Audrey Chee-Read
Principal Analyst
Author Insights
Blog
The Consumer Does Not Need To Be Part Of Every Business Decision
As Forrester’s consumer behavior analyst, I’m going to say something controversial: The consumer does not need to be a part of every business decision. There’s no shortage of supply or demand for consumer insights. In fact, the pandemic supercharged market research capabilities to create more efficient and cost-effective platforms and tools to gather those insights. […]
Blog
Inclusive Advertising Requires A Process, Not Just People
While the conversation and action around diversity, inclusivity, and belonging spiked in 2020, CMOs still struggle with inclusive advertising practices. Three core challenges are involved: 1) receiving backlash if the advertising “gets it wrong”; 2) seeing inclusivity in advertising as a “check the box” task; and 3) using inclusivity for PR instead of authentic representation. […]
Blog
Trust In 2023 Is Essential For Business Growth
Forrester’s extensive research into global consumers’ trust has been tracked annually since the beginning of the pandemic. Our data shows that a consumer’s level of trust in a company drives revenue-generating behaviors such as the likelihood to purchase again, preference for a company over competitors, trial of unrelated products, and propensity to share personal data. […]
Blog
Lessons Learned From Bud Light’s Marketing Blunder
In early April, Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light brand saw itself caught in a culture war fiasco. For its NCAA March Madness activation, the beer brand partnered with popular TikTok trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a one-time giveaway. This led to an uproar on social media — initially from conservative voices including musicians Kid Rock and Travis […]
Blog
The COVID-19 Global Health Emergency Has Ended, But These Three Consumer Behaviors Aren’t Changing
On Friday, May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency. While it will keep its status as a pandemic, this new declaration is a long-awaited milestone. The COVID-19 pandemic is the first of its scale to have affected and influenced consumer behavior across the globe at a time when […]
Blog
Less Is More When It Comes To Launching New Innovation
Brands are now putting more of a focus on determining priorities than before, due to a confluence of factors: the continual threat of a recession; post-pandemic volatility with businesses; and what Meta is calling the “Year of Efficiency” across not just how companies are organized but also in how they think of their overall business, […]
Blog
Revenge Spending Meets Increased Credit Card Debt For Younger Consumers
Revenge spending, financial avoidance, and impulse buying are just a few financial behaviors of Gen Z consumers that may seem beneficial to companies in the short term but have disadvantageous consequences in the long run. In Q4 of 2022, credit card balances reached $986 billion, surpassing the pre-pandemic record of $927 billion. When digging into […]
Blog
For US Consumers, The Pandemic Is Going, But Not Gone
All signs point to the COVID-19 pandemic being fully behind us: The Biden administration’s COVID-19 national public health emergency protocols are set to end on May 11; consumers’ comfort in pre-pandemic activities, such as going to a concert or a museum, is increasing over time; and while travel is starting to recover, the lack of […]