It’s always interesting to explore new countries – but especially when you have access to brand new consumer insight data from GfK Roper Reports® Worldwide. In 2013, for the first time, this detailed attitudinal and behavioural survey is covering Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, offering a treasure trove of information on these markets.
I very much enjoyed my first visit to Singapore in 2011, where I was able to soak up the local culture, partake of some delicious cuisine and of course prescribe myself a course of retail therapy, but thanks to the expanded RRW coverage, I can now explore what really makes Singaporeans tick, by analysing multiple aspects of their lives as consumers.
Although the Great Recession seems to be waning, long-term unemployment remains a persistent problem. To understand this phenomenon and track the Recession’s other lingering effects, the John J. Heldrich Center partnered with GfK. Starting in 2009, the Center began following the unemployed, checking back with a group of people every six to eight months—giving Heldrich researchers a strong grasp on how people have, or have not, made it through the Recession. Thanks to KnowledgePanel®, GfK’s probability-based online panel, the Heldrich Center has been able to investigate issues that would otherwise not have been feasible for them.
Last year in this space I discussed how trends from The Home Technology Monitor™, a syndicated research service from GfK’s Media and Entertainment team, challenged my skepticism about cord-cutting being a substantial issue. I was very doubtful that people were abandoning pay TV for online services and putting the traditional TV model in imminent danger of collapse. However, the data showed that from 2011 to 2012, homes with broadcast-only reception increased a statistically significant level for the first time in over five years; maybe there was something to worry about.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is a big deal for the gaming industry, often providing a benchmark for the coming year. E3 2013 has been no different, with Microsoft and Sony setting the scene for the industry’s first competitive launch of gaming hardware in recent memory.
Marketing messages come at consumers increasingly frequently these days, and in high-growth regions such as Asia the growth is particularly noticeable. These messages are received via all manner of media – mobile, billboards, in-store promotions, mall events, television commercials, social media and more. So how do you make your brand stand out from the rest and make your message memorable?
The key is to engage consumers. So quickly comes the next question – how to engage.
Marketing dashboards are all the rage today – but are they right for every situation? What makes some dashboards better than others? Florian Kahlert, Managing Director of GfK’s Digital Market intelligence team, has some strong opinions and helpful suggestions for marketers and researchers alike.
BMW has teamed up with GfK to overcome the information overload that goes along with “big data” and design a solution for insight integration. In the automotive industry, two facets are of the utmost importance: long-term brand building and short-term operative measures. Integration of these two aspects and of multiple data sources is the challenge.
When I last went to a shop to buy something I was not presented at the till with a long set of terms and conditions that I had to sign before we could proceed any further. The idea of this seems crazy, not least as it would have to be an exceptionally long queue to properly review and consider the T&Cs I was signing up to. And frankly I don’t think any of us would accept doing this, why should we?
One key aspect of the new connected landscape is the quantity of data it’s producing, and how device manufacturers, service providers, and content producers are starting to put it to use.
Take Netflix, which has received substantial critical praise for its first attempts at original programming. In its own words, compared to licensing existing content “there is more judgement required in this process, but because of the data we have on our members’ viewing habits and our experience in licensing a broad range of content, we think we can do as good or better job than our linear TV peers in choosing projects and setting budgets”.
Design, visualise, iterate, tweak…it’s a process critical to launching an innovation fully in tune with the opportunity space available, and what your consumers want and expect you to deliver.
For creativity to have maximum effect in product innovation, it needs to be channelled through the filter of understanding the complex emotional and functional needs of the consumer. Only then can you be certain that your innovation fills an opportunity space and isn’t an innovation simply because technology allows it.
