside that perimeter.
Read the Global Market Sentiment Pulse
The report explores three dimensions
The consumer mindset
What people are actually feeling right now, how it is reshaping their spending, and why the numbers reflect a new baseline rather than a passing storm.The regional picture
How global volatility is producing meaningfully different emotional realities from market to market, and why brands must respond accordingly.The strategic implication
What it means to be a contextual brand, the four roles brands can occupy in consumers' lives (Escape, Education, Belonging and Ritual), and the questions every business leader should be asking before deciding what comes next.Read the Global Market Sentiment Pulse
You will be required to complete a simple form to access the full report.
We may email you from time to time with updates and other information about our events, products and services that may be of interest. You can unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy and cookies policy. By submitting your details, you consent to receiving email marketing communications from contributing partners such as The Marketing Society and DEPT® You can opt-out of these communications at any time.
