TION’ TION INFLA A T 01 CHAPTER 01: WE’RE LIVING IN THE ERA OF ‘EXPECWE’RE LIVING IN THE ERA OF And in the words of Queen and David Bowie, brands today are under pressure. Spiralling demands and shifting priorities mean we expect them to do and deliver a lot – from providing ever-better value and wowing ‘EXPECTATION us with new products and services to having a personality, a purpose, doing good. But that’s not all. We also expect them to turn a healthy profit whilst taking action on everything from climate change to equity and inclusion – stepping into a space formerly the reserve INFLATION’ of governments and civil organisations to make change happen. These pressures aren’t driven by consumers and conscious consumerism alone. They’re underpinned by the commercial demands 4 of investors and the growing expectations of employees, regulators 202 and society at large. This catalogue of expectations puts brand leaders in a difficult spot. How can they meet the needs of every stakeholder? What are the risks of over-indexing with one group and neglecting another? And how can they square conflicting demands to balance moral and commercial imperatives? These are the thorny questions that this study and framework tackles – and the questions that underscore CITIZEN BRANDS REPORT why this report is so relevant for brand leaders today. 04