Brands
77% consumers buy brands with similar values
MUMBAI: Havas Group in its Meaningful Brands 2019 report has revealed that a staggering 77 per cent of brands could disappear and no-one would care. Not only is this the highest percentage since Meaningful Brands® research began in 2008, this is a major three-point hike on the Meaningful Brands 2019 results.
Meaningful Brands is a a far-reaching, global study created by Havas Group of 1800 brands, in 31 countries, with 350,000 respondents, and which links brand performance to quality of life and wellbeing.
The report also notes that brands, which are meaningful and viewed as making the world a better place, are outperforming the stock market by 134 per cent and seeing their share of wallet multiply by 9. These brands also lock-in greater returns on KPIs, like 24 points more for purchase intent and 39 points for advocacy.
“Amid political turmoil, consumers are using their buying power to make a stand. 55 per cent of consumers believe brands actually have a more important role than our governments to create a better future. Buying today is a political act, and the power of consumers to impact change is greater than ever,” reads the report.
Havas Group chief insights officer and Vivendi SVP brand marketing Maria Garrido noted, “There is no doubt about it. Being meaningful is good for business! Our findings show that consumers will reward brands who want to make the world a better place and who reflect their values. A massive 77 per cent of consumers prefer to buy from companies who share their values. Brand activism will become a crucial part of a brand’s strategy.”
Havas Group chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré commented, “Meaningful Brands 2019 reveals that meaningful brands outperform the stock market by 134 per cent. Brands really need to meaningfully engage with their audience to drive business.”
The report also noted that there is a 72 per cent correlation between content effectiveness and a brand’s impact on personal wellbeing. However, the content from brands is falling massively short of consumer expectations. It states, “While 90 per cent of consumers expect brands to provide content, more than half the content from brands is not meaningful to consumers, drowned out by content noise, including 473 000 tweets sent and 4 million videos watched on YouTube, every minute.”
Vivendi Brand Marketing global director of meaningful insights Barbara Marx warned “Brands are missing out on real opportunities to create content that cuts through the clutter and connects to better engage with audiences through entertainment, events and other content-led activations. 58 per cent of content created by the world’s leading 1800 brands is poor, irrelevant and fails to deliver. It’s simply not meaningful to consumers.”
The report also revealed the names of top ten performing Meaningful Brands as Google, PayPal, Mercedes-Benz, WhatsApp, YouTube, Johnson & Johnson, Gillette, BMW, Microsoft, and Danone.
Retail, electronics, and food were named as the top three most meaningful industries for Western Europe. Compared to food, automotive and transport for Eastern Europe and consumer goods, food and entertainment for North America.
Brands
Safex Group appoints Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer
Former Standard Chartered executive to steer finance
NEW DELHI: Safex Chemicals has appointed Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company prepares for the next phase of expansion in specialty chemicals and global agrochemicals.
In her new role, Malhotra will lead the group’s financial strategy, capital architecture and governance framework as Safex scales operations across multiple verticals including branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing.
A chartered accountant and graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, Malhotra brings more than two decades of experience in business finance, strategic planning, corporate banking and client management.
Before joining Safex, she served as executive director, financial markets at Standard Chartered, where she led teams across India and Sri Lanka and worked closely with large corporates, global subsidiaries and commercial banking clients. Her expertise includes capital structuring, treasury operations, risk management and financial markets led financing solutions.
Safex Group promoter director and joint managing director Piyush Jindal, said the appointment comes at a pivotal time for the company. “Safex stands at an inflection point as we build an integrated platform across branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing. Richa’s experience across global financial institutions will strengthen our financial discipline and help unlock value across the group,” he said.
Malhotra said she was looking forward to contributing to the company’s next chapter of growth. “Safex has built a strong reputation over 35 years with its focus on integrity, innovation and agricultural insight. I am excited to be part of the organisation as it expands its footprint in India and global markets,” she said.
The appointment comes as Safex continues to strengthen its financial foundations and scale operations internationally, positioning itself for future growth milestones.
