Article Type: Mentor Branding

Are mentor branding strategies an effective way for health brands to establish stronger connections with consumers of all generations? A study by Meyocks investigated the attitudes of different generations towards the mentor branding elements of advocacy, inspiration, and value-added information.

More than 90% of all respondents say health care brands should provide value-added information. With other mentor branding elements, there were distinctions among generations.

What Is Important to Gen Z and Millennials in a Health Brand?

The majority of Gen Z and Millennials believe that health brands should take a stand on issues important to them and their customers, with 70% of Gen Z and 60% of Millennials agreeing.

Gen Z and Millennials also place more emphasis on advocacy, with 43% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials indicating that they make purchase decisions based on a health brand’s advocacy.

What Is Important to Gen X and Baby Boomers in a Health Brand?

Gen X and Baby Boomers also value mentor branding elements such as inspiring customers, advocating for customers, and supporting their interests.

However, Gen X and Baby Boomers do not place as much emphasis on health brands taking a stand on issues important to them, with just 51% of Gen X and 41% of Baby Boomers agreeing.

Less than a third (31%) of Gen X and 21% of Baby Boomers said they purchase health brands based on advocacy.

The Benefits of Mentor Branding

While there are differences in how generations view elements of mentor branding for health brands, all consumers value at least some aspect.

Explore more about this potential differentiation opportunity for your health brand strategy.

Health brands have traditionally been differentiated based on functional or experience benefits. Increasingly, consumers want health brands to do more – to provide value-added information, to inspire and to advocate for customer interests.

A recent Meyocks consumer survey yielded insights on these expectations about these elements, which we collectively refer to as “mentor branding.”

Provide Value-added Information

An overwhelming majority of consumers (91%) believe that health brands should provide value-added information with 65% saying they should provide information on how to get the most out of the product or service. Consumers also said health brands should provide tools to help them make better product or service choices (57%), education around topics related to the brand’s product or service (52%), and information on different ways to use a product or service (52%).

Inspire Customers to Take Action

More than three-quarters of consumers (78%) also want health brands to inspire them. Specifically, 54% said brands should inspire customers to be better in their life including being healthier, more financially sound, and more organized. To a lesser extent, consumers said health brands should inspire them to help others (31%), play stronger roles in their families (28%), be more involved in environmental issues (29%), and be more involved in local or national politics (19%).

Advocate for Issues Important to Customers

A strong majority of respondents (70%) said that health brands should advocate on their behalf. Advocacy involving the environment (39%) and local charitable organizations (36%) were seen as most desirable for health brands. Fewer consumers said brands should advocate for awareness of social issues (32%), national charitable organizations (30%), public policy changes (19%), and specific occupations or professions of its primary customers (15%).

Over half of respondents (53%) believe that health brands should take a stand on issues important to them and their customers. For some consumers, a brand’s advocacy influences their purchase decision, with 40% saying they would stop buying a health brand that does not align with their beliefs.

What Should Health Brands Do?

The survey results show that consumers want health brands to provide value-added information, inspire them to be better, and advocate for policies and initiatives important to them.

Learn more about how health brands can use mentor branding strategies as a way to be even more relevant to your customers.

Meyocks recently sought to understand what consumers think about food brands taking a stand on issues that matter to them. Our survey results showed that overall consumers want food brands to take a stand, though some groups agree more strongly than others.

Ethnicity

Black people and Latinos were more likely to say that food brands should take stands, 76% and 67% respectively, compared to 44% of White/Caucasians.

Geography

Those who live in urban areas were more likely to say food brands should take stands (66%), compared to 48% of suburban and 46% of rural dwellers.

Only 36% of Midwesterners say food brands should take stands, compared to 57% in the West, 57% in the South, and 55% in the Northeast.

Generation

Generations have different thoughts on whether food brands should take a stand on issues. Almost 82% of Gen Z and 65% of Millennials felt that food brands should take stands, compared to just 50% of Gen X and 43% of Baby Boomers.

What Should Food Brands Do?

Taking a stand on issues important to your consumers is one way to be a mentor brand and gain loyalty, but is it the right brand strategy for you? Of course, taking a stand involves risks. It requires commitment and a true understanding of one’s customers.

Learn more about how mentor branding could make sense for your brand.

When it comes to food brands, consumers generally agree that elements of mentor branding are important. Consumers like to see brand strategies that include providing value-added information, inspiring customers, and advocating for customers and their interests.

Certain aspects of mentor branding are viewed differently by customers depending on their generation.

Value-Added Information

All generations agree that food brands should provide value-added information about products and services, though Baby Boomers – at 88% — have the strongest agreement. Gen X and Millennials are next at 79%, followed by Gen Z (74%).

Inspiration

In contrast, younger generations want food brands to inspire. More than three-quarters of Gen Zers (76%) seek inspiration from food brands, followed by Millennials at 73%. A majority of older generations also says food brands should inspire, though that agreement is somewhat lower for Gen X (64%) and Baby Boomers (63%).

Advocacy

Younger generations found advocacy more important as well. Seventy-six percent of Millennials and Gen Z said that food brands should advocate for consumers. Both generations also led in saying they purchase food brands based on advocacy.

Should Food Brands Embrace Mentor Branding?

While consumers across generations generally agree that elements of mentor branding are important for food brands, they value aspects of mentor branding differently.

By understanding these generational differences, food brands can determine if mentor branding makes sense for their marketing strategy.

When it comes to food, consumers feel strongly that brands should engage in mentor branding activities like providing value-added information, inspirational action, and advocacy.

Our recent brand survey illustrated what issues were most important to consumers and what they expect when it comes to food brands.

Provide Value-added Information

Of the consumers surveyed, 81% said food brands should provide value-added information. Specifically, respondents felt the strongest (54%) about food brands providing information on ways to use the product or service and on how to get the most out of the product or service.

Approximately 41% of survey respondents said brands should provide tools to help customers make better choices for their specific needs while 32% would like to see food brands provide education around topics related to their product or service.

Inspire Customers to Take Positive Action

Customers want to be inspired by food brands. When surveyed, 45% of customers said food brands should inspire customers to be healthier, more financially sound and more organized.

The Meyocks survey showed somewhat less interest in having brands inspire customers in their relationships with others. A third (33%) of consumers want food brands to inspire them to help others outside of their families while 28% of customers felt brands should inspire them to play stronger roles within their families.

Advocate for Issues Important to Consumers

Customers don’t just want to be educated and inspired; in fact, 71% say they want food brands to advocate for causes that are important to them. The top cause category for advocacy, with 43% of respondents agreeing, is the environment. Close behind were local (39%) and national (31%) charitable organizations.

What Should Food Brands Do?

Consumers have high expectations for food brands beyond providing quality products and services. They want brands to engage in mentor branding activities, including providing value-added information, inspiring positive action, and advocating for issues that are important to them.

Mentor branding is a good food brand strategy that can earn you loyalty with your customers. Learn more about mentor branding and what it could mean for your food brand.

A recent Meyocks survey found that consumers think brands should take a stand on issues important to them and their customers. But the importance of a brand’s stance on issues was different depending on the demographics of the consumer.

Gender

Survey results showed that males are slightly more likely to say brands should take a stand on issues important to them and their customers. The results were close with 59% of males and 52% of females agreeing that brands should stake a stand.

Geography

The location of the consumer made a difference in how they felt with those living in urban areas feeling the strongest that brands should take a stand on issues. Just over 70% of urban dwellers felt that brands should take a stand, compared to 50% of suburban residents and 52% of rural residents.

Consumers in the western part of the U.S. were more likely than those in other regions to say that brands should take a stand. Approximately 63% of those in the West said that brands should take a stand on issues important to them.

Comparatively, 49% of residents in the Midwest, 56% in the South, and 57% in the North agreed.

Generation

There was a clear contrast in survey respondents based on generation when it came to the importance of a brand taking a stand on issues. Almost 82% of Gen Z and 65% of Millennials said that brands should take a stand, compared to just 50% of Gen X and 43% of Baby Boomers.

What Should Brands Do?

While some groups of consumers put more importance on brands taking a stand on issues that are important to them, overall, consumers value brands that are willing to take a stand. Of course, taking a stand involves risks. It requires commitment and a true understanding of one’s customers.

Learn more about mentor branding and what it could mean for your brands strategy.

Mentor branding presents an opportunity for brands to create stronger bonds with customers by inspiring them, advocating on their behalf, and providing value-added information. We asked consumers of different generations about mentor branding.

Let’s take a look at how Gen Z and Millennials view mentor branding strategies compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers.

Younger Generations Say Mentor Branding is More Important

All generations in the study felt the elements of mentor branding were important. However, Gen Z and Millennials felt strongly that brands should take a stand on issues important to them and their customers, with Gen Z feeling the strongest about this element of mentor branding. When asked if brands should take a stand, 82% of Gen Z and 65% of Millennials agreed, compared to just 50% of Gen X and 43% of Baby Boomers.

Gen Z and Millennials are also more likely to choose a brand based on their advocacy than Gen X or Baby Boomers. Approximately 49% of Gen Z and 45% of Millennials surveyed said they make purchase decisions based on a brand’s advocacy. Just 32% of Gen X and 30% of Baby Boomers said the same.

The Benefits of Mentor Branding

As these younger generations establish brand loyalties, mentor branding represents a distinct way to appeal to members of these critical target markets.

Learn more about our mentor branding research, and see if incorporating mentor branding into your marketing strategy is right for you and your consumers