JWT AnxietyIndex

Real time data is a must to cope with anxious consumers during recessionary times. In an effort to provide exactly that, JWT started AnxietyIndex.com. The blog, authored by JWT planners around the world, chronicles how various brands have adapted their marketing, pricing and communication strategies to suit the recession-hit consumers.

Find out how some communities are teaming up to beat the recession in Singapore or how a lot of brands are resorting to price tactics around the world or how this era has given rise to "luxury shame" and how retailers in US are dealing with it.

While at AnxietyIndex don't forget to check out our anxietyindex Trends and Research page that maps out JWT's PoV on future recessionary trends.

JWT wins at AME Asia

A particularly debated topic in recession-dominated 2009 has been the criticality of effectiveness of brand communication. The AME competition, now in it's 7th year, not only identifies Asia's top creators but rewards those that add value to consumers and businesses.

JWT Mumbai posted two major wins in the recently concluded Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards. JWT Mumbai's Teach India campaign won Bronze in the Most Effective Use of Direct Marketing category, and their Lux Temptation campaign, for Hindustan Unilever Limited, won Gold in the Most Effective Use of Public Relations category.

To find out who else won at AME 2009 click here.
View the 2 winning entries from JWT Mumbai here.

JWT buzzing with Creative Cases

Who would have known that a product like the band aid, used to heal messy cuts and wounds could actually become a fashion statement with a coolness quotient. Our colleagues at JWT Sao Paulo did just that. They roped in designer Alexandre Herchcovitch to design a line of high-fashion Band-Aids, which debuted at São Paulo Fashion Week and went on to become the accessory of the moment in Brazil, even among the unwounded. The success of the idea is prompting Client J&J to take it global.




And in Japan, JWT relaunched a brand in style . They came up with a lavish 7-minute mini film for relaunching Unilever's Lux brand in China and Japan. The film titled "Alchemist" stars Cathering Zeta Jones, and aims to build an emotional connection with young female consumers in both markets through a memorable storyline.












Click here to view the Lux Film.

New media tools in plain English

Christine Bella, planner in JWT Japan pointed us to a delightful source: CommonCraft. For all those amongst us who feel we don't quite understand what some of these new things are all about, how they work and how we should make the best use of it all.

Social media in plain English




Twitter in plain english




Social Bookmarking in Plain English





Wikis in Plain English

JWT India Planners buzzing with papers and points of view

“Bite reality: Breaking 7 myths about the most wanted 700 million”. Ankit Vohra tackles myth by myth and argues systematically about the realities of rural Indian markets and takes a stance on the implications.
Will digital marketers find an audience unwilling to be empowered in rural India? Will online social networking have any relevance at all? How will the culture codes affect internet-mobile growth? Jitender Dabas asks searching questions in “When Rural met Digital”.
“Sense of self in Web2.0” … the face and the mask could be changing places. Shujoy Dutta on managing our public personas, the increasing role of feedback, and some food for thought for marketers.
To read the papers, click here.

Brand Chakras study on Indian Students

What do Indian students really want? Beyond the usual surveys, the latest Brand Chakras study reveals what deep seated needs education brands can satisfy. On the one hand, a clear demand for “entertaining education” and on the other hand a yearning for mentors and inspiring role models who can give them individual attention and prepare them for life. Typical of so many other Indian consumer groups, the Indian student too today is asking for a magical combination. “The Call for Dronacharya”, a joint initiative of JWT India Planning and SRM University, a qualitative and quantitative study across 8 centers and students from different education streams. To see an executive summary, click here.

Guy Murphy on "What Planning should think about in a recessionary year"

First instincts for the things Planning should think about in this recessionary year ahead: Guy Murphy, in his blog to JWT Worldwide Planners
Friday, January 9th, 2009
1. Category, not brand.
Tighter finances will mean consumers will start to make decisions between categories, rather than just between brands within a category. Not Gap vs Uniqlo, but clothes vs CDs. Look closely again at the buying decision. How healthy is the category for your JWT brand? Do you need more category messages?
2. Brand’s value voice.
This year, more than ever, brands will have to talk more about their price in some way. How do you maintain a sense of brand in that conversation? How can each of JWT’s brands talk about price in a way that is still branded?
(Harrods do this well. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYZXwt6t5Bw).
3. Effective versus efficient.
Always worth distinguishing between ‘doing things right’ (efficiency), and ‘doing the right things’ (effectiveness). The tendency in a recession is to not think hard enough about the latter of those two. What is the minimum number of the right things that a JWT brand should do this year?
4. Confidence.
Consumers can smell a brand’s confidence. Having a sense of success about a brand this year will be the kiss of life, and vice versa, e.g. money-back guarantee vs ‘2 for the price of 1′ (see Hyundai’s latest confident move www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVAWviuVmK4. How can we ensure JWT’s brands look in touch with difficult times but still appear sure of their own future?

What makes Mumbai the way it is: From "A Tale of Four Cities"/JWT India Brand Chakras Study

Mumbai: where "Survival is the Art of Living"

A Street-Level Look at the people, culture and temperament of Mumbai, India's Sprawling City of 13 Million Shaken by Last Week's Terror Attacks

"Indifferent sadness." "Impotent love." "No whining. Accept hardships and keep going." "The show must go on." These were but some of the comments from consumers during a study by JWT India on the character of Mumbai just a few months ago. In the aftermath of recent events, the value of Mumbai-ites' resilience became a subject of debate. Many felt what one of the respondents said: "Riots, bomb blasts, floods. ... The city bounces back by forgetting and that, I personally feel, is a bad thing. The city should come to a grinding halt. That is when there will be considerable thought given to what led to these adversities and real steps will be taken to prevent these from happening."

So, according to the study, what makes Mumbai what it is?



* First, day-to-day life is a struggle

"Mumbai is a draining city in a physical sense; one requires tremendous amounts of energy to get through the rigors of every day life in Mumbai."

"Traffic is chaotic, most people have to spend five to six hours commuting. Mumbai's productivity is reduced by half due to traffic related delays."

*Yet, it's a city of opportunity

"Setting goals and achieving them is what people come here for and they focus on that." "Strugglers here continue to have their dreams despite their failures; especially in fields like media, films."

"Mumbai has a culture of intense competition. The number and scale of opportunities available are immense."

* Be competitive and you'll reap rewards

"Survival calls for competitiveness as well as preoccupation with own matters; hence being self-absorbed and indifferent is natural to the seasoned survivor in Mumbai."

"People do not mind being right or wrong as long as they get ahead in life and achieve what they want."

"Mumbai has no sympathy for the newcomer. He or she has to be ready to compete and work hard, suffer and endure to get going in this city."

"Don't resist the hectic pace, go with the flow, the current will carry you forward."

*Therefore, there is no time to dwell on the difficulties

"If your car is bumped, then you abuse that person and move on. You do not get into terrible rage like in some other cities. They do not want to get trapped in such situations ... it is smarter to move on."

"If you are traveling in a train, there will be so many times that you will be trampled, jostled ... but you have to pick yourself up and move on. That is the attitude that surviving in this city calls for ... forget and move on."

"Despite the frustrations, you do not find a lot of violence. If people are stuck in traffic jams for a long time. You might find a lot of horn honking but not physical violence."

*Mumbai is often trapped in situations that it cannot control.

"Terrorist activities are situations which Mumbai cannot control. Politician's actions also trap Mumbai in a way."

*Indifferent sadness and impotent love

"Mumbai only feels sad. Imagine a person hit by a train. People here will feel sad, but there is not enough action as a result of the sadness because people do not either have the time or the inclination. They leave it at feeling sad. They will tide over the guilt of not doing anything by thinking that 'I at least felt sad ... so what if I could not do anything about it.'"

* People do not speak out

"The average person in Mumbai is not inclined to speak his mind out on controversial issues; the fear of repercussions as well as the 'mind your own business' attitude act as deterrents."

"They cannot afford to spend time on such issues. People generally refrain from making political statements openly. They want to avoid trouble, not get trapped in situations."

*There is no 'Voice of the City'

"Power is in the wrong hands. The sentiments of the political power does not necessarily reflect the views and sentiments of the larger Mumbai public."

"Though Bollywood people are representing Mumbai, they are not doing anything personally for Mumbai."

"Though there are personalities in Mumbai who appear in TV interviews, all these people have no power ... nobody listens to them ... they only cater to the elite class. ... People who are really affected, they do not have any voice. Whatever leaders that they have are those who try to take advantage of the situation."

"The social fabric of the city is quite complex. The class divide is quite stark. So you do not have people responding to or uniting on larger city issues that do not directly affect them."

"You will have a group talking about pedestrian spaces being misused and another group talking about the attack on open spaces in the city. But you will never find people coming together as one group and talking about larger issues like terrorism that threaten the city."

* Mumbai does not have a vision of its future

"Mumbai lives in the present and does not think too much about the future. If they thought more about the future, then there will not be too much of dirt, filth lying around."

"Those here do not have the time to plan for two, three years down the road. They do not think of planning for the future, think of larger causes like environment, etc."

*Survival is the art of living in Mumbai" ... "In Mumbai, it is difficult to survive and also easy to survive ... you just have to be a little street smart."("Art of Living" refers to one of the biggest offerings in the new age "spirituality for wellness" domain in India.)

Now, even the definition of street smart has changed. For the people who will just honk and move on, for the people who just want to carry on with their goals, for the people who just want to live and let live, being street smart now means dodging bullets.

This article first appeared in Adage

~ ~ ~

This article quotes entirely from "A Tale of Four Cities," a proprietary JWT India Brand Chakras Study that set out to uncover the forces that make the character of each of its four metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; and understand how citizens relate to their cities. The qualitative study involved Depth Interviews with journalists, radio jockeys, psychiatrists, advertising professionals, HR consultants and Focus Group Discussions amongst citizens of each city, a mix of men and women, young adults and older, long term residents and recent settlers. Mythili Chandrasekar, Executive Planning Director at JWT India steered the study.

For a snapshot of the character of all four Indian metros click here

To buy the full study, write to Mythili.Chandrasekar@jwt.com

JWT India Sweeps the EFFIES in Mumbai

Services: UNICEF Red Ribbon Express - Bronze.
Corporate: Times of India Lead India - Gold.
Internet Digital: Pepsi My can - Bronze.
Integrated: Times of India lead India - Gold
Marico Uncommon Sense Award: Times of India Lead India ( recognition award).
Consumer: DTC Diamond bride - Bronze
Sunsilk Gang of Girls - Bronze.
Fritolay Kurkure Face on Pack - Silver
Nike Gutsy Cricket - Gold
Sunsilk Gang of Girls -
Yahoo Big Idea Chair for digital online advertising.
Times of India Lead India - The Grand Effie
Bennet Coleman Co. - The Effie Client of the Year
JWT India - Agency of the Year

JWT India Wins Big at AME, New York

JWT India won the prestigious AME GOLD Medallion, the AME Silver Medallion and two finalist certificates awarded at the 2008 Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness Awards in New York, amongst competition from 30 countries.

Winners list
De Beers - De Beers Wedding Program : Integrated Marketing, AME GOLD MEDALLION
UNICEF India -Red Ribbon Express: Guerrilla/Alternative Media, AME Silver Medallion
Kellogg's India - Kellogg's Special K : Foods, Finalist Certificate
Bennet, Coleman and Company Ltd. - The Times of India : Media Promotions, Finalist Certificate
Click Here to view all the AME Winners of 2008.

JWT India- Youth Dynamix Trax Study

JWT India and Youth Dynamix (Pvt) Ltd, a specialist WPP youth agency have joined forces to offer clients a specialist youth consultancy offering. It aims to launch an in-depth Trax study focused on the youth in India via a joint venture with Youth Dynamix. The study is the first step in assisting brands in developing strong youth strategies that dove tail their mainline strategy and allow youthful consumers an opportunity to build bridges to the adult brand.

The study will cover a host of categories, including Financial and Shopping Behaviour, Technology and Telecommunications, Media and Advertising, Lifestyles, Attitudes and Family Dynamics.


Click here to read the news article.

Predicting the Trends of 2009

JWT released its 10 Trends for 2009, from New York this week. In addition to the economy, recurring themes include technology and the environment.

Given the current volatility in the world’s markets and consumers’ greatly intensifying anxiety, it’s no surprise says the report that the economy is a common thread. In 2009, we’ll see more consumer strategies for coping with the downturn. Among them is making the most of simple pleasures, a trend we explore here. In this climate, authenticity will become paramount for brands as they look to regain credibility and trust, especially in the wake of a financial crisis that has seen established institutions topple overnight and many others teeter on the brink. Meanwhile, the coming years will see a widespread redistribution of power in almost every major sphere: economic, social and political.
For the full report, click here.

Marketing During a Recession

JWT, from New York, is launching a series of research papers that will examine consumer attitudes and behaviors during a recession and dissect what they mean for marketers.

The following paper—a short audit of existing thinking on the topic of marketing during a recession—is a synthesis of historical and current material published by ad organizations, marketers, journalists and research and consulting companies based on findings from past recessions. It highlights key recurring ideas about why marketers should continue to spend during down times and strategies for how best to go about it.

Read the entire paper at http://www.coffeeanddonuts.co.in/

Marketing lessons from Barack Obama

There have been a flurry of articles on the marketing lessons to be learned from the American President Elect Barack Obama. Here is a sample.

Obama's Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators by Umair Haque

How Better Marketing Elected Barack Obama by John Quelch

How Obama Became CEO of the USA-- and What it Means for CEOs Everywhere by Bill Taylor

Barack Obama's Victory: Three Lessons for Business by Jack and Suzy Welch

What Marketers can Learn from Obama by Al Ries

Ten marketing lessons from the Barack Obama Presidential campaign by David Meerman Scott

10 lessons for marketers from Barack Obama by Vijay Sankaran

Email Marketing Insights from Obama and McCain by Morgan Stewart

Here's a tongue-firmly-in-cheek response to these articles!
I Also Want to Write About Barack Obama by Mythili Chandrasekar

From Reel to Real: JWT India Brand Chakras study on Celebrities

The Indian film star is no longer only a hero of the silver screen; he is a beacon of inspiration to his fans. Their on-screen portrayals are being given lesser importance and their off-screen lives and personality have gained prominence, says the recent JWT Brand Chakras™ Study: From Reel to Real Life.

The study reveals that film stars are no longer considered to be larger than life in terms of his or her persona and lifestyle; they are now real individuals who have risen to extraordinary heights. This shift in how celebrities are viewed is largely attributed to the availability of more real time, wide spread knowledge of what the stars do off screen – be it television shows, blogs, news controversies, or activism. While celebrities were once virtual prisoners of the characters that they played on-screen, they are now seen as individuals whose personal traits earn them as much admiration as their display of talent on-screen. His real attitudes and his larger life story is where the opportunities for brands lie.

The study reveals: 1) a model of how consumers relate to celebrities, and therefore how celebrity brands can be shaped; 2) the key payoffs that consumers derived from the three celebrities studied (Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar); and 3) kinds of fan relationships.

The Brand Chakras framework revealed that Shahrukh Khan operates mainly in Power and Transcendence (leadership and vision) Chakras, while Hrithik Roshan was observed to be operating in the Love and Creative Expression Chakras. Akshay Kumar, on the other hand, was seen to be dominating in Survival and Pleasure Chakras.

The study also threw up three different types of fan relationships. The Entertainment Seeker, the Fantasy Seeker, and the Inspiration Seeker: Different fans would be deriving different benefits from different celebrities.

The qualitative study undertaken by JWT India was executed through Focus Group Discussions and Depth Interviews in Delhi and Mumbai amongst young adult fans of Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan.