This article was written by John Wise, VP of Cultural Insights. As far back as 1999, marketers predicted that brands would need to embrace social responsibility to win new customers. That prediction has certainly been borne out, with seventy-five percent of Gen Z viewing sustainability as more important than brand names.   This young demographic is raising the bar for what it means to be a High Fidelity Brand. With reliability, efficiency, and quality now table stakes, Gen Z is looking beyond basic attributes and seeking brands that take action to mobilize these larger societal missions. Gen Z wants to leverage its money in meaningful ways by supporting brands focused on change.   This is true even during challenging economic circumstances. Consider that 86% of Gen Z interns surveyed in the summer of 2022 by Goldman Sachs said they believe a recession is imminent and are rethinking major milestones, like marriage or children. This cautious generation of savers doesn’t want to...

Seeing your customers as people, not just purchasers, means reconsidering the depth and nature of your brand-consumer relationships. Hear from Collette Eccleston and Monica Belmaña from our Behavioral Science team to learn how comparing the science of human relationships applies to the challenges of creating high fidelity brand relationships.  Relationships are powerful: they fulfill our need to belong and can meaningfully alter the trajectory and quality of our lives. We communicate who we are, to ourselves, and to others, through the people, places, and things we connect with, as we discussed in our last article. Here, we begin to apply this relationship science to the connection between brands and customers. Yes, your brand has the power to impact the emotional and psychological well-being of your customers, but as with most relationships, there are some “red flags” that can obstruct this type of transformational bond.   Being aware of potential roadblocks to developing and...

We all know and feel the power of relationships. But why are they so valuable to us? And what makes them so important? Explore this universal pull with three dynamic takeaways integral to passionate and durable relationships from Monica Belmaña, Director of Behavioral Science.   Our lives are built around relationships: we are constantly building, cultivating, and dissolving connections. We have business relationships, intimate relationships, relationships with our friends and family, with organizations, and even with our local barista. We nurture these relationships by spending time together, sharing the things we have in common, and supporting each other through our best and worst moments. These experiences allow us to grow closer, or sometimes push us apart.  Because humans—and relationships—are at the core of our work at Material, we have an expert understanding of why and how relationships are created and sustained. What’s more, we’ve translated this understanding into a...