Welcome to the Era of Belief-Based Consumption The digital era has dramatically shifted the way people build relationships both with brands and with each other. Audiences are becoming increasingly vocal about the values, beliefs, brands, communities, and people with which they identify. Digital tools have enabled people to find and connect with niche groups with whom they share a set of values, and have equipped them with the information needed to look beneath the surface and past the marketing message. Putting power into the hands of audiences who now collaboratively build, share, and proliferate their own meanings and stories with brands. This shift in how people leverage their beliefs to build relationships with one another and with organizations is ushering in a new era of consumption. The era of belief-based consumption. An era where audiences increasingly want to do business with brands that believe what they believe. Effectively creating new rules for organizations looking to build deep relationships with their audiences. For more, contact us at strategy@sonicboom.com http://beliefbasedconsumption.com http://sonicboom.com

1. WELCOME TO THE ERA OF
BELIEF
BASED
CONSUMPTION
PRESENTED BY

2. Over the past 2
years, we’ve witnessed a
fundamental change in the way
audiences connect with individuals
and brands online. They have
become more vocal about their
values and beliefs – who and what
they relate to – and about the
brands they do business with.

3. This change in consumer behaviour has
transformed the way audiences build
relationships – with brands and with each other

4. What is the catalyst for
this shift?
Digital communication tools have
empowered audiences to find and
rely on like-minded communities,
rather than branded messages, to
form opinions about companies,
products, and services.
audiences now play an
active role in defining the
meaning behind the message

5. Defining the meaning behind
the message
Whether it’s the
positive image association
of hipster culture with
Starbucks and Samsung…

6. Defining the meaning behind
the message
Or the
negative associations
of quality against pet
food sold in grocery
aisles…
Perceptions in the marketplace
are now a result of both brand
and audience-generated content.

7. meanings drive loyalty
From girls who use the Subaru brand
to talk about their liberated selves
(love for cars, driving ‘stick-shift’,
understanding and appreciating its
technology), to thousands of redditors
who chose to boycott GoDaddy for
its support of SOPA, meanings that
originate from values and beliefs drive
Through a community called “Subie Girls”, Young women have adopted the Subaru brand as
a means to show the world their liberated and savvy identities.
VS
Go Daddy lost thousands of customers when community members of reddit.com decided to
boycott the brand for its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
our loyalty or contempt for brands
and organizations.

8. how a brand is perceived is no longer
completely in its control.

9. Welcome to The era of
belief-based consumption
Where audiences want to do
business with brands that believe
what they believe.
Where there are new rules for
brands looking to build deep
relationships with their audiences.
New Balance customers ran a petition on
change.org after the Chairman donated
$500,000 to pro-Romney organization.

10. organizations MUST now CHOOSE:
Either influence and build brand perception and audience
relationships by articulating values and beliefs through
content and experiences OR leave it up to interpretation.

11. That is why the Top performing brands in the world
lead with Their beliefs and values
In partnership with Jim Stengel, Millward
Brown research found at the end of a 10 year
long research study that brands who lead
with a strong set of values and beliefs (strong
ideals) consistently outperform the S&P
500 by almost 400%. Millward Brown identified
50 key brands that lead with ideals and
outperformed the market in a given timeframe
Belief-based consumption isn’t a fad or a
trend. It is the way audiences expect to
build relationships with the brands they love.
The digital age has amplified this reality.

12. NEW RULES
F O R
B R A N D S
I N
2 0 1 4

13. The insight
gathering process
must evolve.
Ethnographic analysis is
critical to understanding
audiences.
Photo Credit: Zaqi, http://www.flickr.com/photos/xul/498810340/
Observation and
analysis of online
behaviour facilitates
a deep understanding
of the digital lives of
audiences and how
they view the
world.
It enables
the creation
of programs and
content that build a
more authentic human
connection with
audiences.

14. Engagement does
not drive relationships,
Shared values do.
Go beyond product features
and benefits. Dig deeper.
Content
needs to
connect with
audiences
emotionally.
Focus on
highlighting an
organization’s value
system to connect with
audiences through a
shared set of ideals
and a shared vision
for the future.
Photo Credit: staffan.scherz, http://www.flickr.com/photos/staffanscherz/7922246042/

15. Core community
is everything.
The most passionate consumers
must echo beliefs & values to
give credibility to brands.
Every
brand has its core
community – people
who are passionate
followers of the brand –
that will advocate for
it through good times
and bad.
It is
crucial both to
identify a brand’s
core community and
know how to engage
them to build
strong bonds.
Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley, http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/7848412058/sizes/h/in/set72157630727658254/

16. Consistency is
Not just expected –
it is demanded.
The most passionate consumers
must echo beliefs & values to
give credibility to brands.
Audiences
will know when
your actions are
inconsistent with the
brand identity you
have established.
Maintaining
consistency in
communications in
the marketplace is
paramount.
Building
credibility in
the digital age is
difficult, but
losing it is very
easy.
Photo Credit: treasuresthouhast, http://www.flickr.com/photos/74568056@N00/5992884101

17. HOW C AN W E ASSI ST YOU ?
Built on the foundation of Belief-Based Consumption, Sonic Boom’s
strategic methodology, BOND, enables organizations to understand
the values and beliefs of their audience and apply that knowledge
to build brand advocacy in the marketplace.

18. Philosophy behind bond
With thousands of organizations vying for
audience attention across communication
platforms every passing second, building
trust and relationships with communities
has become a difficult and daunting
task. Companies today find themselves
spending millions on influencer programs
that dissipate soon after completion,
rendering low continuity and return on
marketing efforts. This is because most
initiatives are implemented with little
knowledge of what audiences do online
and off (behavioural data), and almost no
understanding of why they do it (what’s
truly driving them).
With thousands of organizations vying for
audience attention across communication
platforms every passing second, building
trust and relationships with communities
has become a difficult and daunting
task. Companies today find themselves
spending millions on influencer programs
that dissipate soon after completion,
rendering low continuity and return on
marketing efforts. This is because most
initiatives are implemented with little
knowledge of what audiences do online
and off (behavioural data), and almost no
understanding of why they do it (what’s
truly driving them).
The truth is that audiences today have
incredible access to niche sources of
information and communities across the
web, which has allowed them to become
picky about where they spend their time.
We are witnessing the proliferation of
powerful niche communities such as
reddit, buzzfeed, and boingboing, where
audiences congregate due to a shared set
of values and beliefs first, rather than shared
interests (which have become secondary).
The truth is that audiences today have
incredible access to niche sources of
information and communities across the
web, which has allowed them to become
picky about where they spend their time.
We are witnessing the proliferation of
powerful niche communities such as
reddit, buzzfeed, and boingboing, where
audiences congregate due to a shared set
of values and beliefs first, rather than shared
interests (which have become secondary).

19. Sonic boom bond

20. Contact us to
learn more
www.beliefbasedconsumption.com
www.sonicboom.com
Strategy at Sonic Boom
strategy@sonicboom.com

21. THANK
YOU