May 23, 2022
Qiana Graham
Communications Strategist

It's time to Pivot - Consumer Insight 1

This is the first of four consumer insights our RDG team has identified as situations in which brands must PIVOT to successfully reach new audiences and stay as a trusted brand with their consumers.

As the world continues to evolve at an accelerated rate, the branding world is becoming more fragmented, chaotic, and hard to follow. We predict the next couple of years will present all of us with unique opportunities.

At RDG, we continuously strive to take the pulse of the shifts that are happening in the minds and the hearts of consumers. We then embed that into every piece of work we do.

Why? Well, because we want your brand to stay relevant, profitable, and able to anticipate what’s coming next.

By keeping you informed, we can help you move in the right direction while future-proofing your brand so you can recognize and seize upon the most rewarding opportunities, both today and tomorrow.

COGNITIVE WELLBEING: MENTAL HEALTH IS OUR GREATEST WEALTH

The definition of health and wellness has shifted from being predominantly physiological to now include a higher level of focus on psychological well-being. Because of this, consumers now seek brands with benefits that connect the mind and body, choosing to invest in themselves, their mental health, and their personal happiness.

With 70% of Americans ages 18-23 reporting symptoms of depression in 2020, one could conclude brands are helping find solutions to a mental health crisis. For example, including functional ingredients in food and beauty lines is now the baseline. CBD is an expected ingredient, and interest in new substances like nootropics (cognition enhancers) are growing.

In home and office spaces, designers are increasingly being tasked with creating calming, anxiety-free spaces via the use of color, adding in natural elements like plants, and making spaces feel intimate with the use of curves.

Brands have to learn to walk a tight line though, as consumers can see through fluffy claims and bogus benefits, making them more skeptical than ever.

BE AUTHENTIC.

Your brand mission and vision must be stronger than ever. From online interaction to product messaging to internal behavior, consumers will poke through any hole if you aren’t representing your brand mission in every space.

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY.

Brand benefits should own more space on packaging than anything else, as consumers want to clearly see what wellness benefit is being delivered and will make a snap decision as to whether or not they believe in the brand. For example, use a simple statement of what the product actually does, like Basis Electrolyte Cran Raspberry Mix does with their slogan “Bounce back from whatever dehydrates you.”

ADD SOME ZEN.

Wellness brands must think of the impact they will have on consumers’ mindsets via colors, patterns, and communication. At the same time, online burnout is real and people are looking for a sense of calm, cleanliness, and zen in the design and communication of their products.

DESIGN INCLUSIVELY.

Gender-neutral design is on the rise as brands look to be inclusive of all consumers. Products are losing their distinctly masculine and feminine cues in favor of more simple, straightforward design in order to identify with consumers’ redefinition of self and mental wellbeing.

This first insight is just the beginning of what our continual consumer behavior monitoring has uncovered. At RDG, we will help connect consumer insights and be at the forefront of the consumer mindset evolution. Armed with this knowledge and a top-of-the-line team, we will work to elevate your brand above and beyond the competition by helping you pivot your brand toward the right audience, every time.

1American Psychological Association, Stress in America™ 2020