AgTalk | Indian consumers rely more on social media for information: IPG's Peigh


A few years ago, as consumers around the world were experimenting with and embracing new media technologies, research in these sectors also took the front seat. There were researches conducted nationally and internationally to understand the optimum usage of these new media, gauge altering consumer psychology and its effects on buying decisions which would thus influence the makers / sellers and communicators.

Flowing in this line, back in 2009 Interpublic Group, began their global New Realities research program to gain enhanced understanding on how these new media and information overload were affecting consumer decision making. This research, now in its third wave, is in operation in six key countries - India, US, China, Russia, Brazil and England with over 500+ online interviews conducted in each of these countries.

Adgully caught up with Terry Peigh, MD and Senior VP at IPG to know more about the research findings in this edition of the ‘New Realities’, the changing Indian consumer, the importance and relevance of research and more.

Adgully (AG): Your latest visit to India was on account of the release of New Realities research report. Shed some light on some of the striking findings from this research.
Terry Peigh (TP):
We see two major learnings from the New Realities research we fielded in India. The first relates to the growing demand for trusted information by today’s consumers. Across the world, and particularly in India, we note that consumers are, more and more, employing the information channels that provide them the most trusted information.  Example: product reviews by experts, product reviews by people like the reader, and from friends and families. And with this increasing demand for trusted information, consumers are relying more and more on trusted brands. With this learning, we encourage clients today to be sure they’re leading the way in providing objective, trusted information to their customer base, that they are supporting this new consumer demand by aggressively providing bloggers and “brand-vocates” with trusted information about their brands; and that they are executing programs to identify those brand lovers who are willing to talk about their brands and feeding them valuable brand information that the “brand lovers” can further disseminate.

Related to this, we also observe that more and more consumers today are getting true joy and satisfaction from learning about brands. This learning provides them more enjoyment in using the product, and provides them “social currency”—social reward for being an expert on a brand and for their willingness to share that expertise with their friends and family members. The challenge to the marketer is to identify these consumers (through, for example, crm programs) and execute programs that help them advance their brand knowledge and then tell their friends about the brand.

AG: The last New Realities research was done in India back in 2009. With the new research done this year, what are the major differences the study has brought out as compared to the previous edition?
TP:
One of the major differences is this growing demand for trusted information, and the reliance today’s consumers have on information from “trusted” sources—like “friends and families”, and “product experts”.

AG: Considering India is a diverse country with varied cultural backgrounds, economic groups and literacy rates – how were these taken into account to ensure uniformity in results?
TP:
We conducted this research via an on-line method, so it is does reflect the attitudes and interests of those Indian consumers with computers. While this obviously is not a totally representative sample of the India population, it does still provide us an excellent read of those people with significant disposable income and of those people in the new, emerging “middle class” of India.

AG: We also understand that this research activity has helped many IPG agencies in business efforts. Please elaborate on that.
TP:
Many of our agencies around the world use the research for their “thought leadership” programs with current clients, whereby they share with clients the newest and most useful learning from IPG….and use the learning to create new marketing programs for their clients.  Also, with the research categorized by product segment (i.e. computers, fast food, insurance, banking, etc), many agencies are able to use the research when they speak to prospective clients, and provide them with valuable new insights on their brands and categories.

AG: Now in its third wave, this research program is in operation in 6 key countries-- India, US, China, Russia, Brazil and England. What have been the unique findings in each of these countries?
TP:
One of the more interesting results, as it relates to India, is that the India population is tops in the world when it comes to indicating that they “like to help people”, and “enjoy being seen as knowledgeable”, when they share product information with their friends.  This is terrific for Indian marketers, for it shows that their current product users are very willing to tell others about their positive brand experiences….and that, therefore, a new role of marketing is to provide these users with the right product/brand information so that the users can “spread the word”.

AG: What is the Indian consumer like compared to the other five countries in which the study was conducted?
TP:
In general, it’s fair to say that the Indian consumer shares more traits with consumers in Brazil and China, than they do with Americans, the English or Russians. In Brazil, India and China, we see that consumers there are more interested in using social networks to gain product information, to be relying more on trusted brands, to more greatly value brand names and brand reputation, and to regularly initiate conversations with friends and family members about their brand experiences.

AG: Share with us in brief, a bit about your personal contribution at IPG and how do you plan to take the agency on global maps.
TP:
A significant part of my job, in reporting to the IPG CEO, is to put forward learnings like those found in our New Realties work, in order to assist our agencies and their clients in better understanding how consumers are changing…and what we need to  do to “stay in front” of these new attitudes. I also assist our agencies with several of our larger clients who employ multiple IPG agencies to advance their brands.  Currently, IPG agencies are very well represented not only in India (with very strong performance and history with Lowe, McCann and FCB in India), but all over the world.  We continue to invest in growing markets, with a full range of marketing service offerings.

Following his arrival at IPG in early 2003, Peigh assumed direct responsibility for management of the company's global real estate, procurement, travel, and marketing information services. In addition, Peigh assists David Bell on a range of corporate development projects. Prior to joining Interpublic, Peigh was Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Foote, Cone & Belding Worldwide.

From 1998 to 2001, Peigh was EVP, Director of Corporate Operations of True North Communications (which was acquired by Interpublic in 2001), where he was a member of the True North Management Board, with a direct reporting relationship to the Chairman/CEO. Peigh also served as a member of the Board of Directors of NASDAQ-listed Modem Media - a digital communications company owned in part by True North.

Prior to his corporate role, Peigh worked for 22 years in various management roles at FCB, most recently as Worldwide Account Director on Cadbury Schweppes and Kimberly-Clark. Here he led the growth of these accounts to over 30 countries and served as one of the agency's trailblazers in developing global marketing and communications programs.

Having received BS from Northwestern University in 1974 and his MBA, with honors, from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Peigh is co-author of two books on communications for social marketing, and serves as Vice Chairman on the Board of Trustees of the Washington, DC-based Population Reference Bureau - a think tank on global population and development issues.

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