Cynics might claim brands are just jumping on the bandwagon by pulling out of Russia in protest at the invasion of Ukraine but the overwhelming majority (88%) of British consumers firmly back the action.
That is according to a new nationally representative survey of 2,000 adults, commissioned by the IPA and carried out by Opinium.
In response to the question – “Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in what ways do you think it is appropriate for companies and brands to respond? Please select all that you feel are appropriate” – the most popular ways consumers want brands to respond are to stop doing business in Russia (60%); to stop doing business with Russian companies (57%); removing Russian products/services from their offering (52%); offering free goods and services to charities working with Ukraine and refugees (43%); and offering refugees job opportunities/sponsorships (38%).
The research also confirms a generational divide in the ways consumers want to see brands respond, in line with a separate study by YouGov, showing older generations are significantly more in favour of taking steps to penalise Russia than younger ones – 81% of over 55s want brands to stop doing business with Russia compared to just 33% of 18 to 34s.
Nearly a third (30%) of consumers want brands to speak publicly about their position on the war. This is most popular among over 55s (36%), followed by 35 to 54s (29%) and 18 to 34s (23%).
A similar number (34%) of consumers want brands to lessen their dependence on fossil fuels. This is lower among 18 to 34s (24%) than in older generations (36% for 35 to 54s and 39% for over 55s).
Meanwhile 31% of people wish to see brands help tackle wider disinformation surrounding the conflict. This is much higher in over 55s (42%) than in other age groups (21% for 18 to 34s and 27% for 35 to 54s).
Some 22% of consumers also want to see brands display the brand solidarity logo (or Ukrainian flag) across their marketing materials. This is highest among over 55s (27%) and lowest among 18 to 34s (16%).
And, finally, 15% of people want to see brands address the crisis in their advertising. This is lower among 18-34s (11%) than in 35 to 54s (15%) and over 55s (16%).
IPA director general Paul Bainsfair said: “The war in Ukraine is deeply shocking and upsetting. But it is hard to know how we, and the brands our agencies work with, can or should respond in the most helpful and genuine way. This survey therefore provides a useful snapshot of the response that consumers are looking to brands to provide and some interesting findings regarding the difference in strength of sentiment between the generations.
“At an IPA level, we hope that our small offer of free IPA learning for Ukrainian nationals and our support of wider industry initiatives may provide some help to those enduring the toughest of times.”
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