'Culturalisation' key to engagement - VML's GenAsia™ 2014

Consumers’ concerns about the erosion of cultural identity necessitates a new ‘Culturalisation’ approach to marketing communications, according to latest findings from VML Qais’ GenAsia™ 2014 pan-regional research.

This year’s wave of GenAsia™ found that 75% of 36-60 year olds and 70% of 18-35 year olds in India, fear for the ongoing erosion of traditional values.
Conducted by VML Qais, GenAsia™ is the world’s largest attitudinal study on connected Asians. The study includes 34,000 respondents across 10 Asian markets. In 2014, the study looks into the 36-60 year-old segment (Power) adding to insights already collated for the 18-35 (Potential) demographic. In India, the study covers 2,000 respondents in 5 major cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh.

The study uncovered that 72% of 36-60 year olds, and 77% of 18-35 year olds like living in a world that is flat and imbibing from other cultures, however, there is a strong sense that development equals sameness. A surprising 77% of 18-35 year olds try to preserve cultural connections through family values. 

Indians are seeking a sense of identity and relevance, of ‘here’ rather than ‘anywhere’, rejecting the global homogeneity that too many are embracing. The ‘world-wide vanilla’ approach to everything represents a missed opportunity when so many consumers are craving relevance based upon cultural values.

At the same time, they are open to leanring from the world and adopting world formats, as long as they have a hint of their “own” in them. “This insight needs global brands looking to connect with Indian consumers to think differently. It is a new approach to marketing communications that we call ‘Culturalisation.’ This need to be able to talk to a generation’s cultural identity is what brands need to think about, instead of endless discussions around Globalisation versus Localisation,” explains Tripti Lochan, CEO of VML Qais.

Findings showed that despite the generation gap between Potential and Power, both agreed but from very different directions. The older ‘Powers’ were raised with advertising that encouraged them to aspire to ‘international’ ideals, the younger ‘Potentials’ increasingly seek their own cultural place in the world.

The study was launched in Mumbai with a spirited panel discussion on how Culturisation is affecting women in India and their attitudes to multiple categories of beauty, love, communication, career and fashion, given the findings: 74% women think that being in a marriage is only worth it if one is happy and 59% think love is over rated, marriages are about compromise; 62% women feel good looks makes a difference in career more than talent, whilst only 53% men think so.

The all-women panelists were Anu Menon (aka Lola Kutty), Asha Hariharan (Beauty Expert), Charlotte Chunawala (Communications expert), Elizabeth Venkatraman (Senior VP, Marketing, Kotak Life Insurance), Megha Sarin (Fashion and Food blogger), Nonita Kalra (Columnist and former Editor of Elle) and Vrushali Telang (Author and former Anchor).

While the discussion went more into the media, fashion and entertainment, all of the panelists were of the opinion that it is just a phase when they want to be on the social space. There will be a time when the current generation will turn back to culturisation. Like the panelists said, it is a cycle and it indeed works.

Speaking about how the whole research went, Lochan tells Adgully that,  "The clients want you to have experience in a particular field, but at the same time the client also wants to see your variety. We have a global heritage and we have a lot of clients in Financial, automobile and in fact in India we started with Vodafone. So we’re strong in telecom, so we’re also strong in automobile, where we are also strong in FMCG with Wendy's for which VML won at Cannes in 2014. It is difficult to say that we concentrate on one sector." She adds, "In India we have done really well with automobile companies like Mahindra and the Tata Motors. While globally we specialize in many sectors." By: Archit Ambekar | Twitter: @aambarchit