JWT’s AnxietyIndex is designed as a place to discuss how brands and consumers are responding to the global recession. With daily content updates, AnxietyIndex.com includes contributions from around JWT’s network, offering a truly global perspective.
There was a time when life insurance communication was quite somber, evoking fear about what might happen to your loved ones once you die or suffer an unexpected injury or illness. Once insurance plans came linked with investment in India, however, the sector transformed. People could see money returned even if their policy expired. There are now innumerable players offering investment-linked insurance, and the field is heavily cluttered.
The gears have shifted accordingly in communication, which now features vibrant, upbeat imagery—illustrating freedom from tension because your loved ones are secure just in case. The latest effort from Kotak Life Insurance, an established player, adopts a somewhat different approach. Its new brand positioning is “Faidey ka insurance” (insurance that’s financially rewarding), appealing to the rational rather than the emotional side and approaching insurance the same way as any other investment product. (This is backed by the fact that Kotak is also a well-known investment player with expertise in research and capital markets.)
The TV commercial features a Kotak agent in a living room, discussing child insurance plans with a family; as he talks about parents wanting their kids to take up various professions, the child here turns into an astronaut, doctor, cricketer and rock star. The agent notes that a child’s career path can’t be guaranteed and neither can the returns of a regular insurance plan. He describes how Kotak’s Child Plans ensure better returns, which helps parents finance the child’s education. The agent leaves with a piece of friendly advice: that a child must be given room to make his own career choice.
The festive season has beaten consumers’ blues and acted as a tonic for their anxiety. It started with Onam in the South, increased its tempo with Durga Puja in the East, then came Navaratras, and the season finally peaked last week with Diwali in West and North India. This is a period when a lot of gifts are purchased, and it’s also considered an auspicious time to buy all things expensive for oneself and one’s home—jewelry, durables, automobiles.
It seems that consumers were just waiting for the season to kick in as a reason to splurge. This festival season has been phenomenal for marketers across almost every category, from retail and durables to automobiles, apparel, furniture and liquor. Car sales rose 21 percent in September. Future Group, India’s biggest retailer, clocked more than $107 million in 10 days, while Samsung and LG saw revenues grow nearly 40 percent during the festival period.
It seems that the only signs of anxiety among Indians emanated from the torturous traffic encountered while visiting friends, relatives or colleagues.
Sanskrit is one of the world’s most ancient languages, the source of many modern Indian languages and the language of scriptures and epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Though widely taught in schools, it’s dying a slow but sure death. Kids can choose between Sanskrit and another Indian language, and neither they nor their parents see any use for it—Sanskrit is neither spoken nor written in modern discourse.
Eklavya Sanskrit Academy in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, has taken up the challenge of keeping the language alive among today’s youth. And it has adopted an ingenious approach to do so: Translate well-known dialogue from famous Bollywood movies into Sanskrit. It’s a fun, engaging way to connect with youth and sustain their interest.
Fading brands can take a cue from this academy: Sometimes the best solution lies far beyond one’s own category code.
Indian culture has always given a lot of importance to sound health, and strong immunity is considered a prerequisite for good health. Traditional sciences such as Ayurveda and Unani believe that certain herbs and tonics improve immunity.
Two brands operating in this realm are among the few to leverage swine flu in their communications: Dabur Chyawanprash, a leading Indian health supplement, and Brooke Bond Red Label Natural Care, a popular tea brand from Unilever. The messaging manages not to reek too strongly of opportunism. I think that’s because these brands have always been positioned as immunity-boosters and have established credibility for themselves. Their communication doesn’t need to persuade consumers or change their beliefs, it needs only to influence and aid recall.
If there’s one thing that’s giving the jitters to households in northern India, especially in the capital, it’s the soaring price of produce. The cost of Indian-food staples such as potatoes, onions and tomatoes has shot up by as much as 25 percent in the last two months due to delayed monsoons that destroyed crops, coupled with a rise in fuel prices. JWT’s recent AnxietyIndex research in India picked up this anxiety related to food inflation.
“You can cut down on other luxuries, but how can you tell your child to eat less?” one homemaker told Sulekha.com. “We now have to make do with just one variety of vegetable in one meal and try and compensate that in the next.”
As families rethink their daily menus, can marketers be of assistance? How about educating consumers on picking products that are high in fiber and thus keep you full for longer? Suggesting delicious recipes that utilize a mix of essential foodstuffs and the less costly veggies to make a wholesome meal? Or even promoting healthy, filling snacks that may substitute for a meal a few times a week?
People around the world are living under the daily threat of losing their jobs, but the scenario is quite different in urban India. Some Indians have been smiling on their way home, excited to break the news of a salary hike. With the exception of companies in some sectors, such as tourism, IT, exports and financial services, many businesses have doled out raises this year. According to a July survey on “Performance and Reward Trends” by Hewitt Associates, employees in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing and telecom sectors saw pay increases in the range of 9-11 percent for fiscal year 2009-10.
This is an opportune time for brands that can pull the levers on niche marketing, specifically targeting people who work in the growth sectors. Brands in the durables, travel, jewelry, home solutions and automobile categories may be better off doing this than simply focusing on mass-market communication.
According to JWT’s recent AnxietyIndex study in India, an overwhelming 89 percent of respondents said they have become more concerned about societal issues that may not impact them directly. There seems to be a growing realization that ignoring social issues—such as poverty, the environment and illiteracy—will not help.
It’s not surprising, then, that brands that have associated with a relevant cause have gained equity from doing so. Teach India, a literacy initiative from The Times of India, the country’s leading English newspaper, has been a huge success, giving people who wished to give back to society a platform for doing so. The mission is to get volunteers to tutor street kids and those who can’t afford education. Volunteers commit to dedicating two hours of their time each week for a period of three months.
Since the campaign launched last summer, 90,000 people have let go of their lethargy to join in. The program is now entering a second phase to get even more people to volunteer. India, it seems, is awakening to a new level of social consciousness.
It’s amazing how India’s two biggest cities are reacting so differently to the world around them. The people of Delhi are twice as anxious as those in Mumbai, according to JWT’s recent AnxietyIndex research. (See AnxietyIndex: India.) Specifically, Delhites are very nervous about the state of crime and terrorism, while Mumbaikers—despite being at ground zero of the November terror attacks that shook the nation—actually scored quite low on anxiety related to terrorism and crime.
Instead, Mumbai residents choose to worry about more everyday factors, such as the cost of health care and food prices. Rather than look back, the city with the never-say-die spirit prefers to move on and approach the future with hope. Indeed, Mumbaikers believe many factors will improve in the next six months, including real estate, fuel prices, access to loans and the unemployment rate. Delhi, by contrast, feels the exact opposite—residents say all these factors will worsen.
What are the implications for brands? In Delhi, brands stand a good chance of connecting with consumers by infusing optimism into their messages and promising soothing, uplifting or upbeat experiences. In Mumbai, brands can borrow/play off the city’s hope and confidence. Delhi may also react more strongly than Mumbai to depictions of familiar situations and comforting factors—e.g., family and friends—that alleviate anxiety.
Peter England, a leading mid-priced menswear retailer in India, is re-strategizing and starting a “value retail format” that will offer only lower-priced labels (these were formerly sold by another business operated by Peter England’s parent company). “Value retailing is a concept based on offering quality brands with huge savings for consumers,” explains India’s Economic Times.
Consumers here have been trading down when it comes to apparel: In our recent survey of 500 Indian adults from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, a third of respondents said they would consider buying less branded clothing, and a third also said they would consider trading down or stop purchasing their regular brand of clothes.
Rather than cheapening the Peter England brand by slashing prices, the company is smartly trying to keep its brand image intact while simultaneously appealing to customers who are trading down. J. Crew in the United States and Crazy Line in Israel offer similar case studies.
Walk the streets of Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore and you’re likely to find the usual—markets bustling with activity, kids wandering noisily, youngsters hanging out and families carrying out their daily chores. But probe any adult on how he feels about events in his world, and he’s likely to get tense. The first wave of AnxietyIndex India is out (download the presentation here), and it shows that Indians are worried. Not about military tensions around the world, the war in Afghanistan or even the state of the economy. But about crime, escalating food prices and unemployment. Worry clearly stems from issues that are here-and-now, that impact people’s day-to-day lives, that affect them directly but over which they have no control.
However, when it comes to talking about the future, Indians are upbeat. Aside from crime and terrorism, they believe most things will improve in the next six months. This makes sense given that India is sitting on some strong fundamentals: healthy economic growth in the recent past; lower impact of the global slowdown, resulting in reasonable-to-good growth forecasts; key sectors performing well, from FMCG to coal and cement; growing rural demand; and political stability.
There’s an interesting learning here for marketers–brands need to ride this wave of optimism, sparking confidence, showing the road to prosperity or promising a better lifestyle. One brand that has done this is Nokia: Its campaigns have successfully positioned the brand as a means to economic and social progress. Consider the TV spot below which highlights the economic aspirations of the brand’s target audience.
been phenomenal for marketers across almost every category, from retail and durables to automobiles, apparel, furniture and liquor. Car sales rose 21 percent in September. Future Group, India’s biggest retailer, clocked more than $107 million in 10 days, while Samsung and LG saw revenues grow nearly 40 percent during the festival period. 
People around the world are living under the daily threat of losing their jobs, but the scenario is quite different in urban India. Some Indians have been smiling on their way home, excited to break the news of a salary hike. With the exception of companies in some sectors, such as tourism, IT, exports and financial services, many businesses have doled out raises this year. According to a July survey on 
According to JWT’s recent AnxietyIndex study in India, an overwhelming 89 percent of respondents said they have become more concerned about societal issues that may not impact them directly. There seems to be a growing realization that ignoring social issues—such as poverty, the environment and illiteracy—will not help.
It’s amazing how India’s two biggest cities are reacting so differently to the world around them. The people of Delhi are twice as anxious as those in Mumbai, according to JWT’s recent AnxietyIndex research. 
Peter England, a leading mid-priced menswear retailer in India, is re-strategizing and starting a “value retail format” that will offer only lower-priced labels (these were formerly sold by another business operated by Peter England’s parent company). “Value retailing is a concept based on offering quality brands with huge savings for consumers,” explains India’s Economic Times.
