In this episode, 8th & Walton President & CEO Jeff Clapper discusses the importance of establishing a brand’s values, particularly since Gen Z consumers are eager to purchase from brands that are aligned with their own values, beliefs, and concerns. We also discuss the role that AI can play in helping a brand communicate its values to consumers.
Lainie: A report from Salsify showed that 61% of consumers and as much as 75% of Gen Z are willing to pay more to buy gifts from brands that reflect their values. How can using AI Embed sustainability, ethical sourcing, and social impact into a brand message, and how can this create a connection with consumers?
Jeff: That’s such an interesting question. Of course. Values-based purchasing is real. If you’re faced with choosing a product from a company that treats its employees like dirt or the same kind of product from a company that treats its employees really well ,you’re probably going to choose the latter if most other factors are comparable. And like you said, maybe even spend a little bit more money just knowing that this is a company with whom your values are aligned. But to take it back to the other topic of AI and how you bring AI into that conversation, maybe it’s how you tell your story in a way that is compelling?
How do you share that on your product listings on e-commerce or on your packaging, on the shelf, any of those factors? You were asking how AI could help this effort to connect with consumers in a meaningful way? I think it could provide some interesting ideas or maybe spots that a brand has missed, but I think if you let it do too much of the work, you run the risk of, instead of creating a meaningful connection with consumers, along the lines of where you share values, you actually run the risk of a disconnect.
We’ve all seen an email where we know this was written by a robot, and it’s off-putting, right? Yeah. Now imagine if you printed that on your package, and someone reads it, and they say, “We’re good guys.” And you’re like, “Yeah, but that was written by a robot.”
Now, instead of connecting, you’ve actually led them to trust you less. I think there are opportunities to use AI to identify where the story could be told better or where you might be missing an opportunity to tell your brand’s values and story. You just have to proceed with caution to ensure humans are really behind the message.
