MAM
Economic uncertainty will continue to impact consumer mindset: JWT
MUMBAI: JWT‘s center for provocative thinking JWTIntelligence, has released its seventh annual yearend forecast of key trends that will “drive” or “significantly impact” consumer mindset and behaviour in the year ahead.
Continued economic uncertainty, new technologies and the idea of shared responsibility are driving or at the center of several trends in 2012, the report reveals.
“With our annual trends forecast, we aim to bring the outside in – to help inspire ideas beyond brand, category and consumer conventions – and to identify emerging opportunities so they can be leveraged for business gain,” JWT director of trend spotting Ann Mack said. “Trends, like any complex and dynamic human phenomenon, are not preordained – once they are spotted, they can be shaped.”
The 10 key trends are:
Navigating the new normal: the economy will push brands into opening up more entry points for cost-sensitive consumers as the ‘new normal‘ becomes a prolonged normal in the developed world. Marketers will find new opportunity in creating stripped down offerings, smaller size and otherwise more accessible products and services.
Live a Little: Faced with constant reminders about what to do (exercise more, eat better) and what not to do (smoke, over spend), and fatigued from several years of austerity, consumers will look for ways to live a little without giving up a lot. People have been exercising more self control, and increasingly they‘re looking to let loose once in a while; indulging in sinful things, splurging on treats and escaping from today‘s many worries.
Generation go: While twenty something in the developed world feel they‘ve been dealt an unfair deck, there are many who are finding opportunity in economic adversity. Out of continued joblessness or discontent with the status quo will spring an unprecedented entrepreneurial mindset, enabled by technologies that obliterate traditional barriers to entry. A so-called lost generation will transform itself into uniquely resourceful cohort.
The rise of shared value: Rather than simply doling out checks to good causes, some corporations are starting to shift their business models, integrating social issues into their core strategies. The aim is to create shared value, a concept that reflects the growing belief that generating a profit and achieving social progress are not mutually exclusive goals.
Food, as the new Eco-issue: The environmental impact of our food choices will become a more prominent concern as stakeholders-brands, governments and activist organizations-drive awareness around the issue and rethink what food is sold and how it‘s made. As more regions battle with food shortages and/or spiking costs, smarter practices around food will join the stable of green ‘best practices‘.
Marriage optional: A growing gang of women is taking an alternate life route, one that doesn‘t include marriage as an essential checkpoint. Both in the West, where this trend is building, and in the East, where it‘s gaining momentum, ‘happily ever after‘ is being redefined as a household of one, cohabiting or single motherhood.
Reengineering Randomness: As our individual worlds become more personalised and niche and the types of content, experiences and people we are exposed to become narrower, greater emphasis will be placed on reintroducing randomness, discovery, inspiration and different points of view into our worlds.
Screened interactions: More flat surfaces are becoming screens, and more screens are becoming interactive. Increasingly we‘ll be touching them, gesturing at them and talking to them-and becoming accustomed to doing so as part of our everyday behaviors. This is opening up novel opportunities to inform, engage and motivate consumers.
Celebrating Aging: Popular perceptions of aging are changing. People of all ages are taking a more positive view of growing older. And as demographic and cultural changes, along with medical advances, help to shift attitudes, we‘ll redefine when ‘old age‘ occurs and what the term means.
Objectifying Objects: As objects get replaced by digital/virtual counterparts, people are fetishizing the physical and the tactile. As a result we‘ll see more ‘motivational objects‘, items that accompany digital property to increase perceived value, and digital tools that enable creation of physical things.
The report predicts that on tech side, more flat surfaces will become screens, and more screens will be interactive-touching them, gesturing at them and talking to them will become part of our everyday behaviors. And as technology makes our individual worlds more personalized and niche-and narrows the types of content, experiences and people we‘re exposed to-greater emphasis will be placed on reintroducing randomness, discovery, inspiration and different points of view into our worlds.
JWT‘s 10 Trends for 2012 report is the result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted by JWTIntelligence throughout the year. For this report, they conducted quantitative surveys in the US and the UK using Sonar, JWT‘s proprietary online tool. (They surveyed 531 Americans and 524 Britons age 18+ from 31 October to 8 November. Data is weighted by age, gender and income.) They also received inputs from nearly 70 JWT planners across more than two dozen markets, and interviewed experts and influencers across sectors including technology, luxury, social responsibility and academia.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
