Grey group releases 'Eye on Asia study for 2009'

Grey Group Asia Pacific, a leading marketing communications company, has released its 2009 Eye on Asia study, which looks at the hopes and dreams of people in 16 countries and regions across the Asia Pacific region.

A proprietary initiative of Grey Group, Eye on Asia aims at determining the powerful underlying trends and human truths that will shape branding and communications now and in the future. The research examines three areas of life for Asians, namely, Lifestyle, Present & Future Aspirations, and Consumerism & Communications.

Recognised as an annual predictor of trends, Eye on Asia gets closer to the people of Asia, understanding what they want from life by exploring a broad range of topics, such as attitudes about work, family, finances, the environment and their value systems, as well as brands and marketing.

This year, Grey Group has identified a series of "eye-sights" that are critical focus points for business owners and marketers seeking to build successful branded businesses within Asia. Key findings include:

• Optimism: Asians remain optimistic about the future despite growing uncertainties.
• Future Finance: Asians are concerned about household finances and saving actively for their future.
• Asian Brand Tribes: Five distinct segments have been identified across the region.
• CFO: Mothers as Chief Family Officers face new challenges and conflicts with their multiplicity of roles.
• Retail: New parsimonious shopping behaviours arise as a result of the recession.

For the 2009 study, Grey Group also conducted an in-depth retail ethnographic probe, which illustrates how current sentiments drive shopping behaviour in diverse cultures and channels.

Now in its fourth year, Eye on Asia has interviewed over 33,000 people from Australia, Bangladesh, Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

"The accelerating age that we live in necessitates a focus on people and brands. People in Asia are looking for symbols, deeper emotions and psychological benefits in their lives. Marketers should respond to this by taking a closer look at what motivates people as well as what they want from their lives in the future to create innovative, distinct and impactful messages," Nirvik Singh, Grey Group Asia Pacific's chairman & CEO, said.

"More than ever before, marketers need to understand people's evolving attitudes and behaviours to get ready for new opportunities when the market rebounds. Grey Group's Eye on Asia study is built on the notion that listening to and building emotional bonds with consumers will enable business owners to differentiate their brands in this Asian century," he added.