Looking At Asia In A Global Economic Downturn Series(2) : Brand Sirens in China

Who Are Brand Sirens?
They are the most coveted group of brand loving young adults. With their unique ability of brand advocacy, they tell people about their choices and influence the brand decisions of others. They are trusted sources for information. Having a Brand Siren on your side can be one of the most powerful ways to market your brand.

Through our Starcom international study into the lives of Brand Sirens in the US, China, India and Russia, we uncovered what defines Brand Sirens:
1. They are passionate about brands.
2. They lead digitalized lives – and nowhere more so than in China.
3. They advocate their brand choices as active and influential opinion leaders.
4. They are receptive to experiential and digital contacts.
5. They gather brand information from multiple sources.
6. They tend to have higher usage in all categories (especially Luxury)
7. They seek out novelty and are interested in trying new products

Our recession focused conversations in China reinforce the importance of Brand Sirens to marketers especially in these tougher economic times. It is during a downturn and subsequent recovery that marketers stand to benefit by focusing their marketing efforts against these super-influencers. Brand Sirens continue to buy and tell others about their favourite brands even in a slowdown. As others in their social networks put some brands in a purchase ‘parking lot’, Brand Sirens draw their
peers back into a brand conversation, keeping their favourite brands top of mind within their social networks. This report will tell you exactly how and where to reach those all-important super-influencer Brand Sirens.

When Economy Gets Tough, Brand Sirens Keep Loving
Brand Sirens love brands! And equally so, they love telling others about them to exercise their influence power. Neither one of these personality traits changes because the economy has slowed down.

B city Brand Sirens appear the most passionate about brands, more so than A city Brand Sirens, as they place even more value on brands as status symbols. They will rely on big/known brands as a success cue (to others) and a quality cue (to themselves). In rapidly growing B cities, no one can afford to make a fashion faux-pas, so there is a tendency to stick to well known/big brands. If the B city Brand Siren can afford it, they will purchase the desired brand that everyone recognizes and wants (it is safe). Exclusivity is not desired; what they want are symbolic statements.

Brand Sirens Get Creative To Maintain Their Lifestyle
With their spending habits and desire for branded products, it is understandable that Brand Sirens have a greater need for money, leading to a greater need not only to buy smarter and cut spend, but also to be proactive in order to earn more income to maintain their purchases. Brand Sirens show their proactive nature by starting their own side business, engaging in more Do-It-Yourself projects, bargaining over prices, andselling items to make money. B city Brand Sirens especially have embraced learning new skills, despite the fact that their behavourial changes are not as great as A and C city Brand Sirens.

Here is how Brand Sirens are managing their finances in a downturn by city tier:

A city Brand Sirens, for example, are seeking free or low cost entertainment. To help them maintain an outgoing lifestyle at low cost, brands can design events for Brand Sirens that have no cost to the participant but will continue to surround them with the brand. Take this example from Li Ning, China’s sportswear giant. Li Ning
organizes a free running club across cities in China, during which they provide tips, new product information and samples, along with music and other fun activities.

Where Can Brand Sirens Be Reached?
Being proactive is a time-consuming undertaking and we see this in Brand Sirens’ media usage. They have turned even more to online (+20pp versus non-Brand Sirens), not only because it is familiar to them, but because they value it as an information resource. Brand Sirens are making the most out of being more home-bound. In fact, over a third of Brand Sirens increased their time online doing social and business networking, participating in online contests from companies and blogging.

C city Brand Sirens lead the way in increased media usage. 75% of C city Brand Sirens say they have spent more time online now, versus before the recession. Despite their heightened online usage, they have not neglected their familiar newspaper, which saw the second highest increase after online. This is likely because newspaper is a cheaper source of information (versus magazines), inside which
they can find deals/promotions easily.

B city Brand Sirens are also hard at work searching for deals – especially online and in-store. Seeing that they don’t have as big of a means as A city Brand Sirens, they resort to their deal seeking expertise to save money and maintain their lifestyle. They are checking brand websites for promos/coupons (57%), looking for deals/sales in-store (62%), and subscribing to mobile phone promotions from companies (45%) or email newsletters from companies(42%).

Increased Expectations Of Brands
Because of the amount of money Brand Sirens spend, they are also expecting a lot from companies. A majority of Brand Sirens agree that companies should offer better
value to consumers during recessionary times and help them save money.

How Marketers Can Make Themselves Relevant

Surround Me With People Who Speak My Language
Over a third of A city Brand Sirens appear to especially enjoy stores which provide knowledgeable in-store consultants. This is because A city Brand Sirens know their brands and a have vast product knowledge. They appreciate having dialogue and a second opinion from others who are also experts in the area (as they absolutely consider themselves to be experts). They also are likely to shop at stores where
informed and professional staff are there to cater to their needs.
Take Action: Ensure your A city Brand Sirens receive the
dialogue they desire – high-level discussions on brands/products, along with the ability for them to express their excitement and glee to someone who understands.
Give them expert second opinions and also insider tips on the newest products.

Give Me Deals Via Digital Platforms
B City Brand Sirens want deals. They report some of the highest numbers in desiring discounts, coupons, and samples. They also reported being on the lookout for coupons in emails, and checking brand websites for promotions. Compared to B city Moms (the digital savvy group from the Parenting Installation), B city Brand Sirens are even more likely to subscribe to messaging from companies, such as SMS messaging from brands (+17pp vs B city Moms), and subscribe to email newsletters from companies (+20pp).
Take Action: B city Brand Sirens are doing all the hard work pulling information from various sources and companies. Simplify their work. Now is the time to plump up your email/SMS distribution list and ensure you have an effective CRM campaign.

Help Me Be Me
C City Brand Sirens have the biggest worries and are feeling the pressure of not having the means to afford brands for themselves or even to support their families. It is therefore not surprising that almost 40% of C city Brand Sirens say they would appreciate companies taking the initiative to sponsor local charities or organizations, in comparison to 16% non-Brand Sirens. C city Brand Sirens, in particular, want to feel that they are not overlooked, but that companies care about them too. They want to live up to the image they have of themselves in their head ( that they are brand sirens, savvy, in-the-know, and worthy of attention) and for others to recognize it in them as well.
Take Action: Become a bigger part of the lives of C city, Brand Sirens by bridging the current disconnect between their aspirations and their reality. How? Offer contests with shopping spree prizes, or beauty/spa packages to pamper and beautify. Allow them to feel special and well-off, despite their financial constraints.

Key Learnings & What They Mean For Us As Marketers:

1.Sirening Still Continues!
Even in the midst of a recession, Brand Sirens cannot resist connecting with other peers and brands, and sirening their brand love.
What this means to us as marketers?
First, focus your marketing efforts on Brand Sirens to keep your brand top of mind and draw others within the social network into the brand conversation. You can still leverage this learning as we begin on the course to economic recovery!
Second, feed them content to siren about! Turn the slowdown & recovery into a conversation. If you have tips for tougher times, tell them! Join in their celebration at the speedy economic recovery. If you have new products, makesure they know. If you are launching a new contest, let them be the first to enter. As long as they are kept in the loop with new (and relevant) information, they will tell others about it.

2.They are Leading Digital Growth.
More home-bound than ever, Brand Sirens have increased their online usage – in productive ways. 38% have increased their online networking and over a third have increased their participation in online contests from companies and increased their blogging activities.
What this means to us as marketers?
Embrace the digital times! Make sure you have a strong online presence and make it known to them. Since they are online (and on their mobile) more now, use this as an opportunity to start, strengthen or grow your CRM database. Develop a targeted list of movers and shakers for targeted CRM initiatives.

3.They Want To Share Their Enthusiasm With People Who Understand And Can Speak Their Language.
Brand Sirens know their products – and well! That’s why they (especially A city Brand Sirens) want to be surrounded by people who are able to talk the same talk.
What this means to us as marketers?
Give them people to connect with who are able to tell them the new news. Connect them with experts and other passionate Brand Sirens alike in a way that is fun, engaging and informative – be it at the store, via a special website with real-time dialogue, or message boards. Let their passion flow and allow them to feed off the energy of other similar-minded people.

4.Brand Sirens Have Been The Most Proactive In Behavioural Change.
Even cutting spend and buying smart may not be enough to allow them to continue spending and living the lifestyle they are passionate about. Thus, their need to find other ways to supplement their income. This leads to an increased proactivity in finding ways to make money, such as starting their own side business (84%) and selling items to make money (42%).
What this means to us as marketers?
Help them out and give them tips, tricks and ideas on how to make money. Perhaps even develop a branded online platform for them, on which they can sell (or trade) items (as they are likely to have a lot to sell/trade) with other Brand Sirens, or with consumers who are interested in the style and ideas of Brand Sirens.