Grey opens Eye on Asia

Eye on Asia, an annual study looking at the hopes and dreams of people in 16 countries across Asia Pacific, found that in China, three out of four people believe that most advertising and marketing is "unattractive". In fact, the country held the worst scorecard in its attitudes towards advertising.

If this isn't enough, the report found consumers are becoming more wary about product claims, questioning the reliability of well-established multi-national corporations and are now looking to more credible sources to calm their fears. The study found that shoppers are so wary that a stunning 80% of Asians agree it is risky to buy from an unfamiliar brand.

On the other hand, 59% of Asians are willing to pay a premium for products and services that are either new or perceived to be unique, and their country owning a global brand is seen as motivating to most Asians at 88%.

On the topic of consumerism, it is worthy to note that 85% of Asians are willing to give up convenient products and services they enjoy to preserve the environment, but only 75% of Asians would be willing to pay more for products that are environmentally friendly.

The upside to that is that an average of 78% of Asians, once they find a brand they like, rarely tend to change their preferences. So if an environmentally friendly brand manages to find a spot in consumers' hearts, it knows it is there to stay.

Chris Beaumont, architect of Eye on Asia and president & CEO of Grey Japan says Eye on Asia serves to reinforce that Asia is an "extremely dynamic and diverse".

"Some of the normal stereotypes and assumptions that are made about lifestyle, aspirations and value systems need to be re-examined," he says.

"Our way forward is about seeing through the attitudes into the big patterns that will shape consumers' thinking and behaviour and, ultimately, how it will impact branding and communication efforts."

Across the region, Grey highlights 24 core trends that make up the majority of Asian consumers.

One interesting finding that emerged from the study is that Asians have become less conformist, pursue individual lifestyles and are not fulfilled at work.

"Variety is becoming the spice of life in this increasingly fragmented society. Asians are becoming more adventurous, taking risks and choosing to experiment a wide range of enriching activities they were previously not game enough to explore.

"The task of classifying consumers into fixed categories will be harder and overlaps will be inevitable. Repertoire buying will become more prevalent as consumers continue to search for more rewarding extracurricular programs that will enhance their lives," the report says.

On average, 56% of Asians say they are very influenced by current trends  - significantly higher than responses from Western countries at 41%. That said, there is still a wide disparity amongst Asians with 84% of Sri Lankans agreeing, in contrast to 47% of Vietnamese, and less than 35% scoring for Japan and Korea. This suggests they are not trend-led and look for something more enduring.  

Somewhat more consistent is the fact that few Asians expect fulfillment from their work ("work being just what I do to get money"). Only 46% of Asians view work in a positive light compared to the Westerners who weighed in at 56%.

The 2008 study surveyed 16 countries including Singapore, Australia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, New Zealand, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Some 500 respondents from each of the 16 countries participated in the research which involved both internet and face-to-face interviews. Respondents were 18 to 65 year old individuals.