Marketing in the UK vs. The EU

Marketing in UK and Europe

In preparation for an appearance on a podcast today I pulled the data for the population of the EU and compared it to the population of the UK and I found a few things that marketers in the UK should be aware of. It’s a bit ridiculous to talk about such giant datasets because no brand is ever going to target the population of an entire country or region. But in a broadly directional way, these findings are worth knowing about.

Personal Growth, Employment Security, Health/Well-Being, and Wealth are more motivating for target audiences in the UK than in the EU.

What does this mean to a marketer? The answer of course is: it depends.

If you are a luxury hotel it may cause you to stop and think about how your offering can help your guests feel like they have become a better person than they were before staying with you. How can your positioning, amenities and soft-programming feel like a Personal Growth decision as much as an accommodation decision?

If you are a bank, you might use this insight to explore how your messaging can focus on wealth creation vs. debt reduction or investments. Given how aligned people in the UK are around the value of Wealth, asking yourself how you can connect the dots between your brand and this value would be time well spent.

If you are a grocery chain, I’d advise some extra thought be given to shelf-placement of healthy provisions and products. Of course, there’s a case to be made that the unhealthy stuff may contribute to emotional health because we all need to treat ourselves from time to time with chocolate ice cream, or whatever your indulgent pleasure might be. If you did decide to feature tasty fat-laden treats in a prominent way, wrap the initiative in a warm blanket of messaging that connects these treats to self-care. That will make your efforts align with the importance of Health/Well-Being to your shoppers in the UK.

Of course with a custom Valuegraphics profile for a specific brand in the UK (or any of the other 180 countries for which we have accurate data) you’d be able to spin out very precise strategies and tactics to activate your target audience. Even so, for anyone marketing in the UK, I hope this helps you use the power of Values Thinking as you work towards your goals.