Hero, the Australian brand of condoms dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, has been revealed as the brand of choice among female consumers, according to a survey.
Conducted by market research company, Pureprofile, the survey shows nearly 78 per cent of women preferring the Hero brand over its competitors.
It also found that young women would be more comfortable purchasing the condoms than any other brand.
“Around 60 per cent of 18-24 year olds said that either themselves or someone they knew were embarrassed or uncomfortable with purchasing condoms and I think the provocative packaging of the typical condom box plays a large part in that,” said Dustin Leonard, CEO, Hero.
“It’s crazy that this is the norm, given that women makeup up to half of the overall condom market. We’ve designed HERO to be more appealing to women and our market research proves we’ve achieved that goal, with nearly 63 per cent of women saying they would be more comfortable bringing a Hero box to the register.”
The survey also revealed brands without any kind of social or environmental program are in danger of losing customers to disruptors that are part of the movement towards conscious consumerism.
It found an overwhelming preference for brands that are socially responsible and environmentally conscious, with 94 per cent of respondents saying they would switch to a brand that is associated with a good cause, assuming it had similar price and quality to the brand they were currently using.
“If Hero can create a sustainable business model around giving back to the community, then why can’t the bigger brands do the same?
“Companies that are only concerned with lining their shareholders’ pockets don’t deserve the patronage of their customers,”Leonard said.
The vast majority of Aussie women feel likewise. The survey found that more than 9 out of 10 women thought it was important for brands to be socially responsible and give back to society, while less than 5 per cent of respondents thought that businesses shouldn’t be looking at ways to reduce their impact on the environment.
Hero’s one for one mission means that for every Hero condom sold in Australia and New Zealand, one condom is donated to a developing country. To date, the company has donated 575,000 condoms to Botswana, an African country with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection in the world, and has pledged to donate 2 million condoms in 2016.
