WHAT THE DATA SAY: 73% of Americans consider themselves a 'superfan' of at least one brand

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking (fielded July 21-23):

WEEKLY WORRIES ABOUT ECONOMY JUMP BACK UP:

Today, 87% of Americans are concerned about the economy and inflation – up 2 points from last week and higher than December’s 82% rate.

• 81% worry about a potential U.S. recession (up 5 points)
• 79% about affording living expenses (up 9 points)
• 74% about political divisiveness (no change)
• 84% about U.S. crime rates (up 1 point)
• 72% about the War on Ukraine (up 5 points)
• 58% about a new COVID-19 variant (up 7 points)
• 57% about losing their jobs (up 10 point)

INFLATION AND AI REMAIN TOP NATIONAL CONCERNS:

Inflation is still hitting Americans across the political spectrum, and fears about AI are real, according to our most recent poll with the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University.

• 76% say inflation has affected them and their family’s finances, with groceries (49%) as the area inflation has hit the hardest.
• 60% think the inflation rate is continuing to increase even though that is not true.
• When it comes to AI, 74% of Americans – including more than 70% of each political party – think AI technology can be dangerous and that fears of it are not overblown.
• 51% of Democrats are optimistic about AI, while 59% of Republicans are fearful.
• 72% of Republicans compared with 52% of Democrats think AI advancements will mostly destroy rather than add jobs.
• 79% of all Americans want more regulations around AI.
• 62% want regulations to emerge from the tech industry rather than from lawmakers.

TOP BRANDS FLYING PAST AFFINITY TO CREATE SUPERFANS:

The renewed Barbie fascination as well as Taylor Swift and Marvel all have one thing in common: they each have learned how to unlock the power of brand fandom – versus just affinity – by unleashing “superfans.” And it’s paying huge dividends, according to the new “The Fandom Formula Report” from Stagwell’s National Research Group.

• Brand fans are 3.5 times more likely to advocate for you, 3 times more likely to stick with you even if they try something they don’t like, more willing to pay a price premium, and 2 in 3 brand fans will try a new product.
• 73% of Americans consider themselves a superfan of at least one brand.
• Top categories attracting superfans include: fast food restaurants (63%), musician/band (60%), entertainment franchise (52%) and online personalities or content creators (50%).
• 71% of superfans became so gradually over time.
• 29% say it was a singular moment that turned them into a superfan.

PREPARING FOR BACK TO SCHOOL STRESS:

Heading back to school is more stressful than ever, according to our Harris Poll survey with On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health.

• 71% of parents say their children experienced challenges last school year.
• The top factors identified by parents included safety concerns (37%), academic challenges (26%), bullying (24%), ongoing social challenges related to the pandemic (24%) and mental health challenges (22%).
• 50% of parents also feel their child(ren)’s mental health has suffered during the past 12 months because of social media use.

EMPLOYEES NOT READY FOR ETHICAL DILEMMAS:

Workplace training is failing young workers, and business leaders need to do more to empower future leaders in sustaining ethical workplace cultures, according to our Harris Poll research with AICPA & CIMA.

• 90% of U.S. and UK employees say they are familiar with their company’s code of ethics.
• 71% say they have received ethics training.
• Yet only 26% of future talent – those aged 20 to 30 pursuing an advanced degree, looking for work or working for less than ten years – found the training to be “very effective.”
• Only 24% of workers feel “very prepared” to an ethical dilemma at work.

ICYMI

In case you missed it, check out some of the thought-leadership and happenings around Stagwell making news:

• Rookie managers make nearly half of female employees want to quit
• Employers Prefer In-Person Interviews, but 40% Fold In Virtual Components
• 20 brands catching Gen Z’s attention right now
• Majority of Americans Mistakenly Believe Health App Data is Covered by HIPAA

As always, if helpful, we would be happy to provide more info on any of these data or insights. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you.