© 2024 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Are You A Belief-Driven Buyer?

code poet from flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0: http://bit.ly/2XsKCzL

Consumers are increasingly loyal to brands that take a stand, as long as it falls in line with their own. How are people influenced by their beliefs when choosing where to spend money?

More and more people are becoming "belief-driven buyers," according to a recent report, who "will choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based on where it stands on the political or social issues they care about."

Brands are responding to the growing number of belief-driven buyers. NikeGillette and Dawnare just a few examples of brands appealing to consumer values in their ads. 

The topic of conscious consumerism has been at the forefront of conversation lately in San Antonio, in response to controversy over City Council's vote to drop Chick-Fil-A from an airport concessions contract.

District 1 representative Roberto Trevino and other members voiced concerns about the fast food company's financial support for organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights. It quickly became the narrative that city leaders had rejected Chick-Fil-A solely for moral reasons — a story that made national headlines and caused many people to evaluate their position on supporting the establishment.

What is the potential risk versus reward of a brand taking a stand, whether through advertising, donations or even the personal opinions of its CEO?

Do you support certain brands for moral or ethical reasons? Are you more loyal to brands that align with an issue, ideology or practice you support? Do you avoid brands that are out of step with your beliefs?

Guests:

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 210-614-8980, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet at @TPRSource. 

This interview aired on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.

Stay Connected
Kim Johnson is the producer for Texas Public Radio’s live, call-in show The Source. She is a Trinity University alum with bachelor’s degrees in Communication and Spanish, and a Master of Arts Degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.