Atika Malik, Senior VP and Executive Planning Director, tells us how JWT is tracking consumers' anxiety in India along with Millward Brown.
A proprietary JWT study, Anxiety Index was started to track the levels and intensity of consumer anxiety and, importantly, the drivers of anxiety.
JWT partnered with Millward Brown to understand the drivers of the Indian consumers' anxiety. In its study, JWT India and Millward Brown focused on three major cities in India. Five hundred adults aged 18-49 from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore were interviewed face-to-face about their anxiety levels and anxiety drivers. The study examined safety and security concerns—the threat of terrorism, military hostilities, crime, etc.—and economic worries such as the cost of health care, the cost of living and job security. The study also takes a closer look into how different categories are being affected by the recession, including FMCG, consumer durables and services.
Click here to view the findings of the study and its implications for brands.
Showing posts with label jwt study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jwt study. Show all posts
30 July 2009
25 October 2007
Brand Chakras Study: Mother India
MOTHER INDIA: FROM CHILDREN AS RESPONSIBILITY
TO CHILDREN AS OPPORTUNITY
TO CHILDREN AS OPPORTUNITY
The Indian Mother-and-Child is now a team with a shared vision, with mothers actively believing they can shape their children’s destiny for mutual benefit, says the latest JWT Brand Chakras™ study.
Close on the heels of The Power and the Glory, which studied the Global Indian, JWT now looks at payoffs that mothers want from their children and vice versa, through Brand Chakras™.
The insight mining exercise was done in eight centers - Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trichur, and covered SEC A, B mothers with children between 8 and 16, through group discussions, and depth interviews with pairs of mothers and their children.
Enabling and empowering, coach and companion, event manager and project manager, motherhood has moved beyond protection, nurturance, compassion and selflessness. The child is now a project and a mission, and industriousness, determination, passion and planning are the dominant traits. The children too are taking the roti- kapada-makaan for granted and are looking to the mother to give them the headstart they need in life and ensure that they remain focused.
Other shifts include: from living for the moment to constantly shaping the future; from child’s success to shared glory; and a clear staking of claims on the eligibility for the fruits of success.
Emotional elasticity, reasonable adult-like conversations, retaining locus of control while appearing to be democratic, love that includes toughness and a steeling of the heart, are some of the mother’s strategies.
Children in return are conscious of the contribution that their mothers make in their current lives by donning the roles of organizer, guide, enforcer, and friend. While there may be the usual squabbles over food, outings and social activities, children do indeed look to their mothers to give them courage, inspiration, help them set and achieve their goals and fill them with a will to win. Mother is both cushion and launch pad… giving new meaning to the famous line “mere paas maa hai”! They seem to be defining success in terms of living up to the mother’s expectations. Though, “itna tenson nahin lene ka” is also something they’d like to say to the mothers!
All mothers showed a strong inclination to Power chakra qualities, but three types of mothers emerged:
The Lifeline Seeker: she has given up hopes of the husband improving their lives and is totally dependant on the child to rise to glorious levels and rescue her; looking for insurance and security, she will do everything she can to help them in this journey, but is clearly establishing her rights to the fruits of this labour.
The Coronation Seekers: she is hoping her child’s achievements will bring her out of a life of oblivion and bestow on her a halo for greater social conquest… the child is an opportunity to make an overwhelming statement about herself.
The Independence Seeker: her striving to excel in the mother role is geared to fostering independence and self-reliance in her child, so that she will have the freedom and space for her own pursuits; motherhood enhances her efficiency and gives her exposure that helps her discover unexplored facets of herself.
The implication for brands is that:
*brands need not necessarily choose between mother or child as target but could talk to the duo; *must reflect the new sets of motherhood values and attitudes;
*need to find a role in the shared vision and future that they are chasing;
*salute the mother, Maa thujhe salaam for a new set of reasons;
*connect with the philosophy of effort and determination that she is trying to instill;
*focus on the 15 Chakra payoffs that children chose from the battery of 60 fundamental payoffs; *draw from the mothers’ behaviour codes across the seven chakras that the study has identified.
The insight mining exercise was done in eight centers - Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trichur, and covered SEC A, B mothers with children between 8 and 16, through group discussions, and depth interviews with pairs of mothers and their children.
Enabling and empowering, coach and companion, event manager and project manager, motherhood has moved beyond protection, nurturance, compassion and selflessness. The child is now a project and a mission, and industriousness, determination, passion and planning are the dominant traits. The children too are taking the roti- kapada-makaan for granted and are looking to the mother to give them the headstart they need in life and ensure that they remain focused.
Other shifts include: from living for the moment to constantly shaping the future; from child’s success to shared glory; and a clear staking of claims on the eligibility for the fruits of success.
Emotional elasticity, reasonable adult-like conversations, retaining locus of control while appearing to be democratic, love that includes toughness and a steeling of the heart, are some of the mother’s strategies.
Children in return are conscious of the contribution that their mothers make in their current lives by donning the roles of organizer, guide, enforcer, and friend. While there may be the usual squabbles over food, outings and social activities, children do indeed look to their mothers to give them courage, inspiration, help them set and achieve their goals and fill them with a will to win. Mother is both cushion and launch pad… giving new meaning to the famous line “mere paas maa hai”! They seem to be defining success in terms of living up to the mother’s expectations. Though, “itna tenson nahin lene ka” is also something they’d like to say to the mothers!
All mothers showed a strong inclination to Power chakra qualities, but three types of mothers emerged:
The Lifeline Seeker: she has given up hopes of the husband improving their lives and is totally dependant on the child to rise to glorious levels and rescue her; looking for insurance and security, she will do everything she can to help them in this journey, but is clearly establishing her rights to the fruits of this labour.
The Coronation Seekers: she is hoping her child’s achievements will bring her out of a life of oblivion and bestow on her a halo for greater social conquest… the child is an opportunity to make an overwhelming statement about herself.
The Independence Seeker: her striving to excel in the mother role is geared to fostering independence and self-reliance in her child, so that she will have the freedom and space for her own pursuits; motherhood enhances her efficiency and gives her exposure that helps her discover unexplored facets of herself.
The implication for brands is that:
*brands need not necessarily choose between mother or child as target but could talk to the duo; *must reflect the new sets of motherhood values and attitudes;
*need to find a role in the shared vision and future that they are chasing;
*salute the mother, Maa thujhe salaam for a new set of reasons;
*connect with the philosophy of effort and determination that she is trying to instill;
*focus on the 15 Chakra payoffs that children chose from the battery of 60 fundamental payoffs; *draw from the mothers’ behaviour codes across the seven chakras that the study has identified.
While the study focused on mothers, it has revealed three types of fathers too – according to the mothers!
The Genuine Partner: who tries to play a synergistic role willingly taking up activities which are beyond the mother’s competence;
The Conveniently Detached: who is taking it easy, capitalizing on the mother’s high involvement and taking up the provider stance to negate criticism of his lack of involvement; and
The Cynically Detached: who disagrees with the approach, perceives the mother as crossing the line and fostering too much dependance, and feels children need a more hands-off approach.
Brand Chakras™ is the first Indian strategic planning tool that applies the 2000 year old chakra system as laid out by Patanjali, to consumers and brands. This original system of understanding human behaviour based on the seven major nerve/energy centers in the human body has never been used in marketing, and is an initiative of Strategic Planning at JWT India. http://www.brandchakras.com/
The Conveniently Detached: who is taking it easy, capitalizing on the mother’s high involvement and taking up the provider stance to negate criticism of his lack of involvement; and
The Cynically Detached: who disagrees with the approach, perceives the mother as crossing the line and fostering too much dependance, and feels children need a more hands-off approach.
Brand Chakras™ is the first Indian strategic planning tool that applies the 2000 year old chakra system as laid out by Patanjali, to consumers and brands. This original system of understanding human behaviour based on the seven major nerve/energy centers in the human body has never been used in marketing, and is an initiative of Strategic Planning at JWT India. http://www.brandchakras.com/
For further information, write to Mythili.Chandrasekar@jwt.com
12 August 2007
The power and the glory: Coffee and Donuts/July 07/ Excerpts from JWT study on global Indians
The Power and the Glory
Highlights from recent JWT study on Global Indians
For the global Indian, work is clearly worship - at the altar of fame and money - and a stepping stone to playing God, some day soon.
• Work is worship
*Career is at the heart of life. * Work is an avenue for creativity and innovation * Independence, reduction of distance to the leadership and organizational backing of ideas are important values that companies must offer * There is a driving desire to have the power to take decisions and have people reporting to you * One must build one’s name to be bigger than the company one belongs to * There is growing unwillingness to work for others and need to get credit for one’s own work and not give it to the company * Younger men like the idea of having a hold on their leaders through being a specialist/expert * Dealing with younger, more talented people is one of the challenges for the older people.
• Globalness
*It is important to work for an international company * Ambitions must go beyond India. * Through work, they “want a name for boosting the country’s economy”. There is thirst to play a role in the global impact India is going to have; create jobs, wealth and technology * They feel a certain responsibility to make India a better place.
• Relationships
*All other areas of life stem from success at work and must contribute to the search for glory. * Family respect depends on career success * Wife must actively help and support the search for glory * Men feel wife is second to career, and she knows it and it is to her advantage, because his success brings her greater social respect * Friends and networks are important because “they come in handy”, “you never know who you will need, when” * Friends must help you with your ideas * Women want their spouses to be a source of inspiration.
• Money
* Money is a natural consequence of success at work * Money leads to better lifestyle, which again reflects success at work, and feeds back to climbing the social ladder, which is seen as an important part of work life rather than separate * Heightened personal confidence, ability to take risks, broadening of views and fearless expression of views, social and legal insulation, are some of the other payoffs of money * Relaxation is important but also a waste of time, the time is better spent making more money * Money is better spent, leveraged and shown-off in India rather than outside the country.
• Social give-back
*Extreme expertise at work and money allows one to transcend to social give-back, which actually makes you feel you are playing god. This benevolence too is a reflection of, and route to, glory.
• Spiritual liberation
* It’s the cushion of affluence that will allow and facilitate even spiritual liberation* Experiences * The value of life is now estimated in terms of the quality of experiences one has, and work is central to this too * Work itself is among the possible enriching experiences * Work leads to money, and money makes many new experiences possible – leisure experiences, tech experiences, entrepreneurial adventures as well as (supposedly) noble activities.
• Technology
* Increasing familiarity with technology and the fact that more numbers of people are actually involved in creating technology, means that technology products need to talk a different language – and this is not necessarily a marketing language * These workers take great pride in the ability of individuals and like minded groups to create revolutions; there is some disdain for large organizations even as they work in them * They see through organizations and “manufactured” claims very quickly * They demand proof, higher degree of relevance and demonstration of experiences.
• Masculinity
* Above all, the global Indian spirit is in fact driving the Indian male’s rediscovery of his masculinity, which was somewhat under question in the light of growing woman power, growing child power, and too much media talk on the feminine side of him.
• Implication for brands
1) Compliment, partner and further the newfound rediscovery of a high level of self worth.
2) Give him a role to play in shaping the brand’s success rather than be passive receivers of brand messages, co-custodian rather than consumer.
3) Stand for more elevated, inspiring, larger life purposes – brands that aim to transform economies, societies and the way individual lives are lived, will find greater relevance than brands that offer transient payoffs or operate in the area of just reflecting his personality, attracting female attention or being a statement of style and achievement.
4) Draw from the 16 hot payoffs that most resonate with this leading edge target group. Brands - with messages, products, services, activities and associations - should help to: look at life with courage, symbolise their influence over others, partner their goal oriented nature, reflect and reward their highly competitive spirit, make them feel more intelligent than others, bring out their creativity and innovative ideas, encourage them to do things that have not been done before, inspire them with wisdom for a higher level of leadership.
This study was done throught Brand Chakras™ - a proprietary toolkit of JWT India.
Brand Chakras is a strategic planning tool for brand development based on a 2,000 year-old system from the Indian Upanishads – the Chakra system as laid out in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – the first system of understanding human behaviour based on the human body, that has never been applied to brands.
The seven major chakras are seven basic energy centers that create the seven driving life themes that we live by.These chakras correlate not only to levels of consciousness but also to archetypes and personality dimensions that shape everything from fundamental values and beliefs to fears, desires, motivations, habits and day-to-day behaviour of every human being.
Brand Chakras™ is constructed on seven different “playgrounds of desires” as it were.
The Brand Chakras™ toolkit spans quantitative and qualitative tools to understand and measure target groups, brands, as well as payoffs. This study used Chakra Payoffs Reading, which creates a battery of payoffs that brands can offer consumers and is useful for insight mining/qualitative research as well as quantitative analysis of consumer relationship with category or expectation from the brand.
Chakra 1: Muladhara:Urge for survival – Abundance and physical strength
Chakra 2: Swaddisthana:Pursuit of pleasure – Sexual vitality and physical creativity
Chakra 3: Manipura:Drive for power – Good will and right actions
Chakra 4: Anahata:Quest for love – Higher emotions
Chakra 5: Vishuddha:Voice of creative expression – Truth and higher creativity
Chakra 6: Ajna:Desire for transcendence – Active intelligence
Chakra 7: Sahasara:Surrender to spirituality – Mental and intuitive intelligence
This study found that the global Indian today is largely driven by:
* Manipura: the drive for power (solar plexus);
* Vishuddha: the voice of creative expression - in search of truth and higher creativity (throat);
* Ajna: desire for transcendence - active intelligence (third eye).
For more details on Brand Chakras™, see http://www.brandchakras.com/
Highlights from recent JWT study on Global Indians
For the global Indian, work is clearly worship - at the altar of fame and money - and a stepping stone to playing God, some day soon.
• Work is worship
*Career is at the heart of life. * Work is an avenue for creativity and innovation * Independence, reduction of distance to the leadership and organizational backing of ideas are important values that companies must offer * There is a driving desire to have the power to take decisions and have people reporting to you * One must build one’s name to be bigger than the company one belongs to * There is growing unwillingness to work for others and need to get credit for one’s own work and not give it to the company * Younger men like the idea of having a hold on their leaders through being a specialist/expert * Dealing with younger, more talented people is one of the challenges for the older people.
• Globalness
*It is important to work for an international company * Ambitions must go beyond India. * Through work, they “want a name for boosting the country’s economy”. There is thirst to play a role in the global impact India is going to have; create jobs, wealth and technology * They feel a certain responsibility to make India a better place.
• Relationships
*All other areas of life stem from success at work and must contribute to the search for glory. * Family respect depends on career success * Wife must actively help and support the search for glory * Men feel wife is second to career, and she knows it and it is to her advantage, because his success brings her greater social respect * Friends and networks are important because “they come in handy”, “you never know who you will need, when” * Friends must help you with your ideas * Women want their spouses to be a source of inspiration.
• Money
* Money is a natural consequence of success at work * Money leads to better lifestyle, which again reflects success at work, and feeds back to climbing the social ladder, which is seen as an important part of work life rather than separate * Heightened personal confidence, ability to take risks, broadening of views and fearless expression of views, social and legal insulation, are some of the other payoffs of money * Relaxation is important but also a waste of time, the time is better spent making more money * Money is better spent, leveraged and shown-off in India rather than outside the country.
• Social give-back
*Extreme expertise at work and money allows one to transcend to social give-back, which actually makes you feel you are playing god. This benevolence too is a reflection of, and route to, glory.
• Spiritual liberation
* It’s the cushion of affluence that will allow and facilitate even spiritual liberation* Experiences * The value of life is now estimated in terms of the quality of experiences one has, and work is central to this too * Work itself is among the possible enriching experiences * Work leads to money, and money makes many new experiences possible – leisure experiences, tech experiences, entrepreneurial adventures as well as (supposedly) noble activities.
• Technology
* Increasing familiarity with technology and the fact that more numbers of people are actually involved in creating technology, means that technology products need to talk a different language – and this is not necessarily a marketing language * These workers take great pride in the ability of individuals and like minded groups to create revolutions; there is some disdain for large organizations even as they work in them * They see through organizations and “manufactured” claims very quickly * They demand proof, higher degree of relevance and demonstration of experiences.
• Masculinity
* Above all, the global Indian spirit is in fact driving the Indian male’s rediscovery of his masculinity, which was somewhat under question in the light of growing woman power, growing child power, and too much media talk on the feminine side of him.
• Implication for brands
1) Compliment, partner and further the newfound rediscovery of a high level of self worth.
2) Give him a role to play in shaping the brand’s success rather than be passive receivers of brand messages, co-custodian rather than consumer.
3) Stand for more elevated, inspiring, larger life purposes – brands that aim to transform economies, societies and the way individual lives are lived, will find greater relevance than brands that offer transient payoffs or operate in the area of just reflecting his personality, attracting female attention or being a statement of style and achievement.
4) Draw from the 16 hot payoffs that most resonate with this leading edge target group. Brands - with messages, products, services, activities and associations - should help to: look at life with courage, symbolise their influence over others, partner their goal oriented nature, reflect and reward their highly competitive spirit, make them feel more intelligent than others, bring out their creativity and innovative ideas, encourage them to do things that have not been done before, inspire them with wisdom for a higher level of leadership.
This study was done throught Brand Chakras™ - a proprietary toolkit of JWT India.
Brand Chakras is a strategic planning tool for brand development based on a 2,000 year-old system from the Indian Upanishads – the Chakra system as laid out in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – the first system of understanding human behaviour based on the human body, that has never been applied to brands.
The seven major chakras are seven basic energy centers that create the seven driving life themes that we live by.These chakras correlate not only to levels of consciousness but also to archetypes and personality dimensions that shape everything from fundamental values and beliefs to fears, desires, motivations, habits and day-to-day behaviour of every human being.
Brand Chakras™ is constructed on seven different “playgrounds of desires” as it were.
The Brand Chakras™ toolkit spans quantitative and qualitative tools to understand and measure target groups, brands, as well as payoffs. This study used Chakra Payoffs Reading, which creates a battery of payoffs that brands can offer consumers and is useful for insight mining/qualitative research as well as quantitative analysis of consumer relationship with category or expectation from the brand.
Chakra 1: Muladhara:Urge for survival – Abundance and physical strength
Chakra 2: Swaddisthana:Pursuit of pleasure – Sexual vitality and physical creativity
Chakra 3: Manipura:Drive for power – Good will and right actions
Chakra 4: Anahata:Quest for love – Higher emotions
Chakra 5: Vishuddha:Voice of creative expression – Truth and higher creativity
Chakra 6: Ajna:Desire for transcendence – Active intelligence
Chakra 7: Sahasara:Surrender to spirituality – Mental and intuitive intelligence
This study found that the global Indian today is largely driven by:
* Manipura: the drive for power (solar plexus);
* Vishuddha: the voice of creative expression - in search of truth and higher creativity (throat);
* Ajna: desire for transcendence - active intelligence (third eye).
For more details on Brand Chakras™, see http://www.brandchakras.com/
11 August 2007
The Future of Men: Coffee and Donuts /August 06/Excerpts from international JWT study
- The Future of Men
To better understand the changing attitudes of men and women towards gender issues, JWT commissioned a survey in the United States, UK, Canada, and the Netherlands and spoke to over 4000 people.
Top 15 findings
1. The 21st century will belong more to women than to men.
2. Many of us imagine a time in the future when men will be the "weaker" sex.
3. Men are generally more confused and less sure of themselves.
4. Women are becoming more like men.
5. Men respect women more than they used to.
6. Women don't respect men more than they used to.
7. Men think women don't appreciate how much the woman's lot has improved.
8. He believes she believes what's his is mine and what's mine is mine.
9. Women have become more sexually predatory.
10. Sex is disappointing for many.
11. Women still get paid less than men for the same work.
12. Men have better access to good jobs.
13. It's still a good time to be a man.
14. The status of men relative to the status of women has deteriorated.
15. Men think the media is biased toward women.
"It is a brave new world for men who are striving and expected to be everything to everyone. It is reminiscent of the plight of many women, who over the past two and a half decades, have tried to maintain a career-family-life balance, while staying well-informed, well-groomed and well-rounded. Men can no longer survive on being the breadwinner alone. Give or take one or two, he must be a good son, good spouse, good lover, good brother, good father, good worker, good provider, good citizen, all wrapped up in a handsome exterior. A modern day everyman, revered for his deeds and character." JWT report.
Emerging stereotypes across the world
Japan
Mr. Balance. He is someone who balances his career with private life. He does not want to die from stress or cancer. He enjoys many hobbies, including driving his car, and likes to spend time with family and friends.
Netherlands
Him (highly involved man). The him is multisided, a responsible man who has a positive self image, but is not egocentric. He loves himself and because of that, is able to love others. He is a role model for his kids and teaches them to respect themselves.
Brazil
New man. He has such enviable characteristics as flexibility, lightness, sensitivity, and a striking capacity for adapting and transforming.
France
There are two stereotypes, and they can best be described in political terms: the guy on the left and the guy on the right. The one on the left believes in a socialistic france. He dresses down, sports facial hair and is ready to strike at the drop of a beret. On the right is a clean-cut guy in a suit with an MBA. He thinks the unemployed are a lazy bunch taking advantage of an overly generous welfare system.
WHAT'S NEXT?
1. Renewed respect: We'll see more focused and more organized efforts by men to regain the societal and intrafamily respect they used to take for granted.
2. Further broadening of what's masculine: The emerging masculinity signals a shift in society's definition of what can and should be considered masculine, loosening the reins on male behavior and giving greater choices to those men who refuse to be denied entrance into what has long been considered the "woman's world".
3. Adopting female traits: As men are asked to take on new responsibilities at home and cope with increased competition from women everywhere else, they will need to develop skills that have allowed women to succeed in these areas - multitasking and collaboration for instance.
4. New ways of living and working: An increasing percentage of men are opting for non- traditional ways of working/living. This in turn, will change the way men view themselves in relation to their jobs and titles.
5. Equality and success redefined: Success and status will increasingly be tied not just to career achievement but to a broader definition that incorporates family, friendship and life balance. - THE INDIAN SCENARIO
The new male is making his presence felt in India.
"It is not macho to be macho". - Salil Chaturvedi
"Man is no longer the sole provider today, he does not have any qualms about changing a nappy ordoing a job as well as a woman". - Marc Robinson
"Men are more comfortable with their emotions, and they are not shy about showing their softer side. I prefer men like that". - Viveka Babajee
THE 5th ESTATE'S TAKE ON KEY MALE TRENDS IN INDIA
1.Cosmetic surgeons will be kept busy as men increasingly turn to liposuction, nose jobs and hair transplants.
2.Ballroom and salsa dancing lessons will be high on his list as he pursues his desire to embrace social graces.
3.Hunger for spiritual balance will continue to grow.
4.The growing emphasis on looking good will see increased spending on apparel, accessory and grooming brands.
5.Sugar free, low fat and organic foods will see a huge surge in demand as 'eating right' becomes more than a buzz word.
TOP ROLE MODELS IN INDIA
THE RAGS TO RICHES STORY: Dhirubhai Ambani
THE COMEBACK KID: Amitabh Bachchan
THE ULTIMATE PERFORMER: Sachin Tendulkar
Mr. COOL & SEXY: John Abraham
THE KING OF GOOD TIMES:Vijay Mallya
05 August 2007
What makes women laugh/Coffee and Donuts/June 06 (Excerpts from the India study FUNNY GIRL, INDIA and the global report FINDING THE H-SPOT)
What Makes Women Laugh?
Women’s humour in different cultures reflects the position of women in society, their relationship with men, the degree of equality or inequality, and what’s considered womanly and unwomanly.
Tinged with some seriousness and even occasional sadness, the Indian woman’s relationship with laughter too reflects her journey and status in her search for equality, respect and independence for her gender.
Drawing from consumer interviews, media women interviews, women’s writing, analysis of movies, magazine content and even folk music, the Indian analysis reveals themes of revenge, a driving desire to use humour for social comment – “message humour”, a clear demand for “logical humour” and even a yearning for intimacy through humour.
The internet, SMS, and increasing mixed group friendships in colleges is changing the language and quality of laughter – and young, urban, educated English-speaking working women are indeed moving towards humour that’s neutral, doesn’t give away that it is a woman enjoying/cracking the joke, and tries to “laugh like a man”.
But the bulk of women’s writing – fiction or magazines, women’s programming, even women’s cinema is serious, and quite devoid of laughter. Why?
The evolutionary view: Taunting vs. supporting
In the days when all humans were hunter-gatherers, humour was a way of bonding the hunting tribe. When they came across other tribes, humour was a way of competing with them, calling them names, taunting them, ridiculing them. The women of the tribe in contrast, were much more likely to spend their time within the community rather than running into outsiders. For females, the basic function of humour was to strengthen their mutual bonds. Humour served to establish relationships, build friendships, provide support, and express love for other people.
The big vs. the small
Women’s humour in different cultures reflects the position of women in society, their relationship with men, the degree of equality or inequality, and what’s considered womanly and unwomanly.
Tinged with some seriousness and even occasional sadness, the Indian woman’s relationship with laughter too reflects her journey and status in her search for equality, respect and independence for her gender.
Drawing from consumer interviews, media women interviews, women’s writing, analysis of movies, magazine content and even folk music, the Indian analysis reveals themes of revenge, a driving desire to use humour for social comment – “message humour”, a clear demand for “logical humour” and even a yearning for intimacy through humour.
The internet, SMS, and increasing mixed group friendships in colleges is changing the language and quality of laughter – and young, urban, educated English-speaking working women are indeed moving towards humour that’s neutral, doesn’t give away that it is a woman enjoying/cracking the joke, and tries to “laugh like a man”.
But the bulk of women’s writing – fiction or magazines, women’s programming, even women’s cinema is serious, and quite devoid of laughter. Why?
The evolutionary view: Taunting vs. supporting
In the days when all humans were hunter-gatherers, humour was a way of bonding the hunting tribe. When they came across other tribes, humour was a way of competing with them, calling them names, taunting them, ridiculing them. The women of the tribe in contrast, were much more likely to spend their time within the community rather than running into outsiders. For females, the basic function of humour was to strengthen their mutual bonds. Humour served to establish relationships, build friendships, provide support, and express love for other people.
The big vs. the small
As one apocryphal wife put it: "He makes the big decisions: whether to lower the interest rates, how to protect the rain forests, Europe, Russia, things like that. And I make all the little ones: where we live, where the children go to school, what we eat." Sarah Fieldman in Woman's Hour: Book of Humour
Humour in Mars and Venus
Laughing at someone vs. laughing with someone!
The male joker comedian typically focuses on a butt or victim – it’s about laughing at.
Female humour doesn’t need to diminish others – rather it creates a lighthearted context within which to build relationships and manage tensions. It’s about laughing with.
And even when women do laugh at someone… the victim will not be a victim for who he or she is but what he or she has done.Even when belittling men, women deliver it with a dose of generosity.
Jokes vs. stories. Competition vs. participation.
Male humour is based on competition and impressing those around them.
Women don’t tell jokes and as a rule women don’t regard humour as a competitive activity. Most women say they are neither good at remembering jokes nor good at telling them.
Women’s humour is conversational, spontaneous and they tend to tell stories. Participants in the conversation chip in with their own observations and embellishments turning the funny storytelling into a group activity.
“Thank God it’s not happening to me” vs. “That could happen to me”
Men generally laugh at other men. They big kicks from watching a fellow man make an utter ass of himself, preferably in public
Women find it hard to get a giggle out of another woman in trouble.
Themes that emerge in India
The gumption to give it back: Cheeky charming revenge
Candid confrontations: Challenging norms and renegotiating relationships
Elevate the ordinary: Smart clever observations on life
Coping and lightening up: Turning problems into ironies and absurdities; putting into perspective the emotional consequence of problems .Us women together Laughingly forgiving a man’s inefficiencies and reveling in her own superiority.Celebrating the differences between men and women.Intimacy with a man through shared laughter
How different are women from women?
British women – who are much more on an equal footing, emerged as the most 'laddish' in their sense of humour. Girls don't have any issue talking about sex and being quite vulgar if they think it's going to get a good laugh, and they don't expect to be judged harshly.
But in France women wouldn’t think of behaving like men.
In societies that expect people to contain their emotions, the response to humour tends to be muted. Asian women tend to cover their mouth when they laugh and tend not to laugh too loudly. In India and Thailand where there's still a very strong notion of femininity, laughing out loud in mixed company is not considered feminine.
Self-deprecation is a typical female approach to humour, but in China it runs counter to the Confucian imperative of saving face. Suggestion of conflict or disrespect between men and women is also not part of the culture.
The changing and the unchanging
In many societies women making their way up in education, the workplace, politics and entertainment, are absorbing some of the male ethos and using stories the way men use jokes – to command an audience and get a reaction.But despite increasing equality and convergence, women still prefer humour that facilitates bonding, friendship and connection.
There are many kinds of laughter but the kind that women specially cherish comes from shared experience and shared vulnerability.
As one respondent said "I laugh the most with my friend, as we could laugh for no reason and also we would laugh at ourselves which is the most beautiful thing. Together me and Hema are 1+1=11, that's our laughter strength".
The opportunity for brands
To create not a “funny brand”,
but “a brand with a sense of humour”.
There’s no need to try and get a big laugh, women don’t laugh with their bellies. They laugh with their heart. A wry smile, a mental chuckle could be more potent.
Brand Communication needs to make a sharp point that demonstrates product superiority.
Layer it with a larger life comment that her generation wants to make so that the brand is elevated and speaks on her behalf. Do it in a tone of Complicity and Community – shared naughtiness and shared experiences. The lighthearted manner lets her “get away with” what she really wants to say.
Do it with cheek and charm.The humour must enhance her femininity, not compromise it.
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