What we once referred to as “Middle America” has morphed into a more complex, more diverse, and more fractured group of consumers that are unified by their common priorities and a sense of personal empowerment. At BMDG, we refer to this group as the New American Middle, and we know how they think, what they feel, and what they aspire to. We put them at the center of everything we do, always seeking to provide them with valuable experiences that are relevant to their lives.
Through our own research, we’ve discovered an essential truth about this large and valuable audience: the New American Middle is primarily motivated by values.
the research continues to confirm that values-driven brand expression is very (29.8%) or extremely important (21.8%) to consumers.
49%
rank family as the most important value when considering personal beliefs overlap with brand consideration.
41%
41% rank respect as the most important secondary value when considering personal preferences.
50%
Almost 50% select quality as the most important purchase trigger.
25%
Only 25% don't think it's important for brands to take a stand.
80% believe it's somewhat, very, or extremely important that brands express their values and beliefs to its customers.
It means that in order for brands to be truly successful in this changed marketing landscape, brands that understand their why, their internal expectations and requirements and are able to express those externally in a way that meets the expectations of their consumers, those brands thrive.
Brand Values Identification Positioning Framework:
The New American middle is a consumer group that you no longer can afford not to speak to. This is our proven five-step process for identifying your brand’s economically sustainable path forward:
Defining the operative set of values within your category
Defining which values are core to your brand, and which values are currently being expressed though your brand’s marketing efforts
Learning which values are owned, competed over, and shared by other brands in your category
Identifying the “open space” in your category—which values the brands in your category are not currently activating around—as well as values over which there is unnecessary competition
Developing a creative blueprint and brand playbook to fill that category “open space,” while also re-directing creative away from any wasteful values competition.