New consumer research from Mention Me reveals three distinct buyer profiles that influence brand growth and highlights a significant missed opportunity for marketing teams seeking organic growth.
The research shows that consumers today make product or brand recommendations on average at least once a month, with more than 8 in 10 having recommended a brand at some point. Yet the motivations, confidence levels and triggers behind those recommendations differ significantly between consumers, reinforcing the reality that not all loyalty can be activated the same way by marketers.
The three profiles identified are evangelists, opportunists and pragmatists.
- Evangelists – Natural advocates who recommend brands instinctively and without incentive. This group has a strong emotional connection to the brands they love and share recommendations frequently and with confidence
- Opportunists – As incentive-led sharers, they are willing to recommend brands, but only when there is a clear reward involved. Their advocacy is transactional and effective in the short term, but dependent on ongoing incentives
- Pragmatists – The largest and most under-activated group. These individuals like brands and want to be helpful, but will only recommend when it feels relevant, useful and socially safe. Their hesitation is about confidence, not loyalty
While evangelists are the loudest, natural advocates and opportunists are the most incentive-driven, pragmatists represent the largest and most commercially significant growth opportunity for brands.
“Marketing teams have traditionally placed the highest value on, and invested the most in, the loudest promoters with the biggest followings”, says Mention Me CEO, Wojtek Kokoszka. “But our research shows that growth doesn’t come from volume alone. The biggest opportunity sits with pragmatists; those customers who already like products but need relevance and confidence before they recommend. Brands that understand this shift will unlock more sustainable growth than ever before.”
Neha Mantri, CMO at Mention Me, adds: “This is a wake up call for CMOs. Not all customers have the same psychological relationship with your brand. Understanding the behavioural patterns of your brand’s Tru-Promoters is the next step for marketers to unlock real, organic growth. This is how teams can work smarter, not harder, making the most of existing loyalty and love that consumers hold for their favourite brands – and amplifying their authentic recommendations.”
Currently, nearly half of consumers (47 per cent) do not act on a recommendation because it doesn’t feel relevant. Pragmatists want to be helpful, not promotional, and will only share when a recommendation feels genuinely useful and socially safe.
The research cements the fact that trust still sits firmly with human recommendations. Over half of consumers (53 per cent) say they most often receive recommendations from friends and family, and 51 per cent trust those recommendations above all other sources.
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