Consumers are prioritizing value and affordability over brands’ social or political stances
Price matters. A lot. When budgets are tight and time is limited, people spend based on utility, not ideology. What this means for your business is pretty direct: if you’re investing heavily in value signaling, branding around social causes, and advocacy campaigns, you’re likely seeing diminishing returns, unless the core product is priced right and delivers on quality.
The latest Kearney Consumer Institute (KCI) Q2 2025 report makes this crystal clear. While 68% of consumers say brands should express their values publicly, only 39% actually changed their buying behavior based on misalignment with those values in the past year. That’s a gap, a big one. Most people want brands to stand for something, but when it’s time to buy, they’re looking at the fundamentals: Is it high quality? Is the price fair? Will it last?
Consumer logic right now is simple, money’s not stretching the way it used to, and people are reevaluating every dollar. According to the report, 69% of consumers prioritize product quality, 63% look for fair pricing, and 46% value durability and reliability. Only a fifth of them factored in brand values when making a purchase. What they see instead is that shopping based on values, whether environmental, ethical, or political, tends to cost more. In fact, 80% of consumers believe buying by their beliefs is more expensive. That perception drives behavior more than intention does.
Executives need to hear this: core product performance and pricing matter now more than ever. Your brand can stand for important things, but if what you’re selling doesn’t make financial sense to the customer, they’ll pass. Product integrity wins. Flashy values-based messaging without substance just doesn’t convert in today’s market.
Katie Thomas, the lead at KCI puts it plainly: “Consumers are feeling the pinch right now, money is tighter, time is tighter, and they will shop how, where, and as it best suits them.” She’s not wrong. Your job is to meet them there, on price, on quality, on reliability. Get those right, and the rest follows.
Concern about tariffs is influencing consumer priorities toward cost and reliability
Let’s call it what it is, tariffs are changing the calculus. More than half of U.S. consumers, 51%, according to the latest Kearney Consumer Institute (KCI) report, are deeply concerned about tariffs. They rated their concern an 8 or higher on a 10-point scale. That level of pressure doesn’t sit quietly in the background. It shows up in how people make decisions, especially where and how they spend money.
The result? A stronger bias toward purchases that are safe, reliable, and deliver long-term value. When people, especially families, see prices creeping up, they stop experimenting. They stop buying aspirationally. They buy what they know works. They make fewer impulse buys and spend time comparing options with precision. In this environment, perceived stability matters more than differentiation through moral signaling.
If you’re running a business, this impacts your roadmap. Whether you’re pricing products, negotiating supplier contracts, or allocating ad budget, assume that your customer is now more financially cautious and more focused on function. You want to keep their trust, so give them a reason to feel secure with your offering. Communicate consistency. Emphasize durability. Anything flaky, whether it’s pricing, shipping time, or after-sales support, is now a risk factor, not a minor inconvenience.
Tariff anxiety signals a climate where global instability is top of mind. Consumers don’t trust macro conditions to protect them, so they’re compensating by becoming more disciplined buyers. From an executive position, this should shift how you prioritize when designing, pricing, and positioning your product mix. Focus on delivering offerings that are resilient in the eyes of a customer under pressure. If they’re worried about future costs, show them why your product saves them money now and holds its value later.
The data backs all of this. And importantly, it tells us something about public sentiment. People aren’t just reacting emotionally, they’re adjusting patterns. If your brand isn’t adapting to that behavioral shift, you’re missing where the market is heading next.
Locally made products have more purchasing relevance than other values-based attributes
There’s a shift happening, and it’s easy to miss if you’re only focused on headline trends like sustainability or ESG. Consumers are showing a clearer preference for products made locally. In the Kearney Consumer Institute’s Q2 2025 report, 20% of consumers ranked “made in country/locally” among their top three purchase considerations. That’s double the number who listed sustainability (10%) as a priority. When people are weighing value and origin, local beats green.
This doesn’t mean consumers don’t care about environmental or ethical issues. But the way those values are prioritized has changed. Local production feels tangible. Customers understand what it means if something is manufactured in their region. They assume fewer shipping complications, stronger quality control, and better economic impact for their communities. Those expectations drive trust and justify decisions at the point of purchase, especially when pricing across products is close.
From a business strategy perspective, this creates immediate action points. If you’re operating in markets where national identity or economic self-preservation is high on the social agenda, highlighting your local manufacturing footprint, domestic employment or regional sourcing can be a growth lever. The message isn’t abstract, it’s clear, direct, and easy to validate. It aligns value with perceived proximity.
Executives need to catch this early. While green initiatives are still worth investing in, their marketing effectiveness may not justify front-seat positioning if your customers are more influenced by localness. You don’t want to dilute your message with the wrong emphasis. Bring forward what people care about now. Fine-tune messaging across digital, physical packaging, and sales channels to align with what’s winning consumer trust today.
Katie Thomas of KCI summarized this accurately when she said, “We were surprised to see ‘locally made’ outstripping sustainability and brand trust among consumer priorities.” That surprise is a prompt, not just a data point. When the ground shifts, early recognition gives you the advantage. And right now, the data is telling you to show up local, then build from there.
Brands are shifting marketing strategies to emphasize value
The economics are clear, value sells. Not theory, not sentiment. When consumers are focused on affordability and dependability, brands must meet them there or become irrelevant. Companies that respond quickly are already benefitting. Look at Chili’s. By doubling down on messaging that focuses squarely on value, the brand saw a 31% rise in comparable sales. That’s not theoretical impact. That’s revenue responding to alignment with consumer priorities.
Meanwhile, many marketing teams are stepping back from social issue alignment. According to a 2025 brand safety report by Advertiser Perceptions, 21% of marketing executives reported no plans to associate their campaigns with social causes. That’s up five percentage points from 2024. What this really shows is not apathy but calibration. These leaders are reading the room. They understand that while values can help build equity over time, they’re not a guaranteed trigger for sales, especially during economic tension where consumers prioritize value above ideals.
Business leaders should embrace this pivot as rational. It’s not about abandoning purpose. It’s about matching investment to impact. Right now, impact sits with clarity: clear pricing, clear product benefits, and clear outcomes. Anything abstract, whether it’s purposeful storytelling or moral positioning, only works after you’ve won trust on performance and price.
From a strategic standpoint, this means tightening message focus across all marketing formats. The top-of-funnel narrative should reinforce essentials: what the product does, how reliable it is, and why it’s the right financial decision. Middle and bottom-funnel elements can layer in brand personality or values, but only if they support, not distract from, the purchase case.
Executives need to know where to aim. Pull messaging away from social declarations if they’re not moving the dial in your category. Focus on building campaigns that drive quantifiable results. If a values-based message isn’t producing measurable lift, and most aren’t right now, shift fast. This is a moment to execute with focus.
Main highlights
- Value overrides values in buying behavior: Consumers are prioritizing price, quality, and durability over brand activism, with 80% viewing values-based purchases as more expensive. Leaders should focus investments on delivering cost-effective, high-performing products rather than moral positioning.
- Tariff concerns reshape purchase logic: With 51% of U.S. consumers highly concerned about tariffs, there’s increased caution in spending. Executives should double down on messaging around product reliability and cost stability to reassure financially sensitive buyers.
- Local outperforms sustainability in values-based appeal: 20% of consumers rank “made locally” as a top buying factor, double those who prioritize sustainability. If feasible, brands should highlight local sourcing or manufacturing to align with current buyer preferences.
- Marketing shifts toward performance over purpose: Value-driven campaigns are driving measurable gains, Chili’s saw a 31% sales lift, while 21% of marketing leaders now avoid aligning with social issues. CMOs should prioritize clarity and product-focused messaging to capture ROI in value-sensitive markets.
