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.
We’ve written about two brands (Heineken and the sports channel Eurosport France) that have created campaigns based around the anxiety felt by soccer fans when they miss important games. With the 2010 World Cup, anxiety in this part of the world centered on the fact that the games were scheduled during working hours: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time. Starbucks saw an opportunity, presenting itself as a solution that would allow people to watch the match and work at the same time. No guilt or stress over hiding from the boss. The other idea: to position a coffee drink as a beer alternative for watching these workday games.
Starbucks gave the World Cup a business breakfast touch. It installed 71 big flat-screen TVs in select branches and boosted its Wi-Fi so that the added online traffic wouldn’t cause problems. People would be able to work as fast as in their offices, but with a richer experience. There were also some World Cup breakfast specials and socially focused promotions (e.g., buy two, get one free). The stores seemed to be buzzing with people, and, more important, many customers (mostly male) started seeing Starbucks differently, as a new place to meet up with friends.
At a time when manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are declining drastically and iconic domestic brands like Chrysler have been struggling to survive, many Americans are anxious about the economic realities of a post-recession era, a digital age and a flatter world. With Apple and Google as today’s venerated brands, the skilled blue-collar worker has clearly lost his place at the heart of the economy.
Using slogans like “Everybody’s work is equally important,” Levi’s is tapping into this sentiment and adding an optimistic spin. A press release cites “a new generation of ‘real workers’ … who see challenges around them and are inspired to drive positive, meaningful change.” Ads focus on the company’s donations to the struggling Rust Belt town of Braddock, Pa., and feature its citizens. But some commenters on YouTube and elsewhere gripe that Levi’s isn’t actually bringing jobs to the town and its clothes aren’t domestically produced.
By contrast, a campaign from Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee is a paean to the idea of “made in America.” A voiceover talks about a nation of builders and craftsmen—“men and women for whom straight stitches and clean welds were matters of personal pride”—as we see images of America’s proud industrial past. Viewers are reassured that “This was once a country where people made things, beautiful things. And so it is again.” (Cue the latest Grand Cherokee.) The tagline: “The things we make, make us.” This campaign seems more likely to connect than Levi’s pitch, which seems to beg the question of where blue-collar hope will come from, at least for towns beyond Braddock.
Australia’s “No Leave, No Life” campaign aims to drive domestic tourism by emphasizing that it’s healthy to take advantage of vacation days (there’s been a trend toward stockpiling annual leave) and that traveling domestically helps to stimulate our economy. “A little bit of leave,” one poster says, “not only helps us out, it gives you the chance to recharge the batteries and reunite with friends and family.” Touring Australia is positioned as a means to “really win the work/life battle.” The work ran in outdoor and print, and the initial outdoor media seemed to follow people on their route to work.
Since the campaign leverages a confrontational tone and a negative insight centering on the overwhelming “work/life battle” we all face, the most likely response is arguably heightened anxiety. Many commuters may be left feeling that they in fact have “no life,” especially given that achieving a work-life balance requires an overall approach—it’s a lifestyle, not a matter of simply taking three or four days off out of 365.
What this campaign does execute well, however, is the digital strategy. A series of Webisodes where actor/TV presenter Ernie Dingo surprises nominated “hard workers” by taking them away for a break effectively communicates how Australian holidays are both inspiring and accessible.
Among Singaporeans, there’s a long-running anxiety about the rising number of foreigners settling in the country, giving its natives the sense that they’re being denied the best opportunities and that the local culture is being diluted. Planning for country brands needs to consider this type of “citizen anxiety” as an important input. But a new tourism campaign from Singapore has only aggravated this anxiety.
The campaign, “Your Singapore,” is centered on a new destination site that aims to help people create their own experience of Singapore. Television and events in the U.S., U.K. and other key markets carry the same message. What’s most interesting about the campaign is the polarized reaction to it. Foreigners (the direct target) love the new direction. But many Singaporeans see it as another sign that their country is being handed over to foreigners to enjoy as they see fit (this is how one blogger expresses it).
While citizens aren’t necessarily the direct target of country campaigns, they see themselves as stakeholders of the brand and will inevitably project their anxieties against its behavior. Country brands should be rooted in a vision that galvanizes citizens and makes them feel proud of the country.
It was a bit shocking to see that Saudi Arabia is the third most anxious country among the 13 that JWT has surveyed since February 2009. (See the Trends and Research page for a full listing of reports.) According to JWT’s October 2009 AnxietyIndex survey of 484 Saudi adults, our nation’s anxieties are centered around unemployment and health.
While Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s richest countries, people have been very worked up about the high rate of unemployment—young men aren’t able to find jobs with salaries that keep up with the cost of living and social expectation, and women find it difficult to compete with men for jobs due to social constraints. The Saudi stock market crashed before the global recession, which has affected many companies here; hiring freezes are prevalent.
It was less surprising, however, to see health and disease register as a major driver of anxiety among Saudis. Although health care is free for all Saudi nationals, the system is very slow, and many people go to costly private hospitals. That said, at least we aren’t upset about the price of gas.
In a country with a melting pot of cultures—local citizens make up only around 20 percent of the population—anxieties vary greatly among residents. Since locals have the security of strong government support (free education, health care and assisted housing loans), it’s not surprising that anxiety levels for Middle Eastern expats are higher across all areas of concern.
According to our most recent AnxietyIndex survey of 503 adults conducted in October and November 2009, the greatest source of angst in the UAE is economic and financial, as the nation saw drastic layoffs and organizational restructuring starting in the second half of 2008. After the collapse of the real estate market, the inflated cost of living did not drop fast enough to reflect the end of the period of speculation, placing purchasing power and family security high on the list of anxiety drivers.
Middle Eastern expats are concerned about a shift in societal values, health issues (we saw a surge in health advertising and psychological advice) and the rising unemployment rate. Locals are not as concerned about societal values, as theirs are preserved within a close-knit community. Interestingly, for a nation criticized for its lack of environmental care, locals’ major concerns revolve around the impact of global warming and food prices.
The outlook for the next six months is pessimistic, with anxiety centered around the cost of living and food prices. Job security, however, is expected to improve.
Click here to download the full UAE AnxietyIndex report from the Trends and Research page.
Stay Hungry Stay Foolish is a recent book published in India about business school graduates who followed their hearts and dove into entrepreneurial ventures (the phrase was popularized in a Stanford commencement speech Steve Jobs made several years ago, quoting an issue of The Whole Earth Catalog from the 1970s). Some of these entrepreneurs left a cushioned corporate career, some were fulfilling a childhood dream, a few were redefining retirement as a second inning.
The stories are diverse and rich. And while the endings are happy, there are many anxious moments along the way. But it was also anxiety that helped push these people along. This is also a prevalent theme in “layoff lit,” a trend we recently posted about.
A growing number of people are finally finding the time to “write that book” after losing their jobs during the recession—enter what has been coined “layoff lit.” The New York Times’ Motoko Rich recently wrote about current layoff lit titles such as Slow Love: How I Got Kicked Off the Fast Track, Put My Pajamas on for a Year & Found Happiness, from former House & Garden editor Dominique Browning, and The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All, by former Self magazine editor Alexandra Penney.
The theme here seems to be finding the silver lining of starting over. As Matt Buchanan points out in The Sydney Morning Herald, George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air follows a similar narrative, reminding a distraught man he’s laying off about his love of cooking—“his sacking is an opportunity to reset his priorities, to choose to do what he loves to do—to cook again.”
The idea that there’s an upside to the downturn is certainly appealing, and brands such as Allstate are doing well to tap into it.
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.
On holiday in one of the most remote places in India, I was surprised to meet a number of people who were there on a long break, having no job to rush back to. Their stories were similar: They used to be expats working in London (from Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., etc.), they were made redundant (expats tend to be the first to go), and before going back home, they’d decided to take an extended trip—something they’d always wanted to do but never had the time for. They stay in guesthouses or do home stays; eat in local eateries; take long-distance buses rather than fly or hire taxis; go on meditation treks and walks. They’re on relatively modest budgets and things aren’t always comfortable, but the experience, they say, is very fulfilling and inspiring.
Such “gap year” travel, along with doing volunteer projects overseas, is apparently booming. Although in general travelers have greatly cut back on overseas holidays during this recession, people are being forced to re-evaluate their priorities and values—so while spending more to make the most of one’s limited holiday may no longer be viable, investing in a long break now seems like a good way to spend one’s limited money. People will spend on what’s meaningful.
Being made redundant is obviously something you’d rather avoid, but the people I met looked as though they’d gained much more than they probably would have were they still employed, at least from a life-fulfillment point of view.
We’ve written about two brands (Heineken and the sports channel Eurosport France) that have created campaigns based around the anxiety felt by soccer fans when they miss important games. With the 2010 World Cup, anxiety in this part of the world centered on the fact that the games were scheduled during working hours: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time. Starbucks saw an opportunity, presenting itself as a solution that would allow people to watch the match and work at the same time. No guilt or stress over hiding from the boss. The other idea: to position a coffee drink as a beer alternative for watching these workday games.
Australia’s “
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 
