Here’s The Point: Social Pressure Can Have Upside
Today’s consumers are more “socially” aware than past consumers, and they are more interested in purchasing from organizations that support their beliefs. Corporations should recognize this and create value by proactively addressing social concerns and pressures. The monitoring of social advocacy groups should be included in a corporation’s larger initiatives to develop new growth platforms.
Although corporations spend a large amount of time and money conducting research among consumers and competitors, many fail to consider the viewpoints of social critics in their analysis of growth strategies and new initiatives. Social critics often create a “social pressure” that is overlooked, but instead, these social pressures should be examined for potential new opportunities and tactics.
“A social pressure is an external force created by a person or group of people that aims to affect business practices in a way that supports their cause. This influence causes corporations to consider actions and behavior they may not otherwise take into account.” They typically begin on small scale and enter the mainstream population as they grow. What was once a single person’s perspective, is adopted and shared by a social advocacy group.
Case studies discussing Starbucks and Google are also included in this article.