Prepared by

1
Buzz Touchstone ResearchAn insight into the
current consumer mood and climate

• Prepared by
• Nina Finlayson Will Cordukes
• Presented to
• Photo Imaging Council Australia
• June 2003

2
My World
Corporation
Brand
Consumer
lt Understanding the context is vital to
understanding long term relevance of a brand.
Consumers becoming less myopic about brands gt
3
lt Groups were conducted in February 2003 gt
4

• Driven by external events
• Affecting all facets of life
• Affecting people across ages and socio-economic
  boundaries

5

• Increasing career concerns
• Corporate vultures
• Getting by, not striving

lt Focusing inwards to insulate from an alien
corporate world gt
6

• Unconvinced about traditional models
• Individual identity is paramount
• Experimenting and testing the waters
• Older people realising in hindsight

ltRelationships important but cannot be relied
upon gt
7

• Grand scale
• More commonly on an everyday scale

lt Taps into a desire to change things in their
lives and become more decisive gt
8

• Lacking both in their world and beyond it
• Politically, at work and in their own lives
• Leads to a happier, often more simple life

9

• Good tool for hard times
• Often linked to passion being dedicated
• Tones of the Aussie battler
• Often close to home

10

• Increasingly see through the brand to the
  corporate values
• Cynical about corporate citizenship
• Few new brands connect on key aspirational values
• Widening gap between us and them

lt Demonstrating a lack of consistent and relevant
communication(?) gt
11

• At the top end
• Honda
• Rolls Royce
• Illy Coffee
• Sony
• Cleaver Meats
• Passionate, consistent, authentic, committed to
  their craft

• At the value end
• Wizard Home Loans
• Bonds
• Golden Circle
• Dairy Farmers
• King Gee
• Consistent, real, no bullshit, good value, on
  the battlers side

lt Consistent display of values people admire in
those around them gt
12

• Are you transparent in your communication? Are
  you telling the truth? Can your products stand
  proudly behind the claims you make?
• What are you doing to give your brand a sense of
  leadership? Are you leading the way for
  consumers, offering products and services that
  genuinely consider their needs?
• Can you translate some of the passion in your
  company to the outside world let them know what
  drives you, why you are so good at what you do?
• Are you thinking about the growing need to
  consider consumers as individuals? how you
  might tailor your products to make them more
  personal and therefore create a more emotional
  attachment to your brand.
• Are you being consistent? Are you giving your
  brand the best chance of being remembered and
  considered?