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Indians experiment with brands the most in Asia: Grey
MUMBAI: India can be a fertile market for brands, providing scope for marketers to launch new products to tap a rapidly growing middle class.
According to a research by a leading advertising agency, Indian consumers lead the Asian market in being heavily influenced by current trends and are ready to indulge in and experiment with new brands.
India is also one of the top five countries in Asia at 64 per cent that is highly concerned about household finances amid a global credit crunch. Even after being experimental and optimistic about future brand consumptions, almost 45 per cent of Indians are actively saving money for the future, said a Grey Group study.
Expectations of household finances improving have dropped from 71 per cent (2008) to 48 per cent (2009), while the number of Indians expecting their personal finances to get worse has doubled in the last year.
Overall, 80 per cent of Asians are now saving for the future wherein 50 per cent of Asians are responding with cost-effective measures and are actively shopping around for value-for-money deals to save money, said Grey in its latest “2009 Eye on Asia” study.
The economic downturn can have a deep impact on consumer behaviour. Said Grey Group Asia Pacific chairman and CEO Nirvik Singh, “More than ever before, marketers need to understand people‘s evolving attitudes and behaviours to get ready for new opportunities when the market rebounds. Grey Group‘s Eye on Asia study is built on the notion that listening to and building emotional bonds with consumers will enable business owners to differentiate their brands in this Asian century.”
Almost 52 per cent of the Indian consumers are highly influenced by current trends, beating 15 other Asian countries. These include Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Following India in the second spot is Sri Lanka with about 51 per cent of the consumers strongly under the influence of current trends. Meanwhile, China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan occupy the next seven positions.
The latest wave of Eye on Asia shows that the general optimism of the Asia region for the future has been significantly dampened but not derailed completely. Inundated with financial weariness, people generally become negative, attitudinally. The declining optimism is resulting in higher tendency to work towards brightening up their future and people are inclined to save more.
On an average, while 76 per cent of Asians believe their future will be better than the past, only 30 per cent of Asians strongly believe in this. The level of optimism is most pronounced in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. However, this view is held by only 7 per cent of Japanese, less than half of the proportion of any other Asian country.
The survey also reveals that only 14 per cent of Asians are very satisfied with their lives. Research findings substantiate that Asians are uncertain about the future, with only 30 per cent of Asians being more content than they were 12 months ago, compared to 39 per cent who are less content. Content levels in Taiwan (60 per cent) and Korea (50 per cent) have decreased.
63 per cent of Asians are satisfied with their lives today, but this average hides a wide variation in Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Japan where the majority are dissatisfied, the study said.
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Navi releases new ‘Hurrypur’ film focused on speed and simplicity
Auto breakdown turns F1-style pit stop in campaign film set to Baalti’s track
MUMBAI: When life’s in the fast lane, Navi wants even your breakdowns to be over in a blink. Navi has rolled out a new film under its ongoing ‘Hurrypur’ campaign, doubling down on its core pitch speed and simplicity in everyday transactions.
The film opens on a familiar hiccup, an autorickshaw breaking down mid-ride. But what follows is anything but ordinary. The repair unfolds like a Formula 1 pit stop swift, precise, almost cinematic. Within seconds, the tyre is replaced, the vehicle is back on the road, and even the fare negotiation wraps up in record time.
Set to US-based musical act Baalti’s track “123”, the film uses rhythm and pacing to mirror its central idea, in a world that moves fast, everything around it must keep up.
The narrative builds on Hurrypur, a fictional world where time is treated as currency and delay is almost obsolete. Through exaggerated yet relatable scenarios, the campaign reflects a broader behavioural shift consumers increasingly expect instant responses, whether from people, platforms or payments.
Navi Limited MD and CEO Rajiv Naresh said the Hurrypur universe is designed to highlight the company’s focus on delivering seamless, time-efficient experiences. Meanwhile, creative agency Sideways and director Ayappa KM leaned into humour and visual energy to push the story beyond a typical product-led narrative.
Instead of listing features, the campaign sticks to storytelling turning a routine inconvenience into a high-speed spectacle.
Because in Navi’s world, even a pit stop refuses to slow things down.
