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Consumer insights - Case studies

Why?

Is your campaign ill-fated?

Smoking prevalence in many Muslim communities - especially among older men - is extremely high. To address this issue, a smoking cessation campaign targeted at the Muslim community was devised and executed during the holy month of Ramadan, capitalising on a higher motivation to quit smoking during the fasting period.

Initial campaign messages centered on the
theme "Smoking kills". However, ETHNOS research found that the campaign was ineffective with devout Muslims, as they tended to see their fate as being in the hands of God. "Only God can decide when you die, not smoking." The campaign was redirected to emphasise instead the impact of smoking on one's health and the implications of illness or death on the entire family. The revised campaign generated high cessation attempts.

Expertise

The meaning of success

When Morgan Stanley decided to sponsor the "Successful Britons Awards", they asked ETHNOS to find out what British people understand by "success", whether this varies
by ethnicity, and who people regard as being
the most successful Britons (minority ethnic
or otherwise).

Very few differences were found between ethnic communities: most people see success either as some private achievement (e.g. good health, financial freedom, happiness, a good family life) or as some public achievements (e.g. wealth, fame, power). The one area where ethnic minority respondents differed was in the importance they attribute to making a positive "contribution to society". They therefore put forward for the award Britons
who had worked tirelessly towards improving life for the many.

Morgan Stanley held a very positive and inclusive award ceremony. They are widely regarded as good corporate citizens and as attractive employers by current and prospective ethnic minority staff.

Cultural dimensions to products

There are thousands of beauty products on the market but few consider the cultural dimensions in product development.

Many Chinese women are used to using natural herbs for medicinal purposes. They associate natural ingredients with traditional products. In contrast, products using artificial ingredients are associated with being modern. This was the finding in a study of make-up amongst Chinese women in the UK. They wanted make-up to contain artificial chemicals because this was modern. This contrasts with the widely held view amongst Western women that natural ingredients are best.

This insight was key in helping our client to select products and devise marketing activities targeting Chinese customers in the UK.