Research and analysis

IPO counterfeit goods research (Wave 3) - Part 5 - Communications testing

Published 3 February 2023

Communications testing

Informating the communications testing - Qualitative stage

Continuing from the first and second waves of the Physical Good Tracker, the qualitative phase of the third wave (6th June – 12th June 2022) focused on potential campaigns that could dissuade counterfeit good purchasing.

Bringing together experience from the first wave (2019) in which previous campaigns were tested, and the second wave (2021) in which facts and figures on topic areas were tested, this third wave tested a combination of fully fledged campaigns together with messages that could form the basis of campaigns in the future. This will provide continuous insight on the types of messages which hold potential over time and whether there are any changes as the societal context evolves.

As in the previous waves, the qualitative Online Community stage consisted of n=64 participants, split across four counterfeit product categories:

• cosmetics, toiletry and hygiene

• clothing, footwear, and accessories

• sportswear and equipment

• electricals

Communications testing

In this Online Community, a total of 11 images and messages were tested. This comprised 5 fully fledged campaigns, i.e. designed and ready for public consumption, and 6 exploratory messages with minimal design which could form the basis of future campaigns. Participants were asked which they felt would be most effective in terms of making them rethink purchasing counterfeits, and which they felt would be least effective.

Effective images/messages

Two of the tested concepts emerged as particularly effective: the notion that counterfeit beauty products can contain anything; and the connection between counterfeit production and child labour/human trafficking.

The images revolving around the idea that counterfeit make-up can contain anything gained traction among beauty and hygiene purchasers, as well as those from other segments. Though there are some reasons for the success of each (detailed below), the overall success can be attributed to the believability and tangibility of the message – that the use of counterfeit make-up poses risks to the health and appearance of the individual. This prompted some to emphasise that the financial saving is not worth the potential damage to one’s health and appearance.

Showing the risks of counterfeit make up. Counterfeit make up can contain harmful chemicals, with risk of serious health consequences.

Showing that counterfeit products contain unknown ingredients, including those which could be harmful.

Looking at image 1 specifically, this was praised as clear and eye-catching, with the design emphasising the reality of the risk that counterfeit make-up poses and, in turn, generating fear. Image 2 was also regarded as both clear and informative. Several emphasised that they were not aware that counterfeit beauty products could contain some of the ingredients listed and the realisation brought about by the image generated disgust, with participants stating that they would never want to put things such as rat faeces and horse urine on their faces. Both images – and the message underlying them – were described as memorable in the long term.

“I think the most effective is the picture “Counterfeit make-up can contain anything”, because I find it terrible to buy some products and put them on your face without knowing what they really contain. I think it is better to not use beauty products at all than using counterfeits and risking paying money for something that can damage your skin.”
(Female, 18-24, Clothing and accessories)

“The make up one as showing that fake or unsafe products could leave permanent damage to your skin scares me into buying only the real deal.”
(Male, 25-34, Sports and equipment)

“Toxic beauty - the second one with the lady’s face as it is clear, colourful and quite striking with the simplicity of the words on what could be in the products. It definitely is better for me and more noticeable to have less words rather than more to read.”
(Female, 35-44, Clothing and accessories)

“Those which have lasting effects are the most shocking like the lady with the face and what ingredients could be in it like rat faeces! Yuck! I don’t think I would forget or have these wear off over time - it stays with me.”
(Female, 35-44, Beauty and hygiene)

“Toxic beauty - don’t really want to be spraying horse urine on my face.”
(Female, 45-54, Beauty and hygiene)

As was the case in wave 2 (2021), the relationship between counterfeit production and child labour was particularly hard-hitting. Several were upset by this reality and emphasised that they did not want to be culpable through their consumption habits. Furthermore, there was little awareness about the connection between the two. Those implicated in the example (pictured here to the right) felt it instigated a reality check about the source of the products they were purchasing. That said, one emphasised that the design could be improved through the inclusion of an image of a child in such a situation.

Poster showing sunglasses.

Connectedly, the messages that discussed organised crime and human trafficking as well as general poor labour conditions for workers also emerged as examples with potential. Though gaining less traction than the child labour image, some participants were also troubled by the idea that their consumption habits contribute to the suffering of others in these ways.

A factory set up.

A person in a hoodie in front of a brick wall,

However, even for these messages which were generally popular, three caveats were identified. First, that it was possible that messages about child and slave labour could be easily forgotten over time due to the lack of visibility of the issue in the UK. Second, official brands and businesses are regarded by some as equally guilty of such practices, and thus the message may be tainted with hypocrisy. Third and finally, some felt that the blame should be placed on those selling such products on their sites and rejected what some perceived as an attempt to emotionally blackmail consumers. This is especially significant in the context of the cost of living crisis in which cheaper products were seen to naturally be likely to attract consumers.

“The child labour campaign. Because as buyers we don’t know what is happening behind the scenes and it just makes you think that we should rethink about what we purchase and where it comes from. Poor children are forced to do labour, and this is not ethical, it makes me to rethink what and where I purchase my things.”
(Female, 18-24, Sportswear and equipment)

“Child labour would wear off as most big businesses are already doing this e.g., Nike, Apple etc.”
(Female, 45-54, Beauty and hygiene)

Ineffective images/messages

Some examples clearly resonated less than others. Namely, messages about the disappearance of the high-street, fraud and sustainability.

People walking down a high street.

A woman on the phone, holding a baby.

Entering card details into a laptop.

Someone using a laptop with binary code in the background.

Considering the disappearance of the high-street message first, the connection between counterfeit production and stores shutting down was regarded by several as unrealistic. People put forth alternative reasons for this – such as high rents and the rise of online shopping. Furthermore, it also emerged from some that the high-street is often associated with big business, for which there is a palpable lack of sympathy in the context of both the climate and cost-of-living crises. This mirrors attitudes in previous waves in which, even when the retail sector was suffering during the pandemic, empathy for the sector was not forthcoming. Even the few sympathetic to the message emphasised that the impact is stilted when considering rising living costs, since some participants couldn’t afford to shop locally and further that despite being momentarily upset, the message wouldn’t have much longevity.

“The campaign about the high streets closing will make you feel sad for a few minutes and then those pangs will disappear.”
(Female, 35-44, Clothing and accessories)

“The retail stores disappearing is least effective. It makes me feel bad, but there are plenty still remaining, and many can be bought online. These stores are part of the mass fast fashion production causing climate change so the less the better.”
(Male, 25-34, Clothing and accessories)

“I don’t like any time I’m being put under emotional pressure or gas lighted. So to say high street shops are going out of business and it is up to you to buy the goods or else these will be gone, is unfair.”
(Female, 35-44, Clothing and accessories)

Turning to the images/messages that focused on the risk of fraud and scams, this kind of message was seen as neither impactful nor memorable. Most participants felt safe online and hadn’t had bad experiences in regards to fraud so didn’t feel that these messages were the most impactful. It was emphasised that the threat of fraud was relevant to all online activities, not just counterfeits.

“Scams could be forgotten as it’s not only associated with counterfeit products, but also with many other services.”
(Male, 35-44, Electricals)

“Be Scam Aware - it is useful but seems to only be indirectly connected.”
(Male, 45-54, Clothing and accessories)

Images/messages that focused on sustainability did not gain significant traction. Though a handful emphasised that they were trying to be more sustainable, and thus felt that the message had some relevance, for many the content of the messages didn’t incorporate much detail to latch onto. Thus, though a promising topic in theory, these messages failed to bring much impact, with greater detail and more direct links to counterfeit goods required.

A make-up bag full of cosmetic products.

Trees and skyline.

Detailed insight - Ideas on how to create campaigns to prevent counterfeit purchasing

As in the previous wave, participants were subsequently asked how they would create a behaviour change campaign themselves. They were asked to consider message, tone, target audience and channel, and then finally to upload a campaign that they had designed.

Suggestions on messages

Suggested messages fell mainly into three rough concept groups:

1. The risk and impact to personal health - reflecting the popularity of this idea in the message testing element, several participants suggested campaigns that focused on health-based damage that the individual may suffer when using counterfeit products. This is particularly relevant to beauty and hygiene products.

2. The ethical implications of counterfeit production - again, this was inspired by the messages shown in the message testing section. Participants suggested making clear that counterfeit production involves child and slave labour. However, it was emphasised that care should be taken to avoid a preachy tone, and that a campaign should instead seek to inform and educate.

3. The idea that while counterfeit goods are cheaper, they are worse value in the long run due to being lower quality and less durable. This is comparable to a message which was tested around sustainability, but participants emphasised in their own creations that beyond the environmental sustainability aspect inherent to this message, there should also be an emphasis on counterfeit goods not being good value for money.

Examples of these types of consumer-made campaigns follow in the next sections of this report.

Aside from the three main concepts, a few also suggested awareness-based campaigns with messages that highlighted practical tips about how to avoid purchasing counterfeits. Others, especially when designing their own campaigns, linked the idea of originality and being “real” to authentic purchasing.

Stamp reading “Original”

T shirts showing discrepancies between a counterfeit and a legitimate Lacoste t-shirt

A board showing tips to avoid buying counterfeit products on the internet.

A hand wearing a watch.

Tone

Participants were asked to choose between a tone that focused on the benefits of buying original products, and one that focused on the drawbacks of purchasing counterfeit products.

A few opted for the inclusion of both the positives of buying authentic products and the negatives of buying counterfeits, arguing that this combination of information would prove persuasive in changing behaviour. This led participants to produce side-by-side style visuals with a focus on the efficacy of counterfeits compared with authentic products when designing their own campaigns or reposting existing campaigns which they felt were effective.

A videogame controller and a pair of trainers.

YouTube icon photo showing a woman holding make up captioned “Real vs Fake”.

Promotional poster against counterfeits.

The vast majority, however, would go for a solely negative tone. It was emphasised that the negatives are more hard hitting, and further that people are already aware of the benefits of purchasing original products, whereas many may not be aware of the negative impact of counterfeit purchasing. Nevertheless, some were careful to note that they would avoid coming across as threatening, opting for a more sincere, educative approach. In this vein, when designing their own campaign, some included statistics that they had found online. Others – focusing mostly on beauty and hygiene products - opted for a more graphic and hard-hitting approach, using images of reactions to counterfeit goods that they had found online to highlight the dangers.

“I think it needs to be hard hitting as people see so many adverts, it needs to stand out from the others for them to stop, think and retain the information they are reading. I would focus on the negatives of buying counterfeits, because this is the reality and hard hitting and would stick in people’s minds. When people are under pressure with the cost of living rises, people want to not give up their well known products, so hearing the benefits of buying original products, well I think I would feel indifferent about it, as opposed to shocked with the latter.”

(Female, 35-44, Beauty and hygiene)

“Definitely focus on the negative about buying counterfeit products. Buyers know original products are usually good products anyway but are too expensive for them to purchase. Thus, if the campaigns promote the negativity of the counterfeits, consumers will be pushed to buy original products or at least not buy the counterfeits.” (Female, 25-34, Electricals)

“My campaign would be sincere, not threatening - like the campaigns which encourage people to go ‘fair trade’.”

(Male, 35-44, Sportswear and equipment)

“I would have these images, of allergic reactions to fake products and have a banner that says FAKE - don’t risk your health!! Short and snappy is better than anything too long winded that people are likely to forget.”

(Male, 45-54, Electricals)

A product on fire.

A large scale factory and a woman holding a sign.

Infographic showing a criminal reaching out of a screen taking money and someone in a hoodie and eye mask on a laptop.

A person with red patches on their face.

A person with swollen lips.

Target Audience

Asked whether they would target their campaign at everyone or specific audiences (e.g. young or old), the vast majority opted for a mass campaign with no-specific age range or gender target. The logic behind this was as follows: counterfeit purchasing is not isolated to any specific audience, and the harms that counterfeits can pose can affect everyone. Therefore, everyone should be provided with information about the dangers and consequences.

Nevertheless, a minority opted for a campaign targeting younger people (roughly between the ages of 16 and 40). This was typically justified by the assumption that this group was more likely to purchase counterfeits, and to shop online – where counterfeits are more likely to be found. However, it was also emphasised that younger generations have more power to change things and thus that they are more influential consumers, worthy of devoting attention to.

“Everybody can a victim of buying counterfeit products so I will target everyone in society.”



Male, 35-44, Clothing and accessories)

“I would target people from the age of 15 to 35 as I think people of these ages are most likely to buy counterfeit products.”

(Female, 18-24, Clothing and accessories)

“I would target my campaign at everyone because I think it’s a message that everyone needs to see.”

(Non-binary, 35-44, Electricals)

“Young people would be my target as they are the new generation and can actually make a change.”

(Female, 18-24, Sportswear)

“The message must be targeted at all age groups because counterfeit products are used by all age groups.”

(Female, 25-34, Beauty and hygiene)

Channel

Asked to consider the optimal method for campaign delivery, participants suggested a plethora of channels. The most popular were social media platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and billboards in public spaces as it was assumed that these would enable the widest reach. Billboards were regarded as useful due to the scope for a large eye-catching visual. Meanwhile, social media platforms were highlighted as spaces that young people spend lots of their time. Furthermore, it was also noted that counterfeit shopping typically takes place online so campaign placement in digital spaces would make sense.

Many also suggested TV and radio ads since it was assumed that these would also be seen/heard by a large audience. The suggestion of the radio implies that audio messages, as well as those visual messages, may also be impactful for counterfeit behaviour change campaigns. With regards to both, however, some scepticism was voiced about whether these traditional communication channels would allow the campaign to reach younger people.

“I’d advertise on billboard, as it’s likely to be seen by a lot of people on buses, cars and passers by. Reaches people quicker.”

(Male, 25-34, Sportswear and equipment)

“I would deliver it on social media as this would reach the largest audience.”

(Female, 35-44, Clothing and accessories)

“I don’t know about TV as lots of younger people don’t watch old school TV. I also think the target group probably isn’t sitting around listening to the radio either. They have YouTube and Spotify subscriptions. Best to have ads running on the internet where the majority of counterfeit shopping takes place.”

(Female, 35-44, Clothing and accessories)

Large scale message testing - Quantitative stage

Overview of methodology

The learnings from the qualitative phase informed a second iteration of behaviour change campaign messages. Messages were tested with (n=1,500) respondents, aiming for quotas per counterfeit category of interest of 250+ and an even gender and age split. All were non-rejectors of either purchasing or receiving counterfeit goods.

The final sample achieved across categories was as follows

Beauty and Hygiene	281
Clothing, footwear and accessories	466
Sports	317
Toys	209
Electricals	267
Alcohol	198

Respondents were shown a total of eight messages and asked how likely each would be to persuade them to stop purchasing various types of counterfeit products. For the purposes of consistency, no images accompanied messages and these were shown purely in text form.

The messages shown are listed below, under a subtitle detailing the general topic each message pertained to. The messages were varied and didn’t necessarily fall into themes, but where there was overlap in the topic discussed in each, these have been grouped together.

Societal

• Message 1: “​​The majority of counterfeit goods are produced in sweatshops and in dangerous conditions with little pay for workers”

• Message 8: “Though counterfeits are often cheaper than legitimate products, the reduction in price comes at a cost. Luxury brands are more likely to produce goods in more responsible, sustainable and ethical ways meaning that when you buy a real luxury product, you are investing in better welfare for workers and the environment”

Environmental

• Message 2: “Waste products from counterfeit goods often have a worse impact on the environment because the disposal process is unregulated and waste is often dumped with no consideration for local eco-systems.”

Health and Safety

• Message 3: “Counterfeit products can contain anything, from faulty technology to dangerous chemicals, posing risks of fires in regards to poor quality flammable materials or risks to health in regards to dangerous ingredients which come in contact with skin”

• Message 4: “Counterfeit goods have been shown to contain dangerous ingredients such as arsenic, mercury, paint stripper and even traces of animal or human faeces”

Organised crime

• Message 5: “Organised crime groups have started selling counterfeit goods to help fund their other illegal activities which include people trafficking and extortion (i.e. obtaining money through force and threats).”

Impact on retail

• Message 6: “High streets around the UK are suffering with many shops struggling to survive. Counterfeit goods undermine these businesses and are changing the face of high streets”

Fraud

• Message 7: “Within the last few years, online fraud and scams have become more and more common and scammers have become more sophisticated. Purchasing counterfeit goods now makes people far more susceptible to online scams such as identity theft and fraud than in the past”

Each message was tested against the following types of counterfeit goods in order to find out if some messages worked better for certain goods versus others (i.e. participants were shown each message in turn and asked how likely it would be that this message would put them off purchasing counterfeit goods of this kind):

• counterfeit clothing, shoes and accessories

• counterfeit beauty and hygiene products

• counterfeit electrical products

• counterfeit toys

• counterfeit alcohol

The exact options put to respondents about likelihood to prevent counterfeit purchasing were as follows:

(This message would…)

a. definitely prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category

b. maybe prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category

c. be unlikely to prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category

d. definitely not prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category

e. I would never purchase fakes in this category anyway

In the following analysis, options ‘a.’ (definitely prevent me from purchasing) and ‘b.’ (maybe prevent me from purchasing) are combined into ‘NET’ likely to prevent purchasing in the future’.

Overview of messaging effectiveness

• overall, the same messages were most effective across all counterfeit goods categories

• across all categories, messages about Health and Safety performed best. This was followed by messages about Organised Crime. Societal messages about working conditions etc. followed close behind, with other themes doing less well

• in more concrete terms, the following messages dominated across each counterfeit category (i.e. were chosen most frequently as ‘definitely’ or ‘maybe likely’ to prevent them from purchasing these types of counterfeit goods):
  
  1. Message 4 (Health and Safety) - “Counterfeit goods have been shown to contain dangerous ingredients such as arsenic, mercury, paint stripper and even traces of animal or human faeces”
  
  2. Message 5 (Organised Crime) - “Organised crime groups have started selling counterfeit goods to help fund their other illegal activities which include people trafficking and extortion (i.e. obtaining money through force and threats)”
  
  3. Message 3 (Health and Safety) - “Counterfeit products can contain anything, from faulty technology to dangerous chemicals, posing risks of fires in regards to poor quality flammable materials or risks to health in regards to dangerous ingredients which come in contact with skin”

The success of Messages 3 and 4, both relating to Health and Safety, highlight the potential of a cross-category campaign centred around the idea that counterfeit products do/can contain ingredients which are dangerous to the individual.

Message effectiveness for counterfeit clothing, shoes and accessories:

The top three messages most likely to prevent counterfeit purchasing at a NET level (i.e. ‘definitely’ or ‘maybe prevent’) for counterfeit Clothing, Shoes and Accessories were Message 4 (Health and Safety), followed by 5 (Organised Crime) and then 3 (Health and Safety).

At a NET level, the least effective message for Clothing, Shoes and Accessories was Message 6 (Impact on Retail, i.e. high streets closing down), followed by Message 8 (Societal, i.e. the better environmental and ethical standards among luxury brands). However, a third (34%) said that both of these less effective messages would ‘maybe’ prevent them from purchasing counterfeits in this category.

NET likely to prevent purchasing

likely to prevent purchasing	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Message 4	Message 5	Message 6	Message 7	Message 8
NET likely to prevent purchasing	69%	67%	68%	74%	73%	62%	68%	63%
maybe prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	30%	30%	26%	22%	22%	34%	27%	34%
definitely prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	39%	37%	44%	52%	51%	28%	41%	29%

Message effectiveness for counterfeit beauty and hygiene products:

Similarly to counterfeit Clothing, shoes and accessories, the top three messages most likely to prevent purchasing of counterfeit Beauty and Hygiene products were the same as in all other categories; Messages 4, 3 and 5, pertaining to Health and Safety and Organised Crime respectively. However, in this case, Message 3 (one of the two Health and Safety messages) was slightly more likely to prevent purchasing at a NET level (i.e. ‘definitely’ and ‘maybe prevent’) (66%) than Message 5 (Organised Crime) (64%).

Again, Message 6 (Impact on Retail) was the least effective, followed closely by Message 8 (Societal), but over a quarter (27%) of respondents reported that each would ‘maybe’ prevent them from purchasing counterfeits in this category.

NET likely to prevent purchasing

likely to prevent purchasing	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Message 4	Message 5	Message 6	Message 7	Message 8
NET likely to prevent purchasing	60%	60%	66%	67%	64%	55%	60%	57%
maybe prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	24%	24%	19%	16%	19%	27%	22%	27%
definitely prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	36%	36%	47%	51%	45%	28%	38%	30%

Message effectiveness for counterfeit electrical products:

Similar patterns emerged in relation to Electrical products, with the same three messages (3, 4 and 5) presenting as the most effective. Here, however, there was essentially no difference between the three. At a NET level (‘definitely’ and ‘maybe prevent’), Message 4 (Health and Safety) was likely to prevent 61% of the sample from purchasing counterfeits, whereas Messages 3 (Health and Safety) and 5 (Organised Crime) were both likely to prevent 60%. Furthermore, 45% of the sample reported that each message would ‘definitely’ prevent them from purchasing Electrical counterfeit products outright.

Yet again, Messages 6 (Impact on Retail) and 8 (Societal) were least effective at a NET level, but as with the other categories discussed so far, they had the edge in terms of ‘maybe’ preventing purchasing.

NET likely to prevent purchasing

likely to prevent purchasing	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Message 4	Message 5	Message 6	Message 7	Message 8
NET likely to prevent purchasing	57%	56%	60%	61%	60%	53%	57%	54%
maybe prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	20%	20%	15%	16%	15%	22%	19%	21%
definitely prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	37%	36%	45%	45%	45%	31%	38%	33%

Message effectiveness for counterfeit toy products:

Message 4 (Health and Safety) was the most effective in terms of preventing counterfeit Toy purchasing, with over six in ten (61%) reporting that this was either definitely or maybe likely to prevent them from doing so. This was followed closely by Message 5 (Organised Crime) (59%) and Message 3 (Health and Safety) (58%).

Following the pattern with other categories, Messages 6 (Impact on Retail) and 8 (Societal) were least effective at a NET level. However, over one fifth (22%) reported that these messages would ‘maybe’ prevent them from purchasing. This was also true for Message 2 (Environmental – relating to the environmental impact of the waste from counterfeit products). No other messages were as likely to ‘maybe’ prevent purchasing.

NET likely to prevent purchasing

likely to prevent purchasing	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Message 4	Message 5	Message 6	Message 7	Message 8
NET likely to prevent purchasing	56%	56%	58%	61%	59%	51%	55%	52%
maybe prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	20%	22%	15%	14%	16%	22%	20%	22%
definitely prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	36%	34%	43%	47%	43%	29%	35%	30%

Message effectiveness for counterfeit alcohol products:

Unsurprisingly, given the pattern across the other four categories, the messages most likely to prevent people purchasing counterfeit Alcohol products were Message 4 (Health and Safety) (59%) followed by Message 5 (Organised Crime) (57%) and 3 (Health and Safety) (56%), while those least likely to were Messages 6 (Impact on Retail) (49%) and 8 (Societal) (51%).

NET likely to prevent purchasing

likely to prevent purchasing	Message 1	Message 2	Message 3	Message 4	Message 5	Message 6	Message 7	Message 8
NET likely to prevent purchasing	54%	53%	56%	59%	57%	49%	54%	51%
maybe prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	17%	18%	13%	12%	14%	19%	18%	20%
definitely prevent me from purchasing counterfeits in this category	37%	35%	43%	47%	43%	30%	36%	31%

The relative effectiveness of the top 3 messages across all categories:

As the above analysis demonstrates, Messages 3 and 4 (Health and Safety) and 5 (Organised Crime) - relayed below - fell within the top three most likely to prevent purchasing at a NET level (‘definitely’ and ‘maybe prevent’) across all counterfeit goods categories.

• Message 3: “Counterfeit products can contain anything, from faulty technology to dangerous chemicals, posing risks of fires in regards to poor quality flammable materials or risks to health in regards to dangerous ingredients which come in contact with skin”

• Message 4: “Counterfeit goods have been shown to contain dangerous ingredients such as arsenic, mercury, paint stripper and even traces of animal or human faeces”

• Message 5: “Organised crime groups have started selling counterfeit goods to help fund their other illegal activities which include people trafficking and extortion (i.e. obtaining money through force and threats)”

However, there were differences in terms of the strength of the potential of the messages across the different categories. As the graph below demonstrates:

• for each message, the likelihood to prevent purchasing in any category was highest within clothing, shoes and accessories

NET likely to prevent purchasing

Message 3

Category	Percentage %
Alcohol	57%
Toys	59%
Electricals	60%
Beauty and hygiene	64%
Clothing, accessories and footwear	73%

Message 4

Category	Percentage %
Alcohol	59%
Toys	61%
Electricals	61%
Beauty and hygiene	67%
Clothing, accessories and footwear	74%

Message 5

Category	Percentage %
Alcohol	56%
Toys	58%
Electricals	60%
Beauty and hygiene	66%
Clothing, accessories and footwear	68%

Impact of messaging on consumers

After the messages were tested, respondents were asked which of the answers displayed in the graph best described them in relation to purchasing counterfeits in the future. Encouragingly, around half of the respondents (48%) indicated that they wouldn’t purchase any counterfeit products in the future, with a further three in ten (28%) indicating that they will buy counterfeits less frequently than before.

buying “fake” or “replica

buying “fake” or “replica”	Percentage %
I will buy “fake” or “replica” products more frequently than I did before	2%
I will still but “fake” or “replica” products with the same frequency that I did before	14%
I will still buy “fake” or “replica” products but will do so less frequently than I did before	28%
I won’t buy any “fake” or “replica” products in the future	48%
Not applicable (e.g. I’ve never bought “fake” or “replica” products before	8%

Base: Total sample (n=1520)

Impact of messaging according to age

Over one third of each age group reported that they would not purchase counterfeit products in the future. Those over the age of 45 were between 14 and 17 percentage points more likely to say they would not purchase counterfeits in the future than their younger counterparts.

35-44 year olds were most likely to report that they would purchase counterfeits less frequently in the future, with around four in ten (38%) doing so, while those aged 55+ were least likely (24%).

buying “fake” or “replica” by age	I won’t buy “fake” or “replica” products in the future	I will still buy “fake” or “replica” products but will do so less	I will buy “fake” or “replica” products with the same frequency that I did before	I will buy “fake” or “replica” products more frequently that I did before
55+	54%	24%	9%	0%
45-54	54%	28%	13%	1%
35-44	37%	38%	18%	1%
25-34	40%	28%	20%	9%
18-24	38%	31%	19%	3%

Impact of messaging according to type of counterfeit purchaser

Those that used to buy counterfeits (lapsed users) were most likely to say they won’t buy counterfeits in the future (76%), followed by those who hadn’t previously purchased counterfeits but would have considered doing so before taking part in the research (55%). Amongst those that had ever bought counterfeits, 45% said they wouldn’t buy counterfeits in the future and this decreased further amongst current purchasers of counterfeits (29%). However, when it came to just reducing their purchasing of counterfeits, there was a little more impact here and over four in ten (43%) current counterfeit purchasers said they were likely to buy counterfeits less frequently after having taken part in the research.

Purchasing counterfeits	I won’t buy “fake” or “replica” products in the future	I will still buy “fake” or “replica” products but will do so less	I will buy “fake” or “replica” products with the same frequency than I did before	I will buy “fake” or “replica” products more frequently than I did before
Would consider buying counterfeits in the future	55%	11%	4%	1%
Has ever bought counterfeits	45%	34%	16%	3%
Used to purchase counterfeits	76%	15%	6%	1%
Currently purchases counterfeits	29%	43%	22%	4%

Key learnings from both phases of message testing

Across both stages of qualitative and quantitative research, the following key findings emerged:

Messaging content

• in this wave, messages about Health and Safety, i.e. the danger to individuals posed by ingredients and materials contained within counterfeits dominated. In both the qualitative and quantitative stages of research, these types of messages were the most commonly chosen as most effective in changing behaviour

• other topics such as Organised Crime and Societal considerations (e.g. working conditions) also did well but were less impactful

Overall trends

• the quantitative research this year showed that 48% of participants said they would not purchase counterfeit goods having seen the information in the messages tested

Message type:

• overall, both stages of message testing indicated that subjects which affect the consumer personally in relation to their health and safety are most impactful when contemplating purchasing counterfeit goods

Tone:

• the qualitative phase of message testing showed that a negative tone about counterfeits was preferable to trying to put a positive spin on authentic products. Participants felt that especially at a time of a rising cost of living, putting consumers off by highlighting the damage done by counterfeits would be more effective than trying to persuade them of the benefits of authentic products

Channels:

• regarding the dissemination of campaigns, social media platforms were seen as crucial by many, simply because it was a medium used by a high proportion of the population, especially young people who participants thought were important to target. TV campaigns and billboards were also seen as very effective channels, because they were ways to reach a broad audience, either in the home, or on public transport etc