How stigma is defining the new normal

Room 3 | 9:00 am - 9:30 am | Monday, March 27, 2023

Stigma is a mark or disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person. Generally, stigma is discussed in the context of mental health. However, stigma is impacting far more industries. This can range from the tobacco industry to adult entertainment to adult incontinence to hearing aids and perhaps even in online dating.

And there are signs that stigma is not only associated with mature industries, but it can also be built into new and emerging industries as well.

Given this, as insights professionals, who are experts in understanding human empathy and realize the value of storytelling, are we equipped to unpack the impact of stigma across so many industries and brands?

This presentation is intended to spark this conversation via the examples shared, and offer a preliminary framework on how leveraging empathy, with behavioral science can offer a potential pathway for brand growth.

Finally, this presentation will also make a call to action to the market research industry challenging ourselves to question if our capabilities for recruiting consumers, and asking the right questions are truly sufficient in helping us deliver what’s truly needed.

Key takeaways:

1. Given incidence rates are low for categories that are addressing stigma, how will companies step up in their ability to recruit respondents?
2. When will market research companies offer support in developing empathy frameworks to enable brands to learn about stigma, and how to overcome these barriers?
3. Are we asking the right questions with the right scales in our quantitative surveys or even asking the right questions qualitatively when speaking to respondents who are dealing with stigma?

Case Study Consumers Presentation by Supplier