Meet your new consumer: the Honest Generation. Join this session to explore the emerging Gen Z consumer’s radically shifting expectations of business and brands and guidance on what it means for business. The headline? Gen Z prioritizes product honesty over brand purpose and thinks almost no brands are doing enough to meet their demand for sustainable solutions. Based on groundbreaking research conducted by change agency Futerra in partnership with the Consumer Goods Forum, this session will give leaders a glimpse into their future and equip them to prepare for the 2020s – the decade the Honest Generation, the climate strikers of today, becomes the Honest Majority, and the brand target audience, of tomorrow.
2. Our mission is to make
sustainability* so desirable
it becomes normal
*By sustainability, we mean brand purpose, social and environmental responsibility,
citizenship, meaningful brands and any and all efforts to change the world for the better.
12. A new era of consumers
will demand nothing less
12
Credit: Derek Torsano,Unsplash
13. Consumers are most
interested in transparency about
the products they buy.
I am most interested in
hearing about the sustainability
impacts of the products I buy.
73%Corporate
Experts
70%Consumers
Source: CGF/Futerra expert survey, July 2018. Respondents:
Corporate experts from 70+ companies in 26 countries.
Source: CGF/Futerra consumer research, October 2018.
Respondents: 3,621 consumers in 7 countries.
14. Consumers are very satisfied
or quite satisfied with product
transparency on sustainability.
Products provide the right
amount of information
on sustainability.
86%Corporate
Experts
41%
Consumers
Source: CGF/Futerra expert survey, July 2018. Respondents:
Corporate experts from 70+ companies in 26 countries.
Source: CGF/Futerra consumer research, October 2018.
Respondents: 3,621 consumers in 7 countries.
16. 60% 80% 100%
How their factory
workers are treated
How environmentally-
friendly their products are
How healthy their
products are
How safe their
products are
Are brands honest?
Perception that brands are never honest, or not honest enough, about:
USA
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 615 consumers in US.
17. Are brands honest?
57%
66%
62%
55%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
How their factory
workers are treated
How environmentally-
friendly their products are
How healthy their
products are
How safe their
products are
Millennials
USA
Perception that brands are never honest, or not honest enough, about:
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 615 consumers in US.
18. Are brands honest?
57%
66%
62%
55%
83%
82%
80%
72%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
How their factory
workers are treated
How environmentally-
friendly their products are
How healthy their
products are
How safe their
products are
Millennials Gen Z
USA
Perception that brands are never honest, or not honest enough, about:
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 615 consumers in US.
19. Are brands honest?
69%
66%
60%
56%
84%
79%
75%
67%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
How their factory
workers are treated
How environmentally-
friendly their products are
How healthy their
products are
How safe their
products are
Gen Z
Global
Millennials
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,171 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
Perception that brands are never honest, or not honest enough, about:
20. Do you think
brands have a
responsibility
to make positive
change in
the world. 98%
SAID YES
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
21. Are you satisfied with the positive change
brands are currently making in the world?
MillennialsGenZ
USA UK India South Africa
Very Satisfied
Somewhat
Not Satisfied
Unhappy
64%
6%
36%
19%
46%
7%
23%
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
16%
22. Are you satisfied with the positive change
brands are currently making in the world?
64%
6%
USA
36%
19%
46%
7%
23%16%
12%
27%
21%27% 31%
14% 12% 15%
UK India South Africa
MillennialsGenZ
Very Satisfied
Somewhat
Not Satisfied
Unhappy
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
23. Which type of brands do
you think are most honest?
30%
70%
MillennialsGenZ
42%
58%
11%
89%
34%
66%
Small business brands
Familiar, household name brands
USA UK India South Africa
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,171 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
24. Which type of brands do
you think are most honest?
30%
70%
MillennialsGenZ
42%
58%
11%
34%
66%
65%
35%
48%52%
89%
19%
81%
39%
61%
USA UK India South Africa
Small business brands
Familiar, household name brands
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,171 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
25. What you would do if you discovered
a product was NOT honest?
8%
6%
24%
44%
18%
10%
15%
21%
41%
14%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Buy it anyway
Choose an honest
alternative
Hold off buying and
do more research
Buy it, but get in touch
with the company
Not buy it
Millennials Gen Z
If a product was NOT honest about a social, environmental, health or safety issue, would you be most likely to:
Global
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,171 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
26. Please rank products based on how
honest they they are about social,
environmental, health and safety issues
25%
27%
13%
12%
10%
12%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Baby/Personal Care
Food
Phones & Tech
Household Cleaning
Beauty & Cosmetics
Clothes & Fashion
This data shows the % of each generation who choose to rank an industry as MOST honest.
Millennials
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
27. Please rank products based on how
honest they they are about social,
environmental, health and safety issues
25%
27%
13%
12%
10%
12%
32%
25%
11%
11%
11%
10%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Baby/Personal Care
Food
Phones & Tech
Household Cleaning
Beauty & Cosmetics
Clothes & Fashion
Gen Z
This data shows the % of each generation who choose to rank an industry as MOST honest.
Millennials
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
28. How much do you care about honesty?
89%
89%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Millennials
GenZ
Percentage of people ranking 7 or above on a scale of 1 (care the least) to 10 (care the most).
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
29. How much do you care, and how much
do you think brands care, about honesty?
89%
89%
66%
42%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Millennials
GenZ
Percentage of people ranking 7 or above on a scale of 1 (care the least) to 10 (care the most).
How much do you care?
How much do brands care?
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,400 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
33. 33
Millennials drove brands to be purposeful,
but Gen Z are demanding proof.
This generation were raised to question fake news,
be suspicious of secrecy and hold sincerity as sacred.
They are the Honest Generation and they don’t expect brands
to be perfect, but they do expect them to be truthful.
Photo Credit: Vincent M.A. Janssen,Pexel
37. Being honest, even about
problems, increases trust
13%
42%
45%
11%
40%
49%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Trust less
Trust the same
Trust more
Source: Futerra consumer research, June 2019. Respondents: 2,171 consumers in UK, US, South Africa and India.
Gen Z
How would it affect your trust of a brand if they were honest about a current issue they have with
a product, such as the impact on the environment or the way their factory workers are treated?
Millennials
41. 41
1. Really see them and where they’re
coming from
The largest generation yet is coming of age in a world
that is post-truth, post-privacy and highly fraught
Photo Credit: Siyuan,Unsplash
42. Scepticism is their survival instinct:
they require more than purpose; they require proof
43. 43
2. Honesty isn’t a trait; it’s a skillset
Honesty may be the next disruptor, but it requires upskilling
beyond transparency training
Photo Credit: Nicola Fioravanti,Unsplash
49. 49
Consumers are looking for evidence and consistent
results, not just a glossy marketing campaign
5. Brand purpose must translate to
product proof
Photo Credit: PublicGoods
56. 5
6
How can you build trust, which
is a key factor in success with
this generation, in a post-truth
world?
Photo Credit: Rodion Kutsaev,Unsplash
57. 5
7
Challenger brands are pushing
the edge, how can you self-disrupt
before you self-destruct?
Photo Credit: Rodion Kutsaev,Unsplash
58. 5
8
How can you counter the rise of
fake news and deepfakes with
deep verification?
Is there a third party for truth?
Photo Credit: Rodion Kutsaev,Unsplash
59. 5
9
Where are you seeing evidence
of these shifts in your own
business, experience or
personal life?
Photo Credit: Rodion Kutsaev,Unsplash
60. Notes on the research:
This research was conducted in conjunction with The Consumer Goods Forum.
There were 2000+ respondents across the UK, USA, South Africa and
India. (approx. 500 per each region).
Age ranges across markets included Gen Z (18-22), Millennials (23-38), Gen X
(39-54) and Boomers (55-73).
Please contact Emily.Viola@wearefuterra.com for more information.