• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 3, 2013

People don’t just want to buy stuff. They want to have a hand in the development and design of the stuff they buy. That’s according to a new multimarket consumer and brand study from Edelman.

The study derived its findings from online interviews with 11,000 consumers in eight countries including the U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Germany, Brazil, India and China in June and July. It evaluated about 225 brands.

The study found that 91% of consumers want participate in the development and design processes of the products they purchase. The survey found that to be the case equally in developed and emerging markets.

The survey found that roughly the same percentage of respondents (92%) want to do business with brands “that share their beliefs.” And nearly half want brands to be more transparent about how products are sourced and manufactured.

According to the study branded content isn’t high on the list of things that people want from brands—only about 2 in ten said that was something they wanted more of. Higher up on the priority list, consumers want brands to pay attention to them. Forty percent said they want brands to “listen and respond more thoughtfully,” to what they have to say.

“We now know more about how brands should be engaging with consumers and they must focus on a multi-disciplinary marketing approach,” stated Alan VanderMolen, Edelman’s president and CEO, global practices. “Marketers must evolve from a traditional linear model of focus groups that end with the consumer to one involves people at every stage.”