Chief strategy officer Kit Altin from The Gate London, and Eleanor Lloyd Malcolm, managing director of Freemavens, shared early findings from the research alongside the Marketing Society at the Contagious Villa at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It’s based on qualitative and quantitative research from 4,000 people across the USA, UK, Germany, and France.
Why rituals matter
- Rituals are about emotional transformation, yet, magically, any behaviour can be a ritual. As long as it’s regular, long held, and about animation rather than automation. Rituals are deeply personal experiences.
- One person’s ritual, if imbued with emotional meaning, may be another’s habit – the point where meaningfulness is replaced by pure efficiency. Rituals therefore present a sizable opportunity for brands. This is especially true for treat brands – think Starbucks, KitKat or Coca-Cola, or even Guinness – although they can also form part of a less frequent ritual, such as a holiday.
- There are important guidelines, not least that a brand can only become part of a ritual if a person invites them into it.
- “Observe, facilitate, participate” is the mantra for brands exploring the ritual opportunity. Use it as a framing for understanding your consumer’s lives more richly and where you can better fit in to better support their lives. It’s powerful stuff, if done right.
The frequency of rituals
- 72% of consumers incorporate a specific product or service into their rituals at least occasionally;
- 48% have had their key ritual for more than five years, and the majority of important rituals occur daily;
- 39% feel more positively toward a brand once it has become part of their ritual.
What rituals do
- Support individuals in an atomised society: 31% believe rituals help to create the rules and constructs for living their life.
- Provide control in a world of volatility: 33% say rituals offer them structure, while 31% believe rituals give a sense of control, and 32% said they helped them de-stress.
- Meaning in an efficiency-obsessed world: 33% believe rituals exist to enhance experiences, while 24% believe that rituals give their life purpose and meaning.
“Every brand has some unique aspect of behaviour tied to it that may be considered ritualistic. What are the (hidden) patterns amongst the consumers you serve? What are they doing, how, and why? Once you know, you’re well on your way to tapping into the power of rituals”
Kate Howe, Executive Director, MSQ.
Source: warc.com
