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McCann Erickson's Consumer Insights
January 2000

McCann-Erickson logo Welcome to the world of the consumer! As part of an ongoing, global initiative, executives at McCann-Erickson meet with groups of consumers every month.

Findings from these group discussions form the basis of brand strategy and creative selling ideas.

In this month's issue we share snippets of information on:

The Net and Malaysian Teens


The Net - What It Represents

  • Communication : Getting to know more people from overseas, is a frequently mentioned advantage. 'A sense of connection', the emotional stimulation that it offers, the sense of friendship and belongingness that it fosters, makes the Net an integral part of their hearts and minds.

  • Cognition : The thirst for knowledge, the need to know, be informed are all successfully addressed by the Net which represents mental stimulation, fun and also provides frivolous juicy bits of gossip.

  • Comfort : The Net helps teens get away from loneliness, a sense of isolation, which are often hallmarks of being a teenager.
  • Music and the Net

    The Net is all about one's involvement with music and friends. Music is irrevocably tied to the Net and its appeal for the young
  • MP3 is a favorite site
  • Helps to keep in touch with the latest hits
  • Inexpensive way of owning the latest
  • Helps to show off how trendy I am
  • Such fun to download
  • So relevant, meaningful and satisfying
  • Helps win Peer approval by providing access to the latest
  • Helps win Parental approval since downloading helps to save money
  • Helps win Self approval, since it gives me a sense of achievement and successHelps win Self approval, since it gives me a sense of achievement and success
  • Preferred Teen Websites

  • Those dealing with Pop stars - " we should be able to access our favorite pop stars, pictures, and autobiographies ……".
  • Music - the latest songs, lyrics ………
  • Cartoons - like Winnie the Pooh …………
  • Poems/Short stories, are especially popular with the girls …………get to read a new story, collect poems ………
  • News groups - especially human interest stories on violence towards women, gang rapes, women's rights …………….
  • Greeting cards - found to be "so much more fun than paper cards ………..".
  • IRC, Chatting on the Net
  • Teens and Banner Advertising

  • It appears to be very difficult to reach teens via banner advertising. High levels of irritation have been experienced and communicated vis a vis banner advertising.

    "Take up too much time and space …… a barrier to getting on with what we want to do ……."

  • Irritation with the banner, could be transferred on to the brand being advertised, in fact hurting the brand.

  • To reach teens, visually and emotively, greater focus needs to be onTo reach teens, visually and emotively, greater focus needs to be on
    - creating small, animated icons
    - photo essays on people, places
    - human interest stories
    - vibrant visual layouts
  • An E-mail Address

  • as important as a house address ! One's identity in the world. Would feel incomplete without one.
  • At this point in time, an email address appears to have more status and prestige than a credit card !
  • The Positives :
    - user friendly
    - a paperless, environment friendly world
    - fast and easy communication
    - affordable, modern, exciting
  • To Conclude

    While the Net is still nascent in Malaysia, it is fast emerging as a strong entity, and can help spark a sense of connection between the consumer and the brand. It has high relevance and appeal at the mental and emotional levels, and offers great potential for online branding. Consumers delight in web branding experiences that engage them in a personal way. For example, while banner ads do not work effectively, animated ones can and do.

    The Net is not just a technology phenomenon, it is a social phenomenon, and is fast emerging as an Interactive, Knowledgeable, Inevitable medium of the future.

    Watch out for more interesting Consumer Insights next month !

    Dr Deenaz Damania,
    Director of Consumer Research & Training
    E-mail: deenaz_damania@mccann.com
    Fax: 603 230 5598

    Branding Asia - articles, research, analysis, reviews & surveys on marketing & brand strategy in Asia.