Companies will see an increasing requirement to educate consumers on their products, says The Chartered Institute of Marketing, following a recent survey.
The research, which took place in December 2004 and was administered by Capibus on CIMís behalf, researched the opinions of 1000 adults on the statement íCompanies should educate consumers on how to use their products responsiblyí. 35% felt that companies should educate their customers, with only 10% of adults disagreeing with the statement. The majority (54%) did not have a strong opinion either way.
The agreement rose quite significantly with nearly half (44%) of higher-income respondents believing that companies should educate consumers. Those in the íAí social group ranking also felt strongly, with half (49%) agreeing with the statement. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in agreement depending on whether the respondent had children or not.
These findings highlight the need to communicate with consumers about responsible use of products such as junk food and alcohol, says David Thorp, Insights Manager at CIM.
The research takes the argument one step on from the UK Governmentís White Paper íChoosing Healthí, which makes the point that although a lot of information is listed on packaged and processed foodstuffs, most consumers donít actually understand what it means. The government aims to have a traffic light system in place that consumers can use to help them understand how foodstuffs might fit into a healthy balanced diet by the middle of 2005.
We believe that, as media coverage and government legislation on junk food advertising and the like increases, many more adults will require better education on the responsible use of some products, comments Thorp. It is up to marketers to take on this challenge and self-regulate - or risk harsher regulation from the government.
The survey helped shape thinking for the new CIM paper íNew Yearís Revolution: Morality in Marketingí which can be viewed at
Companies will see an increasing requirement to educate consumers on their products
says The Chartered Institute of Marketing, following a recent survey
