40 Percent of Consumers Talk About Their Favorite Brands
Four in ten adults voluntarily share brand preferences and opinions with friends and family, according to the latest JustAsk! research by Crowd Science.
Those ages 30 to 49 are the most influential in sharing brand opinions, with 50 percent of them providing recommendations and sharing preferences with people they know, compared to 42 percent of those younger than 30 and 40 percent of those older than 50. Similarly, among those aged 30 to 49, 27 percent are sought by others to provide their opinions on brands; versus 22 percent of those younger than 3-and 16 percent of those older than 50.
Consumers with higher incomes also show more influence when it comes to evangelizing brands. Forty-seven percent of those earning more than $50,000 a year often tell friends and family about brands that they like or dislike, 5 percentage points higher than those earning less than $50,000. Twenty-eight percent of those with incomes of more than $100,000 agreed with the statement "People regularly ask my opinion about brands", 10 percentage points higher than those who earn less than $50,000, and 5 percentage points less than those earning $50,000 to $90,000.
Just 8 percent of respondents admitted to following brands on social media,. However, using social media to follow favorite brands is slightly more popular for younger age groups, with 10 percent of those younger than 30 and 9 percent of those ages 30-49 following brands on social channels like Facebook and Twitter. Conversely, just 5 percent of those older than 50 report following brands on social media.
The proportion of those agreeing that they "regularly follow brands on social media" was higher in households with children (11 percent) compared to those without (6 percent), indicating children might influence a family's level of engagement and preference when it comes to particular brands.
Of those who participated in the Crowd Science survey, 38 percent say they stick with a particular brand once they find one they like. This proportion was consistent across both males and females. However, brand loyalty differs across age groups, with brand loyalty being highest among those ages 30-49 (42 percent agreeing "when I find a brand I like, I stick with it"). Brand loyalty is lowest for those younger than 30, with 33 percent indicating they would stick to a brand they like, as compared to 38 percent for those older than 50. Furthermore, 24 percent of those younger than 30 report that "they always like to try different brands" compared with just 15 percent of those older than 30.
Brand affinity is more common among males in the Crowd Science study, with greater numbers agreeing they are willing to pay more for a brand they trust, or that they only buy brand name products when they shop: 13 percent of males agreed they only buy brand name products and services, compared to just 8 percent of females.
Consumers with high affinity for a particular brand often demonstrate a personal connection to them. 16 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement "The brands I use say a lot about who I am", with males slightly more likely to agree compared to females (17 percent male vs. 15 percent female).