"Brands are representing and building cultures today": Prasoon Joshi, McCann

McCann Worldgroup study covering 29 countries finds people in India are most proud of their national identity. The research insights were revealed at the summit on 'Global Brands' held on May 21.

India's attitudes towards global brands were revealed in a worldwide survey of public sentiment published by McCann Worldgroup on May 21, 2015. The summit on the 'The Truth About Global Brands' held at Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon, uncovered the group's new consumer research involving 30,000 people across 29 countries.

Among the speakers at the event were, Prasoon Joshi, chairman, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and CEO, McCann Worldgroup India., Suzanne Powers, McCann's global chief strategy officer, Jitender Dabas, EVP and head of planning, India and Pavan K Verma, author and diplomat. Also on the agenda was a CMO roundtable where experts discussed the challenges and opportunities for brands as they go form global to local and vice-versa.

"Brands are representing and building cultures today": Prasoon Joshi, McCann

The study explained the impact of technology and the rising strength of national movements on global marketing, which is evolving into new patterns to suit the complex global vs. local consumer attitudes and behaviours today. According to McCann's research, global brands continue to have major opportunities despite the resurgence of national pride, but their success depends on how they approach local markets.

Published as a set of regional (Latin- America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and United States) and category reports (beauty, finance and insurance, food and beverages, automobile and technology), the research findings will help marketers understand their consumers better and communicate with them effectively, without losing 'cultural relevance'. The idea was succinctly put forward by Suzzane Powers as "miss the nuance, miss the target."

Elaborating futher, Powers said, "If more than four-fifths of the world's population believes that global brands can make the world a better place, even more in India, then marketers have an important opportunity to earn their way into people's lives in much deeper, more meaningful ways. As 'The Truth About Global Brands' study revealed, marketers today have to apply a 'globality' approach that recognizes the need to address local cultures with more reverence and nuance."

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Of the 30,000 people in 29 countries surveyed, the research found that people in India were the most proud of their national identity (94 per cent), compared to a global average of 85 per cent. In addition, it revealed that India has a strong culture of creativity and risk, as it relates to its citizens' hopes for the future. The findings also state that Indians are highly optimistic about the idea of a more connected world, with 95 per cent being positive about globalization.

Sharing insights on the study, Prasoon Joshi said, "While people around the world are generally positive about global brands, such brands can still be associated with a definition of 'globalization' that describes a flattening of cultures. The immense pride we Indians take in our national identity, combined with our strong culture of creativity and risk-taking, is very important indeed. These are the critical attributes and behaviours that will help us to progress and succeed in the rapidly changing global marketplace."

'The Truth About Global Brands' is the largest study McCann group has undertaken to date. The research outcomes were launched on January 22 in New York City. Since then it has been presented to clients and teams in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Barcelona, Dubai, London and New Delhi. Also on the list are Madrid, Manila, Singapore, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile, which will be covered over the next few months.

McCann Truth Central is McCann's global intelligence unit, with representation in more than 100 countries around the world. The group is dedicated to uncovering human truths to help brands make their mark in the world.

McCann Worldgroup, part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a global marketing services company comprising McCann Erickson (advertising), MRM//McCann (digital marketing/relationship management), Momentum Worldwide (total brand experience), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (global adaptation and production), UM (media management), Weber Shandwick (public relations), FutureBrand (consulting/design), ChaseDesign (shopper marketing) and PMK-BNC (entertainment/brand/popular culture).

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