Thinktank: International Qualitative Research

Slideshare presentation: 10 lessons youth brands can learn from street art

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:38:00 +0000

At Thinktank we have had numerous projects on young people and youth culture around the world. As you can imagine, street art has been an integral part of young people's lives.

So we thought we could share our thinking and put together a powerpoint deck on lessons that youth brands can learn from the street art world.

10 lessons youth brands can learn from street art from Thinktank International, London

10 things marketers need to know about Russia: fair trade, cash, mobile and market research

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:28:00 +0000

This is the last blog post in our '10 things about Russia' series. To read the previous 6 insights, please click here.

#7 Fair trade? Never even heard of it!
Russia is also unusual in having had an imperial, but no obvious colonial past. So the whole concept of Fair Trade and concerns or ‘liberal guilt’ about conditions in the developing world are often quite muted. This means that ethical or environmental claims tend to be missed or even misunderstood by many consumers.

#8 Russians buy in different ways.
It would be easy to assume that living in a G8 country with a fairly high GDP per capita income would mean that people had bank accounts and be used to online payments, but... as always Russia has its own way. The financially unstable 1990s and a number of bank collapses long undermined people's trust in financial institutions. Even in 2012 Russia remains a cash or digital cash economy on a day-to-day basis.

People can pay cash for anything - including property and luxury cars. Online transactions are still more of an exception rather than a rule. Online shops will deliver products by courier, who collect the cash from customers.

#9 Money on the other hand is more mobile.
The underdeveloped banking system also means that mobile payments (by texting and using stored value cards) are more common and more sophisticated than they are in many Western markets.

Strong WiMax networks and free WiFi in most places also mean that the mobile Internet and mobile marketing are more advanced.

#10 Not the easiest consumer to study.
Russians - culturally - were never asked for their opinion. Russia is still not a market where consumers will easily ‘play the game’ and speak effortlessly about their feelings about products or brands, setting aside the rational answers that can sometimes frustrate research buyers.

For this reason, marketers need to be mindful of how they approach research, whom they target and what the best format for exploring a brand or campaign idea is. That’s where we come in.

We hope you enjoyed our 10 things that marketers should know about Russia. Hopefully it is no longer a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Movember at Thinktank: permission, masculinity and brands of course

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Movember is surely one of the great campaigns of recent years. It has engaged consumers throughout the country, got them participating (with their face no less) and made great use of social media. It has become a campaign that other brands want to be part of too. Just look at Gillette, HP Sauce and Byron jumping in to lend their support.

For the next month I will look a fool but everyone will know what I'm doing. They'll also know what I'm doing it for. Prostate cancer awareness should be the brief of nightmares for marketers. Getting men to think about their health is hard enough, let alone their intimate health when it doesn't directly affect their sexual prospects.

Movember's success is built on great insights about men. It plays on young men's desire for permission to test conventions but in the safe confines of a herd in much the same way as stag do fancy dress. Competitive facial hair growing plays on man's desire to measure his masculinity and compare it to his friends'. The moustache itself also comes with so many great nostalgic connotations; Magnum PI, Goose and Daley Thompson were 80's alpha male heroes. Finally, the timing is smart, taking one of the grimmest months of the year and turning it into something fun.

This year I am taking part in Movember. If you'd like to sponsor me that would be lovely. http://mobro.co/andycooper5


Andy, day 1

10 things marketers need to know about Russia: conspicuous consumption, lifestages and Russian TV

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:13:00 +0000

Today we continue to publish 10 things marketers need to know about Russia. You can read the first 3 insights if you follow this link.

#4 Russians consume conspicuously.
As in many developing markets, attitudes to consumerism are less conflicted than those in the West. It is important to remember that Russians did not have the pleasures of consumerist societies for over 70 years, so aren’t apologetic or self-deprecating about material success and aspirations: if you've got it, flaunt it! So should luxury brands try to be more understated? Of course not!

#5 Young lifestages are very different.
In Russia, fitting consumers into life stages can be trickier. ‘Gap years’ do not exist and most students live with their parents when they go to university. People tend to move in together, get married and have kids much earlier than in the West. Meanwhile, in a booming economy, careers can progress very rapidly, meaning social standing can be hard to pin down. So a 25 year old can be a CFO - and be just as likely to be single as to have three kids.

#6 Young Russians rarely watch TV.
If you think it is tricky to target youth in the UK – it’s even harder in Russia. Local terrestrial schedules there are heavily dominated by government propaganda, TV remains analogue and is widely pitched at an older, mainstream audience. This means that to not have a TV is now a hip lifestyle choice, and young Russians (especially the affluent and educated urban audience) tend to say goodbye to their TV sets willingly. Besides, with piracy being far more prevalent and monetized than it is in the West, the most popular TV shows and films are easily accessed online.

10 things marketers need to know about Russia: brand new world, Moscow and tough competition

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:48:00 +0000

Russia has been 'open for business' for over 20 years and the iron curtain is long gone. But even now it is often seen as a bit of a mystery – with its own alphabet and opaque political structure.

In this context, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the differences, find the most obvious common denominator and wishfully think that Russia (and especially Moscow) is nevertheless 'a bit like Europe'.

Konstantin Pinaev, our Moscow-born Head of Co-creation at Thinktank, put together a list of 10 things that marketers should keep in mind when they think about Russia. The first three insights are published in our blog today.

#1 Russians are still in a brand new world.
Brands in the way we understand them in the West did not exist in Russia until the early 1990s. A tranche of consumers still remember the days when there were no ads or brands.

That means that the picture has yet to settle; the brand universe is far more dynamic, heritage is often slender and reputations are easily lost and won. What’s more, the consumer is more fickle and harder to hold on to.

#2 Moscow is another country.
It’s fair to say that London is not the UK; New York is not the US and Paris is not France. It would be even fairer to say that Moscow is not Russia.

Here the differences really are huge: income levels are multiple times higher and habits and media consumption are nothing like the rest of the country.

#3 Don’t underestimate local competitors.
You’ll also be surprised by just how strong local champions can be.

What’s the most popular search engine? It’s Yandex (Google is way behind).
What is the most popular social network? It’s ‘VKontakte’ (‘in contact’). Facebook is not even the second – it is way behind ‘Odnoklassniki’ (‘Classmates’).

Britain 2.0: Mary Boris Poppins and other results of London 2012

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:50:00 +0000

The Greatest Show on Earth is now over, London is back to normal (tube closures, traffic and moaning are here again!). We can now look back at 16 days in the spotlight and the effect that it had on the image of the city.

To do this we hit the streets of London with a series short qualitative interviews about how the 2012 Olympics changed the city and its image. To live up to the second part of our name (Thinktank International) we also looked overseas - holding a one hour ThinkOut Session (an online video conference discussion using Google Hangout) with Russian speakers, a mix of those who have or haven't been to London. All of them followed the Olympics 2012 on TV and are looking forward to hosting the next winter Olympics in 2014.

First of all, what did the 'party organisers' think?

Well, no surprises here. The London Olympics are viewed as roaring success in London. We think we have been great hosts and showed the world our new take on what Britain is about. What's changed? Well, there is a feeling that we are united as never before. English, Scots, Welsh, Irish and many others - all seemed comfortable under the Union Flag. Unity in combination with diversity have in fact become the top values that Britain projected during the Games, according to Londoners.

Inclusivity and equality were also big. Ex pats that we spoke to in the streets of London said that they've never felt so welcome and proud. "I think London 2012 really showed how diverse it actually is, a real capital of the world in the 21st century".

People also felt that it was still 'recognisably British' - like an updated version of software. Creativity, design and humour seemed to come out as strong ingredients in the new London formula. The Royal Family confirmed its place in the nation's heart and proved that it's not just Prince Harry that can arrive at parties in style.

How did it play abroad?

Well, surprisingly similar responses there too! It did feel like a global event. To people overseas, Britain showed itself as a nation proud of its past but also able to build upon its successes and reinvent itself, all the while keeping true to the original ingredients.

Britain, according to Russians, showed itself as a confident nation that can laugh at "Oneself" (even at the Highest level). For people less familiar with Britain the changes were probably even more pronounced. The traditional and conservative island of Mary Poppins, Winston Churchill, the original Sherlock Holmes, and smog has certainly become more diverse and multicultural in the eyes of the world after the Olympics. Surprisingly, Mo Farah's name came up even in conversations with Russians.

Post-Olympic Britain has brought another star into the international arena; Boris Johnson is now recognised internationally and described by Russians as an open and 'accessible' politician, with a good sense of humour. (The zip wire incident and dancing to the Spice Girls certainly boosted Boris's popularity overseas!) "I remember I could not believe that he was cycling on one of those bikes! I think it's fantastic!"
Sounds like Boris the brand works across borders and the world won't miss David Cameron should Boris hijack the throne.

There's also an interesting story emerging around British Brands. It seems fashion brands like Topshop and Ted Baker in particular have captured the spirit, presenting an updated image of Britain with the necessary creativity and design connotations. Both were mentioned in UK and Russia. Mini and the new Routemasters were also praised as a good take on new Britain, managing to build on the heritage and yet project creativity and modernity.

So! Cynicism left aside - the 2012 Olympics have really worked well as a marketing exercise - London and Britain refreshed their brands.

And what's really striking - this 'rebranding' exercise produced a surprisingly consistent results inside and outside of Britain.

The challenge is on Mother Russia now to do the same in Sochi in 2014!

Thinktank on August brand-e Campaigns Panel

noreply@blogger.com (Sabine) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:33:00 +0000

This month the talk was all about crowdsourcing ... yet again. Here's an extract from the article on brand-e.biz

“So, Heineken is looking for new ideas around draught beer?” asks Sabine Stork of Thinktank. Normal punters are unlikely to be interested in ‘reinventing the draught experience’ – what’s wrong with a proper pint that needs reinventing?’ I hear them ask – so this is one for aspiring professionals and I suppose anyone working in the industry who might want to conduct a bit of competitive intelligence. You can’t really blame Heineken for putting out innovations briefs online, I’m sure they’ll get some good stuff out of it. “Taking the punter’s perspective, as researchers are duty bound to do, I am more intrigued by the crowdsourced Citroen. As long as Citroen Facebook fans are really able to recognise their suggestions in a real life, 3D, moving car, this seems a great way of making brand advocates into enthusiasts and shows Citroen as a company that really listens to its customers.” Jackson Collins of Grey New York gives a thumbs-up to the campaign, too. “Citroen has done a good job of making use of crowd sourcing in an innovative way that demonstrates their willingness to listen to consumers,” he says. “By involving people in the design process it creates a sense of ownership even before the first vehicle rolls out of the factory.” For the full article ... read:

Brand-e Campaigns Panel on Euro 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sabine) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Brand-e asked my fellow panellists and me about our views on activity around Euro 2012 ... Castrol, you was robbed!! Below is an extract (and here's the full article from brand-e)

“Castrol have shoe-horned a celebrity into an ill-conceived campaign, which says nothing about them and creates no lasting connection with their audience or the Euros. Anything with Ronaldo in it gets YouTube views, Castrol’s spend has got them very little.”

“The live event looks interesting – letting people use their votes live is not new – but doing it with a world class footballer would have been dramatic,” says Nadya Powell at Dare. “Post event – there are videos showing how cool the live event was. But outside of numbers of people who played or watched, I’m not sure Castrol could, hand on their heart, say this achieved much for them. Except make a large hole in their budget.

“The idea is, I suppose, based around performance – Castrol is a superior performing oil and Ronaldo is a superior performing footballer,” she adds. “It’s pretty tenuous and I reckon most people are much more interested in Ronaldo’s performance than Castrol’s. And reading the write-ups, this does indeed seem to be the case – very quickly Ronaldo was bigger than Castrol and the event became about Ronaldo not Castrol.”

“Castrol is not really getting its money’s worth out of Ronaldo – it’s tricky not to be eclipsed if there’s so little natural fit,” says Sabine Stork, of Thinktank International Research. “I have the impression that a sports or drinks brand would find it easier to be seen and hence better reap a little reflected glory from one of the world’s best players than a mere motor oil.”

What’s India’s message for Facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (andrew) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:47:00 +0000

While recent research suggests a downturn in the use of social networking sites such as Facebook in India, qualitative research carried out by Thinktank International suggests the picture is more complex.

Among young Indians there is perhaps less excitement around social networking than there was last year, and there does seem to be a move away from using Facebook as a place to post updates and share information with friends.

This isn’t simply a rejection of Facebook by young Indians, rather, there’s been a reappraisal of its place in their lives. The Social Network still plays an important role as a means of free instant messaging with friends – a source of appeal shared by Twitter and the hugely desirable BlackBerry Messenger.

Increasingly, Facebook comes into play as IM communication moves from the computer to mobile, which, given the limits of Indian 3G coverage, doesn’t lend itself to lengthy updates and photo posting, but is ideal for short instant messages.

This trend opens up two questions. First, if usage is being scaled back to IM-ing, will Facebook continue to be the best social hub for young people? Also, given the fact that Facebook has a far shorter history in India than in the Anglo-Saxon West, it’s reasonable to assume that it also commands weaker loyalty. In other emerging markets, Thinktank researchers have noticed the emergence of competitors like Viber and Line whose attractive new messaging features could draw users away from Facebook.

Secondly, what does this means for brands on Facebook? There are some real campaign success stories in India (PepsiCo’s initiative during the Cricket World Cup is one notable example), but does the chance of going ‘viral’ on Facebook diminish if young Indian users only engage with it as a messaging platform?

The world beyond the New iPad... co-created this Friday at Thinktank

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:03:00 +0000

As you probably know, 16th March will see the launch of the new iPad. Orders have been placed. Many in the UK will get their new shiny friend delivered to their homes - but there will be some who’ll prefer queuing outside Apple stores... on a cold March morning.

Inspired Tankies could not miss this opportunity to observe such extreme consumer behaviour. The plan is to join these people bright and early for a bit of ethnographic work and serious of face-to-face interviews - to see who they are and what their motivation is.

We will then invite some of those people to join us for a co-creation session at Thinktank’s W1 offices. The plan is to have an engaging and creative discussion about the future of personal devices - how iPad people see the world... beyond the New iPad. So if you would like to:

• know more about iPad People and their motivations
• find out their views on the future of personal devices
• share your views in a co-creative session
• or simply kick start Friday in a company of marketing professionals and new iPad owners...

Just let us know! The number of places is limited, so please be in touch asap. Email us at konstantin@thinktank.uk.com

Digitally yours,
Thinktank

Banksy on advertising... again

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:42:00 +0000

In a very pop art way Banksy made a come back today on Twitter... nope, that's not the right way of putting this.

Twitter, Pinterest and other numerous sources dragged Banksy back today and multiplied his old message on advertising. Judging by the way his quotes are distributed (FAST!), it resonates well with a certain audience.

I thought it might be really useful for researchers to have keep this point of view in mind:

"People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.

Banksy

"

ecommerce in Russia - all the way from Europe

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:36:00 +0000

This is the last post in a series of insights on Russia and Russian youngsters. In our previous two we looked at their attitudes towards TV and brands from the West and East. This post is about ecommerce.

Given how internationally orientated young cosmopolitan Russian are it is no wonder that international ecommerce is growing rapidly. Why order grass locally if you can get a much greener option all the way from Italy or the UK?

Lots of digital natives order fashion items from Western online stores. And not only are they happy to pay premium prices for the service, they are also prepared to wait for two or even three weeks for the Russian Mail to deliver the goods.

"Winter is almost over but my jumper from Asos is still on the way I'm afraid. But I think it is still worth it."

An intriguing figure indicates the growth of international ecommerce - the number of parcels sent to Russia from abroad has more than tripled in the last 2 years!

Oh, those Russians! :)

Russian week at Thinktank: The Grass is always greener in the West (and East!)

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Second post in our Russian series where we look at the lives of cosmopolitan digital natives.

Russians may not agree with one another on Western politics, but when it comes to everyday goods and lifestyle, the grass is way greener in Europe.

Everything seems to be better there: quality, choice, let alone prices. Young Russians will tell you that even Nespresso capsules bought in Europe seem to taste better compared to the ones purchased in Russia.

So those who can afford it get most of their fashion items, some electronics and many other consumer goods during their trips abroad - literally going on shor holidays with empty suit cases and spending at least a couple of days in local malls until they run out of luggage space.

"If you want to buy a Mac, you can get it through an official Russian retailer or you can fly all the way to New York and buy it there. The latter is cheaper and more fun."

That said, young Russians can also look East - here Japan seems to be the lifestyle beacon. Girls have recently turned to Japanese cosmetics which are now commonly believed to be better for Russian skin.

"Even regular shops now have shelves that have cosmetics with hieroglyphics. Most of the time these shelves are empty".

Russian week at Thinktank! Zombo box and the role of online shows in Russia

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Earlier this month I had a chance to learn a bit about lives of digital natives in Russia. I have collected three observations about this generation, outsiders might find interesting. So it will be one observation a day for the rest of the week. Most of them are going to be about middle and upper middle class cosmopolitan youngsters and young professionals.

Russian TV is dead

With the Kremlin in control of most TV channels and broadband penetration rising, TV is a rare sight in the lives of youngsters in Russia. It is commonly known as 'zombo-box' and is considered very old school.

Instead almost all media consumption is built around the Internet - with legal and illegal downloading, advanced systems of recommendations, ratings, discussions and endless streams of suggestions from social networks, blogs and microblogs.

Youtube has its own Russian super stars, some getting over 2 million views on every video they post. More and more shows (like Minaev Live or GosDep) are now exclusively online: steaming live at certain times of the week, engaging with audience via Twitter, Skype and various polling mechanisms as they broadcast and later, obviously available online.

GosDep, political talk show for hipsters, started off on MTV (!) but despite (because of?) high viewing figures was shut down a week after to move exclusively online.

Christmas 2011

noreply@blogger.com (andrew) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:09:00 +0000

For retailers the Christmas TV ad is the UK equivalent on the Superbowl Half-Time spot in the US in terms of budget.
Celebrities and traditional Christmas paraphernalia (snow, nativity, tree, family) are a must. However, when striving to create THE blockbuster Christmas ad what makes great comms can potentially be forgotten.
Boots is perhaps the best/worse example in 2011. Earlier this year their 'I'm Fine' was a clever evolution from 'Here Come The Girls''. It amusingly highlighted the everyday heroism of being a mum. However, at Christmas our heroic women can't simply be keeping a home functioning, they need to be all action. The addition of Mission Impossible cues feels like it might have been at the expense of the warmth though.
But they’re not the only ones who have discovered mum as this year’s Christmas hero. The Littlewoods ad is based around this very theme (and is not simply an attempt ruin Christmas by evil Santa - deniers) It's also very close to John Lewis. John Lewis just have a bigger budget and a willingness to swim deeper into the syrupy gloop.
Ads packed with references to popular culture are designed to reassure us brands and retailers really understand what the kids are into. M&S is the worse offender here. M&S using X-Factor finalists feels like a maiden aunt trying to use Little Mix to find common ground with a 16 year old emo nephew on Boxing day.
In contrast Waitrose's ad with Delia and Heston has the magic of Christmas. The Delia cake box is beautiful and wonderfully appealing. Its an opportunity to get the thrill of making things yourself but with the reassuring guiding hand of Delia. The focus on a few hero products makes it much easier to develop links between the ad and the shopping experience too.
. Our favourite TV ad though is perhaps the one most overtly influenced by the current financial climate. Halfords simple idea gives us: nostalgia for the Christmas you got a bike (everyone wanted a bike one Christmas), the thrill of riding a bike so fast as a kid you weren't sure you'd ever stop and a reassuring message of longevity and thus value for money.
Nothing much stood out on the BTL front - there seems to still be a real focus on TV at this time of year. That said we must give a nod to Mini's Christmas wrapping paper. Great fun to do and absolutely in line with the brand's playful spirit.
Finally, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. from all at Thinktank.

Co-creation in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:20:00 +0000

It's been almost 7 months since I joined Thinktank as Head of Co-creation. Christmas is almost here and I think it's time to look back and reflect on co-creation in 2011.
There's a bit of danger the next sentence is going to be quoted by Captain Obvious, but... 2011 really saw the rise of consumer power. Regular people play an increasingly important role in the world - whether it's marketing, internet or politics.
And today there are three things that really stand out for me about 2011 and co-creation:
New levers. Consumers are getting new levers to influence companies. It's easy to forget how much more mainstream Twitter became in 2011. It was used with different degrees of success by brands and companies. But I guess the most memorable case of consumer empowerment on Twitter this year was the pressure people put on brands to drop News of the World advertising contracts.
New products. Open innovation is adopted more widely by businesses. More than half of Fortune 500 companies are now using consumers in their innovation processes. I guess it is important to remember that we are just getting the first results now. More products and services co-created with consumers will hit the shelves in 2012. Needless to say we at Thinktank are keeping our fingers crossed for a couple of secret products to see the world next year.
New year! As far as my own work is concerned, I find it particularly nice to finish this year under a Christmas tree co-creating ideas for Christmas 2013 with a diverse bunch of people: clients, consumers and creatives :)
Onwards and upwards - the future is bright, the future is co-creative :)

noreply@blogger.com (konstantin) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:35:00 +0000

It’s been four weeks since I joined Thinktank as Head of Co-creation! Two brand days, three European trips, four new business meetings, five reports and numerous internal brainstorms later – here I am, finally getting a moment to write a blog post about joining the team.

It’s hard to describe how excited and enthusiastic I am about my new role – to the point where I actually feel for the Apprentice candidates (sir Alan! Lord Sugar! I’m so passionate!). I feel I’ve joined a great team of amazing thinkers (they really stand up to their name!), truly inspired and truly international researchers and a job title one can only dream of – Head of Co-creation!

As I was leaving Promise, my previous employer, one of my colleagues said: “This is a new era: you’ve got to be the first person in the UK with the word co-creation in their title”.

If this is true, I’m thrilled to be one of the pioneers and help drive Thinktank’s presence in the field forward! I do believe that co-creation is part of and driver of a new age in business– it’s capable of introducing more creativity, transparency, diversity, mass collaboration and unexpected social interaction into marketing and research. And of course it enables business to embrace a new type of ‘empowered’ consumer.

In my experience it can make the marketing ‘process’ not only lots more fun for all involved but also lead to a much better, more informed decision making.

What a world to embrace :) No wonder I’m excited!

Cricket Fever Grips India

noreply@blogger.com (andrew) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:36:00 +0000

We were lucky enough to find ourselves in Delhi while India was in the grip of Cricket World Cup fever. It was all taxi drivers and brands were talking about. Mobile Operators, insurance firms and cement suppliers - everything had a cricket theme to its comms. A lot of it though felt like little more than badging. For example I'm not quite sure what made this a 'World Cup Menu'; Two campaigns though did stand out as much more than badging, even to an outsider 1. Pepsi's campaign placed some of the great players in the context of everyday life. KP's switch hit helps unload a mango cart. Dhoni's helicopter is put to use turning a water pump. 2. Nike's 'Bleed Blue' was a tubthumping scream of raw passion that captured the spirit every time Tendulakar and Sehwag went out to open the innings. It also played into the other obsession of India's youth - Facebook What was so good about these two campaigns was that they not only brought to life the spirit of the World Cup in India. They also brought to life the spirit of the international brand behind them. Pepsi's campaign had the spirit of their previous football World Cup stuff. Music and energy with sporting heroes in a real working rural setting in the host country. Nike and cricket might seem incongruous (at least in the West) but the campaign was pure Nike. Imbued with that same understanding of how much sport can mean to people. Here was a global brand in tune with local passions without ever losing its global identity. It was great to see these two global experts get their work around the World Cup so right. Both felt like they added to, rather than jumped on the back of, World Cup fever. Others could certainly learn from them in the run up to 2012

Digitally Passive Digital Natives

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:01:00 +0000

You could be forgiven for thinking all youth were early-tech-adopters, tweeters, geo-location updaters, and 24/7 ‘Facebookers’, on the hunt for the newest digital fix.

It’s easy to see why – so much has been written about younger generations being enamored with new technology, adopting it early and using it proficiently.

It’s true, digital does provide lots of compelling creative activities, and enables almost anyone to ‘make it’ these days (as argued in the ‘Press Pause Play’ trailer) – but let’s not forget that this only applies theoretically – in practice most people aren’t digital creatives.

On one level we all know this – and pay lip service to the 90/10 rule - but recent research workshops with young people brought it home to me just how digitally passive and reactive 20-somethings can be.

It’s worth pointing out that these young people weren’t hunting for digital content, branded or otherwise, and instead were typically prompted to interact with digital content by more ‘traditional’ media like TV and radio.

Much digital activity seemed also to be under the radar – the majority of our mainstream youngsters were struggling to spontaneously name any online activities they’d participated in.

In the workshops we looked at a number of digital engagement ideas and it was striking how important it was to our young consumers that these activities were not time-consuming or in any way difficult to access.

On the other hand our youngsters could welcome being part of a creative project or supporting a cause – as long as they didn’t have to make much of an effort. And there was certainly room for brands to act as facilitators here – as long as they acknowledged consumer passivity and did most of the hard work themselves!

So it’s clear brands have to work quite hard to make digital engagement ideas effortless for youth - particularly as quite a few youngsters are more digitally passive than anyone might assume.

Friendship Groups - and why they can be great

noreply@blogger.com (andrew) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:43:00 +0000

We've recently been reminded again just how brilliant friendship groups can be while working with a drinks brand. How better to explore drinking behaviour and reactions to positionings for a drink than a 'Pub Tank'? Talking to people in the company of those whom they normally drink with. It sets the research in the social setting and thus has the potential to make it much richer. It's the same reason we love to use 'Kitchen Tanks' when we're talking to groups of mums.

A friendship groups gives you a ready-made group dynamic. They're ready to perform having already formed, stormed and normed over the years of their friendship.

Friendship groups can also be self moderating. People are far less prone to grandstanding or claiming they're cleverer, more sophisticated, more caring or less lazy than they really are. This is simply because their friends won't let them get away with it. This is great because this gives a glimpse into the social environment in which people make decisions. Outside of research their choices are scrutinized by the mates who’re scrutinising their choices in the group.

Of course, the great skill with friendship groups is taking that brilliant natural social energy and ever so gently guiding it to the research objectives of the project without puncturing it.

Is the iPhone starting to wane?

noreply@blogger.com (Samantha) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:53:00 +0000

Recently I came across an article in the Observer that questions if the iPhone is about to lose its mojo. There’s a lot of chatter about interest moving from iPhones to shinier, newer Android phones in the U.S. And some hipsters think the iPhone is becoming a common ‘safe’ option, rather than the cool ‘different’ choice.

I wanted to know if the wider public shares these views, so recently I went out onto the streets of Central London, to talk to some trendy students and other young urbanites to find out if these trends have permeated ‘more mainstream’ life.

What did I find out?

Surprisingly, none of the twenty-somethings I spoke to were aware of the much talked about battle between iPhone and Android. They hadn’t read about it and their friends weren’t talking about it. And whilst they’d heard of ‘Android’, they didn’t understand what it was. Instead, Android seemed quite nebulous to them, spread across lots of devices, not really its own entity, quite difficult to grasp and hold onto. In their eyes, an operating system couldn’t really threaten the iPhone.

Another thing that came out was that the iPhone is still perceived as the coolest phone by fairly mainstream yet trendy young people. There’s just something about the inherent beauty of Apple products that cues coolness and drives a cult following. People I’ve spoken to have practically cooed over the design of the iPhone. But what is it about the design that’s so influential? The answer is partly Apple’s simple design approach - it screams confidence, and confidence is very attractive (there’s a great piece here that goes into more detail on this).

Going further, whilst these youngsters thought of the iPhone as cool, there was a sign of implicit iPhone-boredom starting to bubble beneath the surface. “It’s not new anymore, it’s just a bit improved, we’ve seen it before really” was the verdict from one cool urbanite.

I should point out that none of these consumers had iPhones (or Android phones). They wanted iPhones, but the expense of them (and the long contracts) just made them opt for the next best thing. So instead they had ‘functional’ smartphones with some cool features.

This is where Android gets more interesting. The people I spoke to felt that Android phones probably do what the iPhone does, but at a cheaper price. So Android phones might be an alternative for pragmatists looking for affordable devices. But the jury is out whether it’ll ever really become a strong consumer brand and if others, for example a rejuvenated Nokia might depress its impact out of the US.

So where does this leave the iPhone? Well Android seems to be struggling to get past the early adopters, and the iPhone is still cool to more mainstream consumers. I suspect Android will need to work quite hard to gain the cool status of the iPhone, particularly as Android is an operating system. What Android lacks is the tangibility of beautiful design – and here Apple still reigns supreme.

Touch screen technology has the potential to connect with those who completely missed the Qwerty phase

noreply@blogger.com (andrew) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:14:00 +0000

I discovered this Christmas that my 84 year old Nanna has, for the past few months, been the owner of an iPad. When it comes to technology I thought she peaked when she learned how to set the oven timer.

She never used a laptop, I don't think she'd ever been online before she got this iPad. In one magnificent leap she's cleared the two generations after hers as they toil away on laptops. Whenever I tell people my Nanna has an iPad they're shocked. But, iPads aren't just for cool adland types on their way to another meeting in Lantana. They're also perfect for the elderly of Wolverhampton. Anyone who has ever tried to show an older relative how to do anything on a keyboard computer will have had to put up with a tirade of questions. Questions (quite reasonably) triggered by the computer demanding the user do something counter-intuitive. From the moment you look at a keyboard you have to learn to play by it's rules. You have to accept the alphabet starts with a Q! The generation my grandmother belongs to didn't live through war and rations to be told what to do by a machine. They're not going to wait to be connected and then tediously enter the letter w three times for anyone. (as they were told they had to when they first tried to get online) Touchscreen doesn't demand any such nonsense. If Nanna wants to look at the BBC she taps it with her finger. If she wants to play Scrabble she taps the Scrabble icon. She tap a photo and it appears, she can even simply send the photo to her friends.

Generations after ours will know nothing but the touchscreen either. Like the landline (remember them) it will go down as a technological stepping-stone. Obviously they'll have to type (and probably accept the alphabet can start with Q) but the idea of clicking on things or typing in commands will seem very strange.

It's only us poor few, born in the 60's, 70's or 80's who'll remember how tough it used to be having to hold down CTRL, ALT and DELETE all at the same time.

Andy

Three things McDonalds can tell you about Japan...

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:57:00 +0000

McDonald’s – the symbol of globalisation and identical the world over, right? Well not quite and I can never resist taking a peek to see what local oddities are on offer. Here in Japan, as elsewhere, the menu is tailored to local tastes. Fast food aficionados looking for something new can gorge themselves on a Teriyaki McBurger, an Ebi-Filet-0-Shrimp or a McPork and if up early enough they can even treat themselves to a Fillet-o-Fish for breakfast. But beyond the variations to the 'cuisine', there are also some less obvious differences to the offer - each of which reveals a little something about Japanese culture. 1. Japan loves innovation & novelty Ok, so not exactly be new news but the ever-changing menu at McDonalds here certainly helps bring it into relief. I arrived at the end of November and I’ve already lost track of the number of special burgers, meals and deals I've seen advertised since. Amongst other things, novelty-seekers have been kept happy with four new 'gourmet' chicken burgers last month and four new American themed sandwiches this month... 2. There has not been the same backlash against ‘fast food’ in Japan as in the West Compared to home there's a noticeable absence of any 'healthy' options on the menu here. Now I’m not sure anybody actually ever buys these in the UK but to firefight years of negative coverage about the quality and nutritional value of their food the chain has had to change it's offer. And despite having made some real changes for the better, including for example removing all trans-fats from their menu - something they still haven't achieved in Japan - I know from research into the subject that the British middle-class still loves to hate McDonalds. In Japan there hasn't (yet) been the same backlash against McDonalds or fast food in general. Of course, it's not seen as a healthy option but it's also not been demonised. As such it's been able to concentrate on what it's good at - unhealthy but tasty (some would say!) burgers. Whether Japan has it's own mini-obesity-epidemic brewing is another question... 3. The Keitai is still alive and kicking in japan Another recent offer has been the novelty 'strap' collection - the second set in a series of collectible McDonalds themed mobile accessories... As I've written before, Japan has recently been undergoing a 'smart-phone' revolution, with the iPhone, which has a resolutely anti-strap design, by far the best-selling mobile of recent months. However, as offers like this show, traditional Japanese mobile (keitai) culture is also still going strong, with dual handset ownership on the rise: a touch-screen 'smart-phone' for Internet and a good old-fashioned keitai for calls - and to attach 'straps' like these to! And just in case you missed the first collection (or if you're in any doubt about the local penchant for mobile collectibles) then not to fear - I recently spotted the whole set up for sale in a local bookstore... Posted by Nick, our man in Tokyo Read more of his thoughts on culture and marketing in Japan on his blog at http://tokyodiaries.wordpress.com

Essential Trends for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sabine) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:41:00 +0000

It’s that time of the year when the experts tell us what we can expect for the next 12 months. To add to everyone’s enlightenment Thinktank have scoured Twitter for the best of 2011 crystal ball gazing. Beyond the bland and oft-told (everything is going social, people willl use their mobile phones even more, Apple will make lots of money blabla), we bring you our five favourite less obvious trends and suggestions for next year: 1. Use Your Pet As Marketing Tool Remember 2009 as the year of the Meerkat? Well, according to this biz expert 2011 will, apparently, be the year of the branded hamster, guinea pig or budgie: “Companies have new policies where you can bring your pet to work, there are new pet day care centers that offices offfer, and I think this trend will grow even further into ways to incorporate your pet into your business, whether it be marketing strategies, product integration, etc”. — Linsey Tilbor, 5wpr.com Spotted on Business News, 50 Big Ideas, Predictions and Trends for 2011 and Beyond 2. Think Protein Judging by the number of Twitter entries, food and weight management are key themes for forecasters – and Trends included digestive health (number 1 in a list compiled by Research and Markets. Though apparently, proteins will be the No.1 ‘micro-trend’) http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/46bbfa/10_key_trends_in_food_nutrition_and_health_2011 3. Stop Brunch If you look across the pond for trends in eating out, you may be interested that in New York queueing for brunch will be soo over: “Brunch backlash: (Hopefully) in 2011, people will finally realize that waiting on line for an hour to eat poached eggs isn't worth it. Because eggs are never, ever, worth an hour's wait.” By Lauren Shocke, spotted in Village Voice Blogs, 5 New York City-Centric Food Trends for 2011 4. Get Married What about the really important trends though, I hear you ask - what guidance is there for people who are planning to get married - what ARE next year’s trends in wedding invitations? invitationcrush.com has issued its forecasts for next year and bullishly predicts ‘that patterns will explode in popularity in 2011’ ‘ 5. Have Cutsey Nails And finally if you worry what to do about nail fashion in 2011 Becomegorgeous.com er, nails it with these lovely Hello Kitty designs … There you go, you’re sorted! Happy 2011!

Thinktank's Review of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Sabine) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Full of Mince Pie and seasonal goodwill to all men the Tank sat down and took stock of 2010. Here are a few of our highlights from the year; Best Ad John Lewis' tearjerker and Andrex's mechanical dog both garnered nominations. Dixon's press and outdoor campaign was based on a brilliantly resonant insight into consumer attitudes and behaviour. From the World Cup, Carlsberg’s effort might have been a bit jingoistic but it was lightened with touches of genuine humour. However, our winner this year is Old Spice. Brilliantly funny (who says Americans can't do irony?) and of course came attached with one of the Social Media Campaigns of the Year…. Best Social Media or Digital Campaign Talking of which…it was tempting to give this award to Old Spice as well given that it was such a viral sensation but hey, others should get a look in too. Foster's resurrection of Alan Partridge was a great way of spearheading their desire to align the brand with great comedy. 'Parallel Lines', Phillips' link up with Ridley Scott had credibility amongst film makers and worked brilliantly well to showcase product. Branded Entertainment that gets the balance between 'branded' and 'entertainment' just right. However, this was a World Cup year and our winner is Nike for their fantastic campaign with Arsene Wenger, the Chance. Brilliantly tapping into young people's desire to be a legend in their own network. We then started thinking about our own year. Where has 2010 taken us? What have been highlights for the Tankies? And where did we encounter our... Most Happening City This year we've conducted research on every continent (apart for Antarctica) and seen a plethora of exciting cities. Our top three destinations this year (with apologies to Sutton Coldfield - maybe next year) are; Lagos, Nigeria - Not only a phenomenal and bustling African city but also one filled with brilliantly enthusiastic and unjaded young consumers. We were struck by just how open and optimistic everyone was about the future. Berlin, Germany - much visited but never dull, still manages to excite us as a hub for creatives and those who understand to loaf in style. Great for stores, event marketing and non identikit bars and cafes. But our winner this year was Beijing, China. Hugely dynamic and defined by a young generation oozing a self confident, self defined coolness that's not looking for outside approval. Finally, here are some of our ‘moments of the year’, the times that reminded us why we love our job and like being part of the Tank. To take a selection, this year we… …hung out in Beijing punk bars with Chinese students …loved the multi-puporse experiential spaces that are Bangkok shopping malls …got up close and personal with student protesters in Westminster …discovered young Nigerians’ saucy and Indians’ philosophical sides as expressed on their mobiles …were surprised at the vibrant and open gay community amongst Mexico’s new generation …were charmed by young Russian’s seriousness about self-improvement …took a peek into women’s living rooms, kitchens and even – oops - saw them taking a bath in an auto-ethnographic project for Hello! magazine … enjoyed our speaking opportunities on music, social media, brands and film Let's hope 2011 is just as exciting! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year