This document summarizes the findings of a large-scale research study called GenAsia that examines the attitudes, behaviors, and mindsets of connected Asians aged 18-35 and 36-55 across 10 Asian countries. The study involved online surveys of over 30,000 individuals across multiple cities and languages to understand how this demographic views various topics from their lives to brands. Some key findings discussed include Indians seeking a sense of cultural identity and relevance through preserving traditional values while also being open to other cultures. The document concludes by outlining five recommendations for marketers on how to effectively engage this audience, such as learning from local cultures, contextualizing ideas to the local community, and immersing oneself in consumers' real lives.

1. India
GENERATION POWER 2014

2. GenAsia
TM
VML Qais’ proprietary research into the hearts and minds of connected Asians,
across 10 countries, 6 languages and 16 service & product categories.
The World’s Largest Study of
18-35 Year-Old Connected Asians
In it’s 3rd year of study
The World’s Largest Study of
36-55 Year-Old Asians
New in 2014
GenAsia Potential
GenAsia Power

3. 34,000 400+
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH: In Jun-Sep 2012 (GenAsia
Potential) and Jan-Mar 2014 (GenAsia Power), over
30,000 people across 10 countries answered an
exhaustive questionnaire in an exclusively online study.
The study has representative samples from different
regions, income levels, employment status and genders
across the countries.
Being ‘connected’ to the world and in the prime of their
lives, these people represent the sweet spot for nations
who seek to understand their population and help in
policy formulation and they’re also relevant to most
brands and marketers across the region as being
consumers or strong influencers.
RIGOROUS DEPTH: The study covers over 400
questions to provide the most exhaustive look at
the attitudes, behaviors and mindsets that define
GenerationAsia.
ASIA WIDE: 10 countries and over 20 cities – China,
Hong Kong; Indonesia; India; South Korea; Malaysia;
Philippines; Singapore; Thailand and Vietnam.
IN THEIR OWN VOICES: With over 6 languages and a
spread of income and education demographics with
open-ended statements the research is a true
reflection of their opinions and ideas.
17
BROAD COVERAGE: 17 topics covered – Life;
Automotive; Beauty; Communication;
Education; Entertainment; Fashion; Food;
Health; Kids; Love; Luxury; Media; Money;
Sports; Technology and Travel.
10
6
The India chapter of GenAsia™ covers 2,000 respondents
Across 5 major cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad &
Chandigarh

4. Following the “best practice” model is successful, and Asia is going to be 70% of
world capital stock. Of which, China and India lead the charge.

5. Development Equals Sameness
BANGKOK SHANGHAI KUALA LUMPUR INDIA

6. We Don’t Always Like This Loss Of
Traditional Values
70% 75%
18-35 years old!36-60 years old!

7. We Feel Culture Is Being
Steamrolled

8. We Like Living In A World That Is Flat Where We Can
Learn From Other Cultures
77% 72%
18-35 years old!36-60 years old!

9. But Not At The Expense Of
Our Own
77% 72%
18-35 years old!36-60 years old!
try to preserve the cultural connections through family values

10. Whether it be the lanes of Hauz Khas
or the Koolar cafe in Matunga…

11. Increasingly The Most Alive And Dynamic
Places Are The Ones Which Are
Authentic

12. Whether it’s fine dining meets Indian
cuisine or Anita Dongre’s Global Desi
which marries international cuts to true
blue Indian prints…

13. Authenticity Is The New
Premium

14. It’s True In What They
Consume
Jamming formats meet
Indian folk & classical
in Coke Studio
The Mahabharat from
Draupadi’s POV , a take
on feminism
Shakespeare in a
completely Indian
context

15. It’s True In What They
Eat And Drink
Quintessential pizza
with Tandoori Chicken
or Veggie options
Global beverage brand
adopts the Nimboo
Pani

16. Culturalisation

17. 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

18. What does this mean
for marketers and brands?

19. 1. Learn From Culture
Respecting the cultural need is more than just using a local name or a tag line in local language or
worse still simply sticking a local celebrity in a global campaign. A brand needs to examine the
role it plays in society beyond just its product uses, observe what the society around it believes in
and understand respect those values
e.g. Big Bazaar understood the behaviour of Indian consumers and that they liked the chaos of the
local markets and display methods of kirana store, where one can see the products and even
touch them. They incorporated this into the “super stores” they built, thereby taking the
international format of a mega store but giving it the cultural nuance that works for India

20. 2. Contextualize Your Idea
In an era when digital media has erased all sense of geography it is indeed hard to create and limit
campaigns to being ‘local’ and neither is it wise to abandon the wealth of good work done on the
global brand idea. And its too simplistic to reduce the effort needed to the common options of
‘Global’ or ‘Local’, instead its about giving the idea a clear context by rooting it in a core cultural
truth and thus setting the stage for relevance
e.g. Coke universally has been about Open Happiness, and all its communications stay true to
brand. Yet, they always contexualise their advertising to situations and cultural norms of a
market. Their latest campaign of “Formality hatao” speaks to an Indian audience yet stays true to
how people come together around a Coca Cola.

21. 3. Live in the Community
This isn’t about social media communities of ‘fans’ or any other form of creating a community
separate from the one the brand lives. It is about belonging to the community of people and
making a positive impact on the society. One of the key elements of living in the community is to
identify and go beyond observations to understand what really is the zeitgeist of the people and
how that ties in with their hopes, dreams and even fears.
e.g. Shell in some parts of India mans its petrol stations with disabled people from the
surrounding locality of the pump. As does Costa Coffee in several locations in Chennai. This is the
brand’s attempt to be meaningful to its immediate environment.

22. 4. Integrate not Template
Consistency is a false economy. It’s a world where its harder if not impossible to really isolate a
brand’s exposure to any one geography, so the right thing to do is to pursue a brand idea that
remains the same no matter where the brand operates. But how do you use in any particular
region then use it to connect with local culture when the idea’s been based on a predominantly
‘anywhere but here’ insight? The trick is to not to confuse a central idea with consistency.
e.g. There is a current drive by the Modi government, to grow manufacturing in India. International
auto brands like VW are joining this wave, by tying up with local Indian car designers to
manufacture VW cars that work for the Indian market. While they bring best practice technology to
the mix, they are looking to create products that work for the Indian consumer.

23. 5. Go to the Jungle
There’s consumer research and there’s research into people. While the former is important to
understand current behaviour and usage patterns, the latter is where you uncover the motivations
for why people are behaving the way they are.
e.g. With our tools like GenAsia™ and eXploring, we are attempting to immerse ourselves in the
consumers’ life and situation. GenAsia™ moves the conversation beyond demographics and SECs.
It looks into what attitudinally drives a generation.
With eXploring, the point is to uncover what the consumers do, not just what they say. The only
way to do this is to be where they are, in situations they are in and not in closed glass rooms with a
representative focus group.

24. Thank You