Consumers Seek Social Conscience & Generosity In Brands: Report

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J. Walter Thompson Middle East and Africa has outlined 10 macro trends for MENA that according to them will have a significant impact in 2015 and beyond. The JWTIntelligence report is based on a survey of over 1,000 adults throughout the Middle East spanning over markets like Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Lebanon.

Outlining trends that will be crucial for marketers, the report highlights how consumers demand transparency and social responsibility from brands along with mixing up of long-held traditions.

The 10 Trends include:

Benevolent Brands: As corporate distrust and contempt levels rise, MENA consumers are opting for brands and companies that show them empathy, social conscience and generosity.

Caring Tech: The proliferation of data on everything from health to finance is leaving people paralyzed for choice. However, with information architecture becoming all the more sophisticated, brands can now prescribe personally crafted solutions.

Generation B-Old: As the Middle East population grows older than it’s ever been, the Arab world is on the cusp of a demographic transition. Watch for a proliferation of products and services catering to this tenacious demographic as they strive to live independently.

Retail Rivalry: The crowd economy is gearing up, disrupting retail as we know it. As everyone becomes a retailer, brands must become increasingly imaginative about where, how and when they sell their goods.

Mashing Up Tradition: MENA Millennials are ushering in new social norms with an “anything goes” attitude and a new mindset that is open to alternative ideas. People are now mashing up long held traditions with a mix of new flavors, creating their own recipe of what feels right to them.

Bil 3arabi: We’ve entered an era where Arabic has officially regained its “cool” factor. New language systems, words and methods of communication are emerging, as people hunger for content in their mother tongue.

Nifty Naturals: Ever more aware of toxic lifestyles, the “worried well” are turning to natural alternatives as they attempt to preserve their health, wellness and balance. Brands and retailers must rethink their position and ingredient funnels in the new natural marketplace.

Rise of the Incognito: Forget FOMO! A growing segment of people are reclaiming their privacy and shrouding themselves in anonymity, reveling in the curiosity they’re evoking by evading the masses.

Everyday Extreme: Bogged down by mediocrity in a world where everything feels so déjà vu, people are increasingly walking on the wild side. “Risky business” is taking on a positive meaning, as the extreme version of anything is now widely assumed to be an improvement on the original.

Buying Betterment: Plagued by a constant battle between their consumerist impulses and moral intention, Arabs are trading in mindless indulgences for a more considered approach to living, seeking out purchases with less negative impact or with a more sustainable effect on both themselves and their societies.

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