Consumers Express Concern Boycotts Will Backfire
Apr 18, 2003 8:44:30 GMT -5
Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Apr 18, 2003 8:44:30 GMT -5
American consumers split over substitutions and boycotts of French, German, and Canadian products
Second "Trade Winds" Survey Finds Some Attitudes Harden While Many
Consumers Express Concern U.S. Boycotts Will Backfire
Knowledge of French and German Brands Strong;
Americans Say Stock Selections Are Affected
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 18 /CNW/ -
The second in a series of
comprehensive surveys exploring American attitudes toward international
products and companies since the start of the war with Iraq indicates that
consumer sentiment is divided on the question of whether to boycott or
purchase substitutes for products associated with countries which publicly
opposed U.S. policy in Iraq. Released today, the "Trade Winds II" telephone
survey of 1,000 adult Americans was conducted April 8-12 by Wirthlin
Worldwide, a research and consulting company, and Fleishman-Hillard
International Communications.
"Attitudes of many Americans toward French, German, and Canadian brands
have hardened in the three weeks since the first Trade Winds survey," said
Linda Smith, Regional Director and Senior Partner, Fleishman-Hillard Canada.
"Despite the progress we've seen in the war over the past three weeks, the
number of Americans who say they are more likely to boycott these products has
grown while the number who say they'll seek substitute products has remained
steady."
"At the same time, many Americans seem to be adopting a 'let bygones be
bygones' attitude toward French, German, and Canadian companies," said Dee
Allsop, CEO of Wirthlin Worldwide, which conducted the survey. "In the first
Trade Winds survey, about 30 percent of Americans expressed skepticism about
punishing these companies by saying they are actually "less likely" to boycott
French, German, or Canadian products. Only three weeks later, about 45 percent
of Americans adopt this view."
- Good News For French And German Companies?
While French and German companies may be tempted to take solace in the
fact that a growing number of Americans now say they are less likely to
participate in boycotts, there is less comfort here than meets the eye. The
survey also found the number of boycott-inclined consumers to be increasing.
Moreover, the French and German brands, in particular, tend to be luxury
brands, and the Trade Winds surveys indicate that boycott-inclined consumers
tend to be white, mid- to upper-income, more highly educated, GOP, and
conservative. This profile is similar to the profile of higher-income luxury
brand buyers.
- Consumer Sentiments Are Also Affecting Investment Decisions
Trade Winds II covered new ground, asking Americans "if you were buying
stocks now, how much influence would the fact that a company is French,
German, or Canadian have on your decision whether or not to purchase that
stock?" A majority (55 percent) says "a great deal" or "some" influence, split
evenly between the two choices, while 25 percent say "no influence at all."
- Is Marketplace Behavior Changing?
Trade Winds II also explored the extent to which consumers have actually
purchased substitutes for French, German, or Canadian products. Almost 10
percent of Americans say they have found substitutes for a German or Canadian
product they previously had purchased; 15 percent say the same of French
products. The depth of sentiment against these countries' products is
suggested by the fact that 63 percent of those who say they have purchased
substitutes also say they expect to continue to do so for "two years or more."
Only 3 percent answered "less than three months." For these consumers, the
selection of alternative products appears to be permanent.
- How Brand-Savvy Are American Consumers?
The first Trade Winds survey, which asked respondents to volunteer the
names of French and German brands they knew to be in the U.S. market, found
Americans' awareness of these brands to be limited. The Trade Winds II survey
presented a list of brands and asked Americans to name the country they
identify with each brand. Asking the question in this way demonstrated that
Americans have much greater awareness of brand "nationality" than the first
survey indicated, although there is still a good deal of confusion with some
brands. For example:
French brands
-------------
- 80 percent recognize Perrier as French
- As did 62 percent for Christian Dior
- 60 percent for Evian
- 48 percent for Peugeot
- 41 percent for Lancome
- 45 percent say Yoplait is French (but it's actually owned by General
Mills)
- 64 percent say Grey Poupon is French (it's U.S.) and 29 percent say
French's mustard is French (it's also U.S.)
- 43 percent say Michelin is a U.S. firm (23 percent are correct that
it's French)
- 78 percent say Universal Pictures is a U.S. company (it's owned by
the French firm Vivendi)
German brands
-------------
- 87 percent recognize Volkswagen as German
- As do 76 percent for Mercedes Benz
- 70 percent for BMW
- 58 percent for Audi (16 percent say it is French)
- 56 percent for Krupp
- 47 percent for Braun
- 31 percent say Siemens is U.S. (24 percent are correct that it's
German)
- 42 percent say Saab is German (it's formerly Swedish now owned by
General Motors)
- 55 percent say Bayer is U.S. (20 percent are correct that it's
German)
- 70 percent say Heineken is German (it's Dutch)
Canadian brands
---------------
- 79 percent took the hint and say that Canadian Club is Canadian (it's
distilled and bottled in Canada but U.K.-owned)
- 68 percent did likewise and say Canada Dry is Canadian (it's also
U.K.-owned)
- 49 percent recognize Moosehead as a Canadian beer but only 30 percent
say Molson is Canadian (25 percent say it is German) and 37 percent
say Labatt's is French (24 percent identify it correctly as Canadian)
- Bombardier (manufacturer of LearJet and Ski-doo) is recognized by
only 12 percent as Canadian (25 percent say French, 15 percent say
U.S. and 14 percent say German)
Second "Trade Winds" Survey Finds Some Attitudes Harden While Many
Consumers Express Concern U.S. Boycotts Will Backfire
Knowledge of French and German Brands Strong;
Americans Say Stock Selections Are Affected
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 18 /CNW/ -
The second in a series of
comprehensive surveys exploring American attitudes toward international
products and companies since the start of the war with Iraq indicates that
consumer sentiment is divided on the question of whether to boycott or
purchase substitutes for products associated with countries which publicly
opposed U.S. policy in Iraq. Released today, the "Trade Winds II" telephone
survey of 1,000 adult Americans was conducted April 8-12 by Wirthlin
Worldwide, a research and consulting company, and Fleishman-Hillard
International Communications.
"Attitudes of many Americans toward French, German, and Canadian brands
have hardened in the three weeks since the first Trade Winds survey," said
Linda Smith, Regional Director and Senior Partner, Fleishman-Hillard Canada.
"Despite the progress we've seen in the war over the past three weeks, the
number of Americans who say they are more likely to boycott these products has
grown while the number who say they'll seek substitute products has remained
steady."
"At the same time, many Americans seem to be adopting a 'let bygones be
bygones' attitude toward French, German, and Canadian companies," said Dee
Allsop, CEO of Wirthlin Worldwide, which conducted the survey. "In the first
Trade Winds survey, about 30 percent of Americans expressed skepticism about
punishing these companies by saying they are actually "less likely" to boycott
French, German, or Canadian products. Only three weeks later, about 45 percent
of Americans adopt this view."
- Good News For French And German Companies?
While French and German companies may be tempted to take solace in the
fact that a growing number of Americans now say they are less likely to
participate in boycotts, there is less comfort here than meets the eye. The
survey also found the number of boycott-inclined consumers to be increasing.
Moreover, the French and German brands, in particular, tend to be luxury
brands, and the Trade Winds surveys indicate that boycott-inclined consumers
tend to be white, mid- to upper-income, more highly educated, GOP, and
conservative. This profile is similar to the profile of higher-income luxury
brand buyers.
- Consumer Sentiments Are Also Affecting Investment Decisions
Trade Winds II covered new ground, asking Americans "if you were buying
stocks now, how much influence would the fact that a company is French,
German, or Canadian have on your decision whether or not to purchase that
stock?" A majority (55 percent) says "a great deal" or "some" influence, split
evenly between the two choices, while 25 percent say "no influence at all."
- Is Marketplace Behavior Changing?
Trade Winds II also explored the extent to which consumers have actually
purchased substitutes for French, German, or Canadian products. Almost 10
percent of Americans say they have found substitutes for a German or Canadian
product they previously had purchased; 15 percent say the same of French
products. The depth of sentiment against these countries' products is
suggested by the fact that 63 percent of those who say they have purchased
substitutes also say they expect to continue to do so for "two years or more."
Only 3 percent answered "less than three months." For these consumers, the
selection of alternative products appears to be permanent.
- How Brand-Savvy Are American Consumers?
The first Trade Winds survey, which asked respondents to volunteer the
names of French and German brands they knew to be in the U.S. market, found
Americans' awareness of these brands to be limited. The Trade Winds II survey
presented a list of brands and asked Americans to name the country they
identify with each brand. Asking the question in this way demonstrated that
Americans have much greater awareness of brand "nationality" than the first
survey indicated, although there is still a good deal of confusion with some
brands. For example:
French brands
-------------
- 80 percent recognize Perrier as French
- As did 62 percent for Christian Dior
- 60 percent for Evian
- 48 percent for Peugeot
- 41 percent for Lancome
- 45 percent say Yoplait is French (but it's actually owned by General
Mills)
- 64 percent say Grey Poupon is French (it's U.S.) and 29 percent say
French's mustard is French (it's also U.S.)
- 43 percent say Michelin is a U.S. firm (23 percent are correct that
it's French)
- 78 percent say Universal Pictures is a U.S. company (it's owned by
the French firm Vivendi)
German brands
-------------
- 87 percent recognize Volkswagen as German
- As do 76 percent for Mercedes Benz
- 70 percent for BMW
- 58 percent for Audi (16 percent say it is French)
- 56 percent for Krupp
- 47 percent for Braun
- 31 percent say Siemens is U.S. (24 percent are correct that it's
German)
- 42 percent say Saab is German (it's formerly Swedish now owned by
General Motors)
- 55 percent say Bayer is U.S. (20 percent are correct that it's
German)
- 70 percent say Heineken is German (it's Dutch)
Canadian brands
---------------
- 79 percent took the hint and say that Canadian Club is Canadian (it's
distilled and bottled in Canada but U.K.-owned)
- 68 percent did likewise and say Canada Dry is Canadian (it's also
U.K.-owned)
- 49 percent recognize Moosehead as a Canadian beer but only 30 percent
say Molson is Canadian (25 percent say it is German) and 37 percent
say Labatt's is French (24 percent identify it correctly as Canadian)
- Bombardier (manufacturer of LearJet and Ski-doo) is recognized by
only 12 percent as Canadian (25 percent say French, 15 percent say
U.S. and 14 percent say German)