MRG Conference: The Relationship Between The Consumer And The Brand

Ivor Hussein, consumer and research director for Western International Media spoke this morning about the relationship between the consumer and brands. He began by citing the beef crisis as the point at which British consumers began doubting “brands” and pointed out the irony of the media constantly reminding consumers of this and exacerbating the problem via newspaper reports and TV programmes.

The relationship between consumers, brands and the media was the purpose of Western’s PLC survey, and Ivor posed the question, “Are you a public listening company?”

PLC has 3 main objectives:- to identify and understand consumers’ brand sensitivities and brand purchases for brand planning, marketing sensitivities for creative development and media sensitivities and media usage for the purpose of media planning and buying.

100 relationship sensitivities were identified through PLC. Respondents were also asked about category performance, trust in brands and ratings for speed and quality of service, among others.

Western refers to this information as “relationship graphics” and Hussein described such data as the missing link in the relationship between consumers and brands, and stated that knowing where and why the problems lie is the field of media research, which must also be able to deliver the solution.

Report by Lucy Condon in Munich