Why Brands Need To Listen To Changemakers

Global consultancy The Akin spells out the benefits of engaging with the influencers of society

- The Akin

A changemaker has many names: early adopter, progressive consumer, influencer or even hipster. It is the powerful, consumer group that drives change. If a brand gains advocacy with this group then it won’t be long until the mass market follows.

However, this group is also the hardest to understand. It evolves constantly and sometimes in no logical manner. It remixes its identities depending on mood, environment and even time of day. For this reason, the best way to define change makers is by their attitudes and values. Understanding this is key to any brand wanting to engage with them.

Our annual Changemaker Report, which we have been doing for two years, explores this growing consumer group. Based on robust data from eight countries and 1,800 individuals, it provides a moment to stop, assess and define cultural shifts as well as track the creation of movements. Whether these movements are caused by a tweet from Kanye, a Netflix documentary, a lyric or a piece of art, they always stem from change making. The following attitudes demonstrate the ways this group are living now and how this will develop in the future.

AMBI

Living in an uncertain world has mutated changemakers’ attitudes. Many have mixed feelings and contradictory ideas, becoming walking idiosyncrasies and, therefore, living in a state of ambivalence. Acceptance of difference is an integral part of the changemaker DNA, with 68 percent saying their identity is formed by experiencing cultures different to their own. As these cultural ideas permeate, flexibility in overcoming contradictions is needed. Changemakers know this, with 92 percent saying that flexibility is important to them. This is both positive and progressive. By being flexible in their beliefs, they are blurring divisions and populating the grey, middle area.