Huddle 2021: Is marketing for good, good marketing?

At Huddle 2021, we explored the provocation; is marketing for good, good marketing? 

Last year we held our 11^th annual Huddle, with a theme centred around ‘Good Growth’ following the launch of our new brand positioning. The two-day event focused on two interlocking ideas: how to build enduring, responsible good growth and, by doing so, create a more sustainable, regenerate world. 

We ran over 40 sessions with industry guest speakers, along with a few famous faces and looked at how media and marketing communities can embrace the idea and principles of good growth for themselves, effecting business outcomes while also making a positive impact on the world.  

For one of the sessions, we were joined by panel guests - senior research manager, Sophia Field (who recently commissioned Channel 4’s recent study ‘Marketing for Good 2’) and Clare Peters, Channel 4’s client sales and comms partner, to discuss is marketing for good, good marketing?  

The half an hour session saw the panel discuss Channel 4’s second wave of research ‘Marketing for Good’, which delves into the broader topic of purpose marketing, as well as sharing their recent insights and experiences, and practical actions for brands considering good growth. 

The intention vs action gap 

The discussions around the pandemic, Brexit, the climate crisis, and the Black Lives Matter movement to name only a few has meant that consumers are now engaged with social issues more than ever according to Channel 4’s new study - something that is also mirrored in Mindshare’s own Reality Check 2022 research launched at Huddle. The session provided a look into what we as consumers now expect from the brands we choose to engage with and the importance of them being a force for good in this world. 

However, the panel also discussed how our intentions and actions do not always correlate despite a clear shift in public opinion around these social issues, and that price and quality is still a primary driver for many consumers. Our Reality Check 2022 research also found this to ring true, with many concerned with price as a driving factor for purchasing, with only a third (31%) saying they had recently stopped buying products from brands because they didn’t agree with their values. 

Fear of messing up 

When it comes to brands, our panellists argued that while the intention for change may be innate, there’s a fear of messing up, rather than missing out. 

They discussed that some brands are setting the purpose bar too high or believe that their entry point involves them making a real, impactful stand right from the get-go. However, this often puts some brands off from making that first initial leap forward. They argued that there’s a spectrum of intent, and it’s about encouraging brands to enter at whatever point they see fit.  

“The idea that most of us are doing it imperfectly, is better than a few of us doing it perfectly”, says Sophia Field, Channel 4 senior research manager. 

To watch the ‘Is marketing for good, good marketing?’ discussion in full from Huddle, or any of the other incredible sessions across the two days, you can do so here on the Mindshare website.