The research suggests how marketers can change their approach to access consumer curiosity in ways which are accepted and even welcome.

1. GENERATION
CURIOUSWhy Technology Brings out Our Inner Child

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INTRODUCTION
Predictions for digital advertising growth in 2017 continue to be robust yet the story covers a multitude of developments
and trends – some of them concerning for the advertising industry. Ad blocking has grown incredibly fast across both
desktop and mobile. Consumer trust in and appreciation of advertising is at low levels. Marketers are responding to the
seismic shifts in consumer attention but enduring winning media approaches are hard to find in the modern, constantly
changing context.
The paradox is that while advertising is rejected or ignored, the public’s appetite for information is greater than ever.
At a very basic level advertising is providing people with information so that either immediately or eventually they are
likely to buy something. However people are seeking information in different ways from different sources. The Generation
Curious research from Kantar Millward Brown and Blippar set out to explore curiosity in a digital and mobile world, and
to understand the underlying behaviours, mindsets and attitudes of the consumer. The research suggests how marketers
can change their approach to access consumer curiosity in ways which are accepted and even welcome.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Identifying the emerging digital behaviours which are disrupting media, and
giving digital marketers a framework for success
There’s no doubt that the rise of digital touchpoints is changing how we engage with the world around us, with brands
and with each other. Driven by the accessibility and ubiquity of smartphones, apps and mobile, new behaviours are
emerging.
We’ve all seen the effect of these new behaviours and mindsets through the rise of showrooming, snackable content and
commerce and active avoidance of broadcast advertising – both off and online.
We’ve called this ‘Generation Curious’ and this study is our understanding and quantification of these new behaviours
and mindsets. They bridge fast and slow thinking, research, lifestyle and purchase behaviour with a range of motivations.
GENERATION CURIOUS: ARCHETYPES
We have identified four specific archetypes, which describe specific behaviours at particular moments driven by different
kinds of curiosity.
zz Answer Seekers – people looking for quick answers and not much else.
zz Focused Shoppers – people who purchase on impulse with highly focused research.
zz Explorers – people who become addicted to discovering new and eclectic information.
zz Careful Buyers – people who conduct thorough research before making a purchase.
Any one person will have a bias towards particular archetypes, but at different times and in different categories of
interest, behaviours and mindsets will vary driven by the degree of curiosity and urgency of the action.

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These archetypes can be used as a tool to plan digital media to directly drive behaviour change – giving brands a useful
or inspiring role in the customer and shopper journey.
Answer Seekers
Answer seeking demands quick answers and not much else. People come across
something that piques their interest; spend a short amount of time looking for
answers, then move on. Their curiosity is easily satisfied by basic research, and
doesn’t lead them to more interesting topics. As such, they spend very little time
on this; 68% spend 10 minutes or less researching.
Answer seeking commonly arises from things people encounter offline - TV and
other non-device media, other people, or printed material. This often revolves
around an immediate concern such as a health issue (theirs or their families’),
but it could also be a specific item of interest such as a current news item.
Focused Shoppers
Focused shoppers make decisions impulsively, and tend to keep their research
activity focused on what they’re curious about. They want things simple – they’re
53% more likely to say they tend not to overthink things and 66% more likely to
say they get annoyed at people who always ask “why”.
As such, they tend not to over-complicate decisions, and are thus also more likely
to purchase on impulse; they are 25% more likely to buy now than later, and 86%
of those who purchased didn’t initially intend to do so.
They consume a good deal of digital content and engage heavily in online
channels. They are 50% more likely to be triggered by an online article, and 30%
more likely to be triggered by a catchy online headline. Online ads are quite
effective as well with this group, 44% more effective in triggering eventual purchases to be exact. When discovering
interesting things, they are 76% more likely to share on social and 30% less likely to tell someone in person.
Their instant, on-the-go nature makes mobile a natural choice for engagement, and they are clearly more comfortable
wielding their smartphones. They are 2X as likely to visit a site, watch a video, post on social media, or use an app via
mobile, and are 44% more likely to make a purchase through their smartphone.
Explorers
Explorers enjoy meandering and doing research. They may or may not have
a firm intention for seeking answers, but regardless they let their journey of
discovery take them wherever it may lead, often diverging far from where they
started.
Explores can be triggered by a wide variety of things – they’re 33% more likely
to be triggered by physical objects, and 22% more likely by random thoughts.
Explorers use a wide range of resources to satisfy their curiosity. While they
employ digital means as well, they are 22% more likely to consult a traditional
book or magazine, and 27% more likely to seek out a friend for advice.

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They spend a lot of time satisfying their curiosity, mostly on things beyond what initially piqued their interest. Fifty-eight
percent of explorers spend at least half an hour doing research (1 in 5 spend many hours), with 60-80% of their time
spent learning about unrelated topics.
This isn’t necessarily a good thing. Explorers may take longer because they’re not finding what they’re looking for. The
fact that explorers are 45% more likely to be dissatisfied and 25% more likely not to find what they’re looking for seems
to indicate this.
Nevertheless, explorers are more inclined to share results –14% more likely to tell someone in person.
Careful Buyers
Careful buyers take time to conduct research before making decisions.
This research isn’t focused; instead, they allow their interests to jump from
one topic to the next depending on what they find. As a result, they end up
very satisfied after they make a purchase, even if it’s different from what they
originally set out to buy.
Careful buyers explore 70% more research than the average person, and 58%
spend at least half an hour exploring. 57% spend 60-80% of their time on things
other than the ones that initially piqued their interest.
They spend quite a bit of time online, and are 3X more likely to be triggered by online images or videos. They are also 14%
more likely to share information on social media.
Unlike curious explorers, careful buyers seem to enjoy the process more. They are 48% more likely to call the experience
of exploring fulfilling, and 1 in 3 call the experience addictive (23% more likely than average). Careful buyers are also 37%
more likely to be very satisfied with the experience.
Purchase behaviour is more deliberate as well.
RESEARCH
FASTSLOW
PURCHASE
Source: Kantar Millward Brown 2016
Explorers
Careful Buyers
Focused Shoppers
Answer Seekers

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GENERATION CURIOUS: IMPLICATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS*
Given the changes in behaviour and mindset, marketers need to think differently about how digital media is planned
and bought. The biggest implication should be a shift from a demographic/audience based approach to one
targeting behaviour at specific points in the consumer journey. The availability of contextual based digital media
enables marketers to do this, planning around user and shopper journeys primarily, and constantly seeking new digital
opportunities and touch points as they come to scale. Finding opportunities to personalise around interest and intent is
critical so that people will willingly receive brand messages, content and utility– driving positive behaviour change and
striving to be welcome in the journey. We anticipate that this would involve a significant increase in the proportion of
spend on mobile – across a multitude of opportunities.
Immediate implications which we believe should be considered include:
Answer Seekers
Search is the first place answer seekers go on their journey for information, and is the first place to look when building a
brand’s presence. It’s a primary entry point for people in this mindset who are looking for a quick answer to a question.
Ensuring we utilise all Google ad extensions to get the answer seeker to the right content and quickly is crucial, providing
deep links to relevant information such as click to call, consumer ratings or app downloads.
Yet increasingly, an answer for a real time prompt (for example a news item) is first sought in social, especially Twitter
which can keep up with live conversation from peers and news outlets. Having a point of view in owned social channels
will increase relevance and discovery of your brand. We can support this by deploying sponsored social posts such as
Twitter keyword targeting, focusing on what’s happening now or what questions are being asked.
When planning for this mindset, marketers also have to think device, and as reflected above, this is increasingly mobile
first. For answer seekers, the device that can provide the speediest response is likely to be a mobile. Blippar’s visual search
product shortcuts the process down to an image, therefore integrating brands into this type of technology brings you
quickly into the frame.
In future, brands will need to embrace the Internet of Things to a greater degree, as answer seekers look to whatever
is immediate for a response. This might be a personal virtual assistant, like Siri (more on that later), or using physical
objects as prompts, via near-field communication (NFC) or augmented reality.
Focused Shoppers
Marketers must to be fast and anticipate the needs of focused shoppers. Brands should have owned channels set
up to ensure they are optimised for myriad search strings and appear in shopping listings on Google with their latest
information, price and stock information. Dynamic, retargeted display advertising that reflects the potential purchase
and leverages the impulsive nature of the focused shopper.
Again, mobile is key. Taking note of location for example and using existing first party data and beacon technology to
deliver a timely prompt can increase chances of conversion in physical environments. And optimising your conversion
channels on mobile to shorten the checkout process (for example by integrating Apple Pay or using Facebook Login) will
allow the focused shopper to achieve their goal quickly.

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We will need to go beyond optimising our content for mobile, and look to achieve full integration with the device.
Connecting with native technology brings you closer to responding to this mindset. That means ensuring you are
compatible with technology like Amazon Echo or Apple’s Siri, thus being able to order a film from Amazon Prime or book
a service like Uber purely by voice.
Looking forward, the demand for ‘now’ means we have to accelerate and simplify purchase for the focused shopper
archetype. That will mean addressing everything from delivery or collection (e.g. Starbucks Mobile Order and Pay) to
shortcutting the order process to a push of a button (Amazon Dash).
Explorers
The old media planning and buying behaviours remain most valid for the curious meandering archetype. Without them
having a focused task at hand, we still have the opportunity to put a brand into the exploration journey in a positive way.
Rich, engaging formats and video content will be of value, especially if it has relevance to the current attention focus.
But even when it doesn’t we can look to entertain or provide utility to an archetype that is open to discovery. Not just
online, but in the real world too. For example, interactive, intelligent digital out of home ads give an explorer something
to engage with, from deeper content to personalised ad experiences.
Native advertising offers a clear opportunity to engage with this mindset. Incorporating a brand into the content on-
page stands a stronger chance of eliciting an engagement, whether this is through video, branded content, advertorial
or sponsored posts in social. Ensuring this is done organically alongside paid support is important, as platforms such as
Pinterest and Instagram are designed for discovery.
Planning cross-device will also be of benefit for this archetype. Knowing the slow nature of their research, finding the
same person irrespective of device allows us to refresh or continue the story in a way that aligns with their own agenda.
Whilst this mindset offers us the closest link to traditional planning, it also offers the greatest threat. The future looks
like one where ad blocking is a significant force. We are offered myriad ways of avoiding advertising, not just with ad
blocking tools but the ability to fast-forward through ads on your Sky+ box to YouTube skippables. The solution looks
likely to be less about new channels and media (e.g. native ads) and actually focused on how marketers can make the
advertising relevant and engaging so that people don’t feel the need to block. Our data-led digital technologies that
allow us to target by location, to understand intent, and to deliver the most appropriate message, are our most powerful
tools if used properly.
Careful Buyers
When planning for the careful buyer, marketers should consider depth of content and multiple touchpoints along the
consumer journey. At some points product/brand information will need to be surfaced. At others, peer to peer opinion.
And ultimately a call to action for conversion will be necessary; we must look for the prompts that indicate the careful
buyer has reached the end point.
Content that is different to the usual above the line advertising could be the initial area to explore. Unilever for example
created the All Things Hair YouTube channel, filled with hair styling tutorials from vloggers. This allows Unilever to prove
relevance and credibility in the hair care space when this mindset is not yet at purchase, but is looking for inspiration or
advice.

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Google ad extensions will again play a role, providing product/brand review scores, store locations, deep links to
information and more. But we must recognise intent exists in multiple places, so broadening visibility into other
environments adds opportunity to engage. This includes YouTube video reviews and unboxings, linking to peer review
content like Reevoo or Trustpilot, and (targeted) rich media display that allows product exploration, such as 3D video
experiences.
The careful buyer is likely to have questions. Brands can put themselves in the best position to answer questions with live,
24/7 social teams empowered to talk about the brand or product. But we can also target these questions more broadly. A
generic category based question (“what mobile phone should I buy”?) can be identified by keyword targeting in Twitter for
example, and promoted posts for a particular brand inserted into timeline.
Because we know that the purchase path is longer for this mindset than the focused shopper archetype, visibility and
tracking across touchpoints helps to maintain the brand presence and measure the success of media. For example,
Facebook’s Shop Visit tracking allows the marrying of ad exposure to in-store footfall via location tracking.
To ably assist the careful buyer archetype in the future, marketers must find platforms that get the brand/product into
people’s hands, even if it is virtual. At either end of the spectrum, Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift could give people
a flavour of what a holiday destination is really like, allowing them to walk around a resort. Haptic technology will allow
people to ‘feel’ the fabric of what they are looking at, either on a brand website or even in a mobile ad. These things can be
the point of difference that provides true utility to the research hungry careful buyer.
*Thanks to Steve Ray at Mindshare for contributing to the Generation Curious: Implications and Applications section of this report.

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DEMOGRAPHICS: COUNTRY
People manifest their curiosity very differently across markets:
Triggers
People in the US are 44% more likely to become curious because of a random thought, and tend to resort to speaking
with someone personally or over the phone to satisfy this. The UK is similar (albeit to a lesser degree), except that they
tend to resort to searches on the laptop a lot more (35% more than average).
People from India seem to be a lot more thorough; they spend more time and engage in more research activities when
curious. They are mainly triggered by online images/videos (86% more likely) or physical objects (33%).
People from China, on the other hand, are more likely to be triggered by things they read: a catchy headline (74%), an
online article (34%), or something offline (46%).
Despite the widespread use of online media in developing markets, traditional media still seems very influential in
people’s decision-making (much more so than in developed markets). People here are 59% more likely to be triggered
by TV, and 2X more likely to be triggered by something read offline. Similarly, people in Brazil are 52% more likely to be
triggered by physical objects.
Purchase and Advertising
Brand seems to be important across markets, but interestingly they play a much bigger role in developing markets than
in developed ones. In the US, UK, and India, price is at least 20% more important than brand in purchase decisions
(indicating that brands are not as important); in China, Brazil, and Turkey, this gap is less than 8% (negative in some
cases).
This indicates a lack of confidence in lesser known brands in developing markets. People see favoured brands as
assurances of quality and consistency– they know exactly what they are paying for. This is less of a concern in developed
markets, where quality standards are generally higher and people need not worry too much about low quality.
Similarly, advertising seems to be more important in developing markets, and less so in developed ones. In US and UK,
ads account for just 22% and 15% of triggered purchase research, whereas in other regions, they account for 35%+. This
indicates that people in developed markets are getting saturated with advertising, and are moving away from push
channels into more relevant and less overwhelming pull channels.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

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DEMOGRAPHICS: AGE
As people age, we get more and more curious about health and wellbeing as well as current events, and less about
money matters. Curiosity about relationships peaks at 25-35 (around the age people settle down), and starts to drop as
we get older.
Technology is very much at the forefront of people’s curiosity-satisfying activities across all ages, although we did find
differences in how this is used. Search is the one thing everyone had in common; across age groups, 50-70% of people
resorted to search, much more than any other activity.
The migration from laptops and desktops to smartphones is a well-documented trend, and this is no less evident when
it comes to satisfying curiosity. We found that people are more and more likely to use smartphones (and less likely to
use laptops) the younger they are. This trend is even more evident with video – under 25s are 30% more likely to watch
a video on their smartphone, while over 55s are 75% less likely to do so. Interestingly though, apart from over 55s,
smartphones were clearly preferred over laptops across age groups.
People have many more options for satisfying curiosity nowadays, as long as one knows where to look. As a result,
attention spans are getting shorter among younger people – again another well – documented trend. We found that
under 25’s rarely let their curiosity go without acting, and when they do, only 2% say it’s because they didn’t know how to
find out more about it. Nearly half say they’re too busy (the other half doesn’t think it’s worth the effort). Contrast that
to over 55s where 39% say they didn’t know how to find out more, and only 4% say they’re too busy. We also found that
under 25s are 18% more likely to explore topics other than the one the initially became curious about (compared to over
55s who are 25% less likely to do so).
Young people do more with the information they find as well, although not in the way we would expect. Under 25s are
13% more likely to tell someone in person and 17% more likely to make a decision after satisfying their curiosity (not
always a purchase). Surprisingly, they’re no more likely to share on social media than any other age group, apart from
over 55s.
Purchase Behaviour
Similarly, younger people tended to do more research on their smartphones than older people did. Search and video
were particularly popular among under 25s. Smartphone purchases, however, were most popular among the 25-35 year
old age group, which makes sense as they would have more buying power than the younger demographic.
While e-commerce is now ubiquitous and m-commerce is clearly emerging as a mainstream purchase channel, 30% of
people still visit physical stores. What’s surprising is that this doesn’t differ much across age groups –younger people are
just as likely to visit stores as older ones. Perhaps it’s a bit too soon to write brick and mortar stores off.
DEMOGRAPHICS: GENDER
Triggers
It comes as no surprise that people are generally inherently curious regardless of gender. In general, their experiences
and actions around curiosity are very similar as well, although we did find some interesting differences.

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Men are 34% more likely to be curious about money matters. Women, on the other hand, are 76% more likely to be
curious about a hobby or interest.
Both grow curious out of things people say or articles read online. Beyond that, women are 50% more likely to be
triggered by physical objects or images.
Both rely heavily on their tech to get answers, but they do so in different ways. While both immediately turn to search,
men are 34% more likely to get go further in terms of online research, going to specialist websites or apps, or watching
online videos. Women, on the other hand, are 38% more likely to consult a friend, reflecting the popular notion that
women are just more comfortable asking for directions.
Both spend roughly the same amount of time doing research, but men are 20% more likely to stick to their initial topic
(whereas women tend to explore other topics). This indicates that men more likely see research as a practical exercise,
while women see it more as an emotional one. We found that men are 18% more likely to describe this experience as
“necessary”; women, on the other hand, are 33% more likely to find it addictive.
Of those who didn’t act on their curiosity, women are 70% more likely to say it wasn’t worth the effort, whereas men are
70% more likely to say they didn’t know how to find out more.
Purchase Behaviour
When it comes to purchases, similar trends emerge. Online ads are the most effective trigger for both (regardless of
gender), even more so than word-of-mouth.
Men prefer conducting research online; they’re 70% more likely to use a mobile app and 30% more likely to watch a
video on the smartphone. Women, on the other hand, are 50% more likely to visit a store. This goes back to the practical
vs. emotional nature of their curiosity: men get their reassurance of a good purchase from information, whereas women
get satisfaction from buying something that looks and feels good. As a result, women are also more likely to buy in-store,
and men online (we saw this regardless of whether the purchase was researched or not).
In terms of what they research when considering a purchase, both look at the same things – product specifications and
price. Women, however, prefer the wisdom of the crowd – they are 19% more likely to consult reviews and ratings. Men, on
the other hand, are 29% more likely to consult expert commentary and advice.
BEHAVIOUR: OBJECT OF CURIOSITY
People act very differently on their curiosity based on what they’re curious about.
Unsurprisingly, people do the most research when they’re considering buying something. Much of this work spans
search, video, specialist websites, and social media. More of this research is now done through the smartphone than the
laptop, particularly in search (75% more), video (84% more), and social media (79% more). This is a clear sign of the
trend towards mobile, on-demand satisfaction, one that is now ubiquitous and no longer emergent. Service and content
providers are now able to deliver vast amounts of information in near-real time, and people now expect as much.
When their curiosity is piqued by entertainment-related matters (celebrities, showbiz news, etc.), they feel an urge to
satisfy this immediately. They are 51% more likely to post on social media, 45% more likely to use an app, and 42%
more likely to watch a video on mobile. Video is one relatively recent development that illustrates people’s appetite for

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curiosity. Whereas as little as ten years ago it would not have been possible to watch a video snippet on your mobile, now
people expect nothing less than to be able to watch one instantly. Now that it’s possible, people are no longer content
with getting information; we now want to be engaged visually.
Not all curiosity is this demanding though. People who grow curious about relationships, for instance, are 70% more likely
not to act upon this curiosity. It could very well be that there is currently a lack of options for satisfying curiosity around
such amorphous topics (social media seems the best option for now, and true enough, they are 38% more likely to
engage in social media through smartphone).
Interestingly, people who are considering buying something – presumably very focused and intentioned – are also
the most likely to meander into other topics, 32% more likely than average. They also spend more time than most
researching – 66% spend an hour or more – so this could be that they are exposed to more potential distractions. It could
also be that in a buying state of mind, people are more impulsive and open to influence.
Quite a significant portion of curiosity activities lead to a purchase, surprisingly from those that weren’t intending to
purchase in the first place. 40% of those who were curious about money matters or a relationship (and dug deeper
to satisfy this curiosity) ended up making a purchase; 20% of those triggered by entertainment or a hobby ended up
making one immediately.
BEHAVIOUR: TRIGGERS
Physical objects, place or image
We found that people are 20% more curious and 58% more likely to act on this curiosity when triggered by a physical
object, place or image. This is despite the fact that it is generally more difficult to seek out information on physical
objects than, say, news items or famous people (as search is keyword-based). Furthermore, people whose curiosity is
triggered by physical objects are 60% more likely to say that the experience of exploration is “addictive”. Objects tend
to trigger a more open-ended, exploratory form of curiosity, as opposed to seeking a specific answer. Also, people tend
to develop emotional attachments to physical objects more easily than abstract concepts or ideas, making the curiosity
experience with objects more personal. In addition to this we found that people are 128% more likely to be interested in
objects that are related to hobbies or interests, indicating that people are more curious about things which are already of
interest to them.
Individuals whose curiosity has been triggered by a physical object are also 17% more likely to explore things other than
the initial topic, and when they do they are around 40% more likely to spend the majority of their time exploring other
things, supporting the notion that physical triggers can promote a deeper sense of curiosity. People are 27% more likely
to be “very satisfied” with this research exercise, as it may be more rewarding and fulfilling. Connected to this, 25% more
likely to make an immediate purchase, suggesting that this develops feelings of fulfilment that is related to some type of
instant-gratification, which is shown in the fact that people are 13% less likely to make a purchase later on.
People are 32% more likely to use their laptop to search for information when triggered by physical objects. However,
30% of these curious individuals would only spend 5 minutes or less researching. Why? Living in this digital age, we’re
used to getting what we want, when we want it. So when it is harder to find information about a physical object that we
know little about, we get impatient. “We’re more easily distracted, and have less tolerance for ambiguity.” Similarly, 75%
of those who didn’t do anything said they “didn’t know how they could find out more”. Instances of curiosity triggered
by the physical world don’t currently have a satisfactory way of investigating. This is supported by the finding that the
second highest “I didn’t know how I could find out more” was “something I read offline” at 46%.

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Other Triggers
“Something someone said” triggered curiosity most across ages, suggesting that word-of-mouth is the most powerful
form of information transmission. However, people are also 69% more likely to not do anything. Users may have piqued
curiosity, but it may be insufficient to promote a follow-up action. Alternatively, for purchases (both extensively and non-
extensively researched), an online ad was the best trigger.
Similarly, people triggered by a catchy online headline are 55% and 66% more likely to say the experience of exploration
is “impulsive” and “addictive” respectively. These catchy headlines are also most likely to trigger curiosity about
vacations and nice-to-have items, suggesting that clickbait is a problem.
A moment triggered by an online image or video is 44% more likely to lead to an immediate purchase and 93% more
likely to lead to a later purchase. This may be due to the fact that users are much closer to the purchase decision.
Alternatively, when triggered by an image or video from TV or other media, individuals are 51% more likely not to
do anything. This suggests that offline media such as TV are better at driving awareness than triggering immediate
behaviour. There is some aspect of passivity to watching television, in comparison to being online, as there isn’t an
immediate action that can be made effortlessly. Consumers respond to invitations to interact.
BEHAVIOUR: SMARTPHONE USAGE
Everywhere you look, people are glued to their smartphones. But how many actually use it to satiate their curious
appetites? We found that people are 12% less likely to explore other things when using their smartphone. However, when
they did, they were 20% more likely to spend 90-100% of their time exploring. This suggests that perception and reality
are not aligned – mobile phones can be quite an effective tool for browsing, but it seems perceptions have yet to catch
on to this. People seem to view mobile phones more as a tool for utility (and less for casual browsing).
This is in line with the finding that smartphone users are 16% less likely to say exploring is addictive, and that people are
20% more likely to say they are dissatisfied. This alludes to frustration; the mobile experience is still not optimal. This is
also supported by the fact that people are 27% more likely to make a purchase later on. The m-commerce experience is
yet to become natural behaviour; people don’t feel comfortable making purchases on their phones yet.
Nevertheless, people are still 21% more likely to share on social media, suggesting that social media has been quick to
adapt to the migration to mobile. They’re also 21% more likely to do something, emphasising the benefits of “within
reach” – people can immediately satisfy their curiosity through mobile.
BEHAVIOUR: RESEARCH “SPEED” (FOCUSED
OR EXPLORATORY)
Curiosity isn’t one-dimensional. One could be intently curious about a single subject, and spend a lot of time digging
deeper and learning more about that subject. Another could be initially curious about one subject, but begin exploring
many divergent paths along the way. These people are both equally curious, just in different ways.
We found interesting differences between the above types of curiosity moments – the focused and exploratory ones.
Typically, exploratory moments take more time – a typical focused research moment takes 5-10 minutes, an exploratory
one about 30. People in exploratory moments are just as likely to consult digital means as focused researchers are, but

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METHODOLOGY
This report summarises the findings and insights for a research study conducted in August 2016.
For the main part of this research, Kantar Millward Brown conducted a survey with 900 respondents across six
markets – USA, UK, India, China, Turkey and Brazil. Curiosity is a broad field. To define the scope of the survey we
conducted a number of exploratory interviews to identify specific paths that were both interesting and actionable.
We also conducted desk research to collate what is already out there.
Regression and clustering analysis was used on the survey findings to identify existing and emergent archetypes.
These algorithms identify behaviours that commonly cluster together and thus form personas that each approach
curiosity in a unique way.
the former is 20% more likely to be on a laptop or desktop, as the mobile experience still isn’t too friendly for prolonged
curiosity quenching.
Some triggers are more effective at attracting one type of behaviour over the other. Catchy headlines are 63% more
likely to result in a focused research reaction, whereas an online image or video is 2X as likely to end up in exploratory
behaviour.
BEHAVIOUR: PURCHASES
Moments that led to purchases are about twice as likely to have involved activities other than search. People use multiple
channels to seek confirmation when making decisions, especially in a market that has a range of many substitute items.
People who purchased immediately are 60% more likely to find the exploration experience “addictive” and “fulfilling”,
and 77% more likely to find it “impulsive”. Immediate purchase is heavily driven by emotion and impulse, it is not just a
habit but rather something one derives pleasure from. Similarly, people who purchased (either immediately or later on)
are 45% more likely to have found the research experience “very satisfying”. People feel the need to justify their spending
as well as the effort exerted into their purchase. Also, just the general notion of receiving gifts or shopping is rewarding –
from a young age, we’re conditioned to enjoy receiving goods.
Furthermore, there is further emphasis placed on the fact that we are social creatures. People who purchased are 65-
70% more likely to have shared on social media. We feel the need to share. It could be altruism –we want to share our
reviews and purchases in order to help others in their future decisions. Alternatively, we are also proud creatures that live
in a hierarchical society– social media pushes for social acceptance.