BANGKOK, THAILAND, JUNE 8, 2012: McCann Truth Central Bangkok introduced today its latest study, The Truth About Urbanites, focusing on the lives of urbanites, the changes they are going through, and the diverse social and technological forces driving them.
Varidda Voraakom, chief innovation officer of McCann Worldgroup said: “Today, urbanites are always at the heart of communication. Digital and social media have transformed the way we think, act and behave, nowhere more so than in our major cities. And with urbanites driving this revolution both in Asia and around the world, there has been a significant impact on the ways in which brands communicate with consumers.”
The study identifies five broad trends most strongly affecting urbanites in Asia and around the world. The first three trends exhibit tangible cause-and-effect mechanisms, resulting in more executional implications for brands.
The last two trends, on the other hand, show much more profound effects for urbanites, affecting the core of who they are, as much as how they behave.
1. SIGNAL VS NOISE: Making sense of eclectic and overwhelming data
From the dawn of civilization until 2005, the human race has generated a total of five exabytes of data. Today, we produce that same amount of data every two days.
Bombarded with a deluge of information from fragmented sources, urbanites appreciate efficient ways to filter and make sense of this myriad of content. Priding themselves as early adopters, they are also on the lookout for fresh content that could inspire new interests. Responding to this need, we are seeing an increasing number of tools to curate, visualize and tell the story.
2. LIVING BY NUMBERS: Using quantified data to understand behavior and drive action
Digitization and advancements in personal technology have enabled us to track and record what we do, feel, or think at a micro level. Familiar examples include FourSquare’s check-ins recording the location and frequency of our hangouts, Nike+ tracking running distance, and Facebook’s “Likes” measuring the “popularity” of a post. Urbanites are increasing taking advantage of these tools for the purposes of self-improvement, social influence, and evaluating purchases.
3. MAN-POWERED: A revival of activities that celebrate the physical senses
Urbanites live in world driven by mental cognition. With 24 hour connectivity and an “always on” culture, urbanites face a constant stream of virtual data to be read, interpreted and responded to online.
Tangible moments that live outside this virtual world have becoming a rarity, resulting in a renewed passion for activities that are, in nature, make-it-yourself, analog, and based on gesture-recognition concepts.
4. IDENTITY PLAY: Adopting a fluid sense of self
As passion communities spread online across geographical and social borders, people become more exposed to diverse cultures, rituals, and values. Growing up in this environment, younger generations no longer feel the need to limit themselves to a single “tribe” or the traditional stereotypes of societal roles.
Instead, they’re confident to experiment with new identities, cherry-picking characteristics from diverse cultural forces leading to redefined roles and social diversity.
5. FOOD FOR THE SOUL: Finding moments of joy and purpose in life
From terrorism to tsunamis to political unrest to a global economic recession, over the past decade numerous large-scale crises have touched people around the globe, and collectively built up a cloud of pessimism, regardless of whether or not the impact is directly felt.
To cope with this underlying wave of fear and uncertainty, people are increasingly seeking out spiritual anchors to bring a sense of purpose and optimism. Some turn fervently to religion, but many others rely on more material methods to feel like they’re working towards a better world.
