Ketchum Digital Living Index 2012

What People Want Most from Personal Technology Insights from the 2012 Study

Ketchum

2 | 2012 KETCHUM DIGITAL LIVING INDEX

About the Ketchum Digital Living Index

The 2012 Ketchum Digital Living Index views technology adoption through a

cultural anthropology lens, looking at the intersection – and disconnects –

between the human experience and people‟s expectations and aspirations for

consumer technology.

The Index is based on online interviews conducted by Ipsos with 6,000

participants in total in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain and China, as well

as online qualitative discussions conducted by Communispace with

approximately 400 men, women and young adults in the US

US UK CHINA GERMANY FRANCE SPAIN

What people want

most is simplification

Finding No. 1


“The most surprising finding in the study

is the overwhelming desire for simplification.

It seems counter-intuitive when technology

is always about being bigger or better or faster, but the data

show that what people really want is to understand

how all of these devices can get them to their

desired experience easily.”

- Esty Pujadas, partner and director of Ketchum‟s Global

Technology Practice


Simplification is tops

• 76 percent of people are left wanting more from personal technology

when it comes to simplifying their life. Only the remaining one in four

describes themselves as very satisfied with technology‟s ability to

make their life simpler

• There is more than a 20 point gap between the proportion of

consumers who feel “easy to use” and “makes life simpler” attributes

are very important and the percentage of people who are very

satisfied with their current experience


More important than empowerment or enrichment

Overall, more people value technology that provides simplification over

other kinds of experiences and over personal values.

50 40

23 15

0

20

40

60

Drivers

SIMPLIFICATION

- Easy to use

- Helps to simplify your

Life

EMPOWERMENT

- Lets you access

information you want,

when you want it

- Helps you find time

- Helps you connect

with people

- Customizable to meet

your needs

- Lets you discover new

information/

experiences

ENRICHMENT

- Provides you entertainment

- Helps you stay informed

about the latest news/ trends

- Helps you manage health/

wellness

- Helps you be creative

- Helps you be a better parent

- Helps you be a better

spouse/partner

- Helps you be a better friend

VALUES

- Understands/values you

- Shares your values

- Signals who you are to the

outside world


Where does simplification matter most?

Simplification is most important in the US and Spanish markets

68

55

48

54

58

43

53

33

48

46

54

41

0 20 40 60 80

US

UK

France

Germany

Spain

China

Makes Life Simpler Easy to Use


What people want to hear from companies –

simplification is in Top 3 for all products

Q. Which THREE of the following would be MOST important for [product category] companies to tell

you about when communicating with you about their products?

Provides you entertainment 56%

Easy to use 55%

Information you want, when you

want it 35%

TV/Video

Smartphones Easy to use 53%

Helps simplify your life 36%

Information you want, when

you want it 36%

Tablets/Computers

Home Appliances

Easy to use 73%

Helps simplify your life 72%

Helps you find time 42%

Easy to use 50%

Information you want, when you want it 39%

Provides you entertainment 36%

Gaming Provides you entertainment 78%

Easy to use 62%

Helps you be creative 34%

Location matters

Finding No. 2


“The most striking finding to me as an anthropologist was

that culture really matters. I didn‟t expect that,

because the dominant narrative is that technology sells

itself. But the data shows this just isn‟t true. The intersection

between what people find appealing and the values of their

experiences with technology differ profoundly by country and

by cultural DNA.”

- Emma Gilding, cultural anthropologist


Importance of cultural DNA

• A dominant narrative in the technology industry is that mobile

technology removes barriers of place and time and a user‟s physical

location no longer matters

• Ketchum Digital Living Index shows that human experiences with

technology differ profoundly by country

and by cultural DNA

• Particularly striking in such areas as

the importance of simplification and

the likelihood to express “love” for

specific types of products


Other differences by country

The French view technology as more of an

empowering tool than as a part of their human

experience, compared to global counterparts. For

example, the French are not convinced that technology

can enhance their personal relationships. The way to France‟s

heart is through empowerment.

The Chinese, more than other countries, need technology to

help them interpersonally, with factors such as managing

relationships and health and wellness.

Values overall, less relevant in the western hemisphere, are

key drivers in China. The Chinese are more likely to appreciate brands

that share their values and signal who they are to the outside world.

China and the US share an appreciation for brands understanding who

they are.



Consumers in the US, more so than other western countries,

especially need technology to understand and share their

values. But unlike the Chinese, who also appreciate values

more than other markets, brand that signals who a consumer

is to the outside world matters less in the US.

Most enrichment factors, including entertainment and staying atop

news/trend, are much more important in the US than in other countries.

In Spain, functionality is core to the technology

experience. This audience wants to be entertained, too.

Spanish consumer technology users look for factors such as

information accessibility and simplification. They also expect

to be entertained.

Unlike in most other countries, Spain‟s expectations and satisfaction

with technology aspects tend to be closely aligned.



Germans are more “in love” with technology than some global

counterparts. When Germans are asked about overall feelings

toward technology most “love” the technology they have come

to rely on day to day. Conversely, on the global level most just

“like” technology. Connecting with people is less important to

Germans than the rest of the world (28% Germany vs. 34% global).

People in the UK generally like consumer technology products

but are not in love with them, they are less inclined than other

markets to “love” mobile or home entertainment products.

TV/video and tablets/computers are the most beloved

consumer technology products. The least loved consumer technology is

home appliances and gaming units. Brits are more likely that other

consumers to love TV/videos and less inclined to love home appliances.

Digital likes

outnumber loves

Finding No. 3


Opportunities to turn likes to loves

• Globally, about four of ten survey respondents

(43 percent) love their mobile or home

entertainment products; more (53 percent ) just

like them

• Higher levels of affinity for that than for household

technologies

• Men more likely than women to love mobile or

home entertainment products (47 percent vs. 39

percent)

• Survey respondents from Germany most likely to

love their mobile or home entertainment products

(55 percent). France the least in love (28 percent)


Tablets/computers get most love

42% 38%

35%

26% 21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Tablets/Computers TV/Video Smartphones Home appliances Gaming

There are four kinds

of Digital Living

natives

Finding No. 4


Digital Living Enthusiasts

• Largest group in study population

• Love of personal technology is 10-15 points above the average,

regardless of category

• Place more importance on personal values (such as “the brand

shares my values” and “signals who I am”)

• Much more likely to rate attributes as “very important” than the other

segments

• Hard to please, with an average gap of 14 points between an

attribute‟s importance and their satisfaction with it

• More willing to sacrifice simplification in order to have a product give

them what they want

• 49 percent male; 51 percent female

• Highest percentage in China (29 percent); smallest in France (9

percent)


Digital Living Infomaniacs

• Feel only average amount of “love” for consumer technology

• Getting information they want, when they want it, is above average in

being rated very important; spans a number of product categories

• Technology‟s role in discovering new information and experiences is

vastly more important to this group than to Pragmatists and

Disconnects (29 percent vs. 16 percent and 3 percent, respectively)

• Simplification very important; dissatisfaction gap large (25 points)

• Attach little importance to personal values; less than 5 percent rated

technology‟s ability to help them be better friend, partner or parent as

very important


• Highest percentage in France (23 percent); smallest in China (6

percent)


Digital Living Pragmatists

• Value technology as a helper

• Love technology slightly less than the average

• Ease of use more important to this group than any other.

• Pragmatists appreciate and value how technology can help them live

a more enriched life – they are above average in valuing technology‟s

ability to help them be a better friend, parent, partner, to manage their

health and wellness, and to help them find time

• Overall, personal technology is doing a good job of meeting

Pragmatists‟ expectations


• Highest percentage in Germany (21 percent); smallest in Spain (14

percent)


Digital Living Disconnects

• Feel far less positively than other segments (20 percent say they

love mobile and home entertainment technology vs. an overall global

average of 43 percent)

• Importance of all aspects of technology is much lower than the

average, ranging from 0 percent to 38 percent for Disconnects, while

the average ranges from 11 percent to 54 percent

• Technology isn‟t about making them a better person or allowing

them to customize or be creative – „easy to use‟ is the top-rated

attribute, with 38 percent rating it very important.

• 29 percentage point gap between importance and satisfaction for

“ease of use” and a 13-point gap for “helps simplify life”


• Highest percentage in France (26 percent); smallest in China (6

percent)


Men and women distributed similarly

Enthusiast, 38

Infomaniac, 24

Pragmatist, 22

Disconnect, 17

Men

Enthusiast, 36

Infomaniac, 26

Pragmatist, 23

Disconnect, 14

Women


Implications


Five suggestions to help drive technology adoption

1. Focus on the experience, not just the object. Technology

manufacturers can communicate more meaningfully with consumers

and break through the mental clutter consumers perceive when they

think about today‟s wall of technology by talking about the human

experience, not just the object.

2. Take a page from consumer packaged goods companies.

Successful companies in that sector have become very creative in

order to sell themselves. Technology brands, on the other hand, tend

to emphasize the comparison of one micro-innovation to another.

3. Don’t ignore the elephant in the room – simplification.

Communicating the „what‟ – getting easily to the desired end-

experience – instead of only the features-focused „how‟ – will forge a

stronger emotional connection and brand loyalty.

1.

2.

3.


Five suggestions to help drive technology adoption

Understand the cultural DNA. Make the effort to understand the

prevailing cultural framework for the target audiences and then

develop culturally relevant communications

Segment by experiences. Segmenting by the values of human

experience (for example, Digital Living natives) and layering in

cultural frameworks enables more relevant and compelling

communications and creative programming.

4.

5.


About Ketchum Digital Living

As part of the Global Technology Practice, Ketchum‟s Digital

Living (www.ketchum.com/digital-living) capabilities address

the increasingly pervasive role that personal technology

plays in our everyday lives, and the way it‟s changing how

we communicate, interact and organize ourselves.

Combining proprietary research, measurement tools and

expertise, Ketchum works with some of the industry‟s best

known brands to help them reach and motivate their target

audiences.

Ketchum

Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with

operations in more than 70 countries across six continents.

Named 2012 Agency of the Year (PRWeek) and the winner

of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign

of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver

strategic programming, game-changing creative and

measurable results that build brands and reputations.

Contact:

Esty Pujadas

Partner, Director

Ketchum Global Technology

Practice

[email protected]

http://www.ketchum.com/digital-living

