In our latest piece of research, Changing India: Trends for the Near Future, we examine how rising prosperity is changing relationship dynamics, moral views, consumption patterns and overall lifestyles in urban India.

1. CHANGING INDIA:
TRENDS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE
1
OCTOBER 2010
Photo credits (clockwise from top left): Ashok666, boltron-, hfb, HazPhotos, Sistak, judepics

2. WHAT WE’LL COVER
Background and Methodology
Trends in India Category-Specific Trends
Flamily/Framily Snacking Holidays
Married Singles Technology Is the New Signet Ring
Delayed Parenthood Gifting Good Health
Looking Forward—and Back Brain- and Beauty-Boosting Nutrition
The Sin Economy Hamper Pamper
Growing Older Younger
In Conclusion

3. BACKGROUND
AND METHODOLOGY
This presentation is based on a July 2010 trends workshop held in Goa
with more than 20 planners from JWT India. It is based on secondary
research and analysis conducted by the JWT India planners and the New
York-based global trends team.
BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

4. A DIVERSE
COUNTRY India is big:
• The seventh-largest country by geographical area
• The world’s 11th-largest economy (in GDP terms)
• The world’s second-most populous country, with
1.2 billion people
• The world’s most populous democracy
And unequivocally diverse:
• India’s Constitution recognizes 18 major languages, and
there are many hundreds of dialects. (Hindi is the official
language, with English often used as a link language.)
• At least six practicing religions
• A wide range of regional styles in cuisine and dress
• A geography of beaches, deserts and snow-covered peaks
BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

5. CONSUMER
FOCUS
Because of India’s diversity, it’s hard to draw generalities across the
population. This presentation focuses on one subset of the population:
This consumer segment makes up about 3.4-7.5 percent of the population,
from 34 million to 75 million people.
BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

6. COMMON
THEMES
Trends don’t happen in isolation. They tend to intersect and work in
tandem with each other.
Here you’ll see common themes that are driving a change in relationship
dynamics, moral conduct, consumption patterns and overall lifestyle in
India, chief among them:
The rise of the nuclear family Delayed marriages
Urban migration Increased connectivity
Globalization/Westernization Modernization
Growing affluence Higher stress
BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

7. TRENDS
IN INDIA
7
Photo credits (clockwise from top left): Ashok666, boltron-, hfb, HazPhotos, Sistak, judepics

8. FLAMILY/
FRAMILY
8 Photo credits (clockwise from top left): Ashok666, Pedro Kwezi, sanchom, Pedro Kwezi

9. THE TREND
As students, single working men/women and young families migrate from
their homes and safe circle of family to urban areas, they are filling
emotional and physical voids by forming surrogate families with flatmates
and friends.
FLAMILY/FRAMILY

10. THE DRIVERS
• Migration, largely because good jobs and education are concentrated in a few urban areas.
• The rise of the nuclear family and decline of the extended family, which has led to greater
dependence on external support systems.
• The trend toward delaying marriage—between 1971 and 2001, the average age of first marriage
among Indian men rose from 22.7 to 24.8; for women it increased from 17.7 to 20.2.
• Financial constraints (flat sharing makes accommodation affordable): Young Indians migrating
from B and C towns are less financially secure and looking to share expenses.
• Emotional constraints (flocking creates security): Away from their own culture and family and
exposed to the vices of city life—which can feed insecurity—people create a circle of trust via
friends.
• Demanding jobs, which leave little time for the biological family. It’s easier to connect with
people with similar lifestyles.
• Technology, which is helping people stay connected with friends (if you’re at home, you’re on
Facebook or other social networks with your friends).
FLAMILY/FRAMILY

11. FAMILY VS. FRIENDS*
FAMILY FRIENDS
With families scattered in different cities Reliance on friends grows.
and countries, sibling and parental ties
weaken.
Families can be judgmental, inhibiting. Friends respect your independence,
individualism more.
Family relationships can be hierarchical, Friendships offer more liberating, guilt-free
weighed down by baggage of old feuds and relationships.
quarrels.
21st-century lifestyles of young urbanites Friends can be more understanding,
have widened the communication gap with supportive.
parents.
Long hours at work, commuting leave less It’s easier to socialize with friends at the
time for family. workplace.
* The Circle of Frisson, Outlook India, June 25, 2007 FLAMILY/FRAMILY

12. POP CULTURE CUES
Salaam Namaste is a 2005
Bollywood film about two young Roomies, which premiered in July, is a
Indians who meet while working Chanel [V] series about five young Wake Up Sid is a 2009 romantic comedy
in Melbourne. They decide to friends sharing a house. They help each that follows the coming of age of the
move in together without other deal with career choices, dating spoiled, carefree son of a wealthy
formally tying the knot. dilemmas and other modern-day issues businessman.
for this demographic.
This 2009 comedy hit focuses
on the adventures of three
roommates in a hostel at the
Imperial College of
Engineering. It is the highest-
grossing Bollywood film in
India.
Airing in the major cities, international TV shows like Friends and
Sex and the City also depict friends as family. FLAMILY/FRAMILY

13. MARKETING TO
FRIENDS AS FAMILY
Marketers are realizing that this generation
needs all the basic products and services that
the erstwhile joint family would need.
Typical traits of this cohort include:
They are time-crunched (easy-to-make and ready-to-eat
packaged food, quick-service home deliveries, meal-
combo packs)
Communications for Airtel’s Special 5—a
feature that allows customers to stay in They find it difficult to juggle their work, social lives and
touch with five other subscribers at low
rates—center around friends, not family.
health (debit-credit lifestyle products, such as energy
In this commercial, a schoolgirl plays drinks, fortified functional foods, etc.)
with a paper boat; her five special
friends rescue her boat when rain Their lifestyle needs are functional (compact utilitarian
threatens its voyage. furniture)
FLAMILY/FRAMILY

14. THE POTENTIAL
The products that currently cater to the flamily/framily are marketed
under a broader umbrella of young India’s changing lifestyles. With some
modifications to products or communications, there is huge potential to
reach and resonate with this growing consumer segment.
FLAMILY/FRAMILY

15. IMAGINE …
Maggi Twin pack, advertised
as the ―Flatmate Pack‖—a What about television that
A flat-share fridge that has four
minor change in packaging provides user profiles when you
with the same Maggi inside. doors with four keys. Now you
turn it on, like Xbox or PS3? My
don’t have to ask, ―Who ate my
favorite channels and programs
cheese?‖
need not be my friend’s favorites.
Virgin, which targets young consumers, could
offer Flatmate Credit/Friends Credit, allowing
customers to loan some of their balance to
friends without being charged by the service
provider.
FLAMILY/FRAMILY

16. IMAGINE …
Most young singles living together have colorful, imaginative flats. Why do
white goods have to be boring white or dull gray? Why not a fridge with a
giant Bob Marley motif? Or a washing machine with marble-effect
coloring?
Furniture and home living companies have not woken up to the flamily.
They could use their significant retail space in malls to create sections for
flat sharing that offer affordable but stylish designs made out of recycled
or natural material.
How about ―flatmate health insurance‖ as a bundling technique?
Everybody pools in for the premium, as they are far from home and may
not be ready to spend thousands of rupees for modern health care in case
of an emergency.
FLAMILY/FRAMILY

17. MARRIED
SINGLES
17 Photo credit: boltron-

18. THE TREND
More and more couples are retaining or trying to retain their ―single‖
identity and lifestyle. With spouses maintaining separate rooms,
bathrooms, cars and/or TVs, and shopping, socializing and traveling with
friends rather than their spouse, it’s almost like two single people living
together.
MARRIED SINGLES

19. THE DRIVERS
• The trend toward delayed marriages: People are finding it difficult to surrender the
―space‖ they’ve become accustomed to.
• The rise of the nuclear family and decline of the extended family (in the extended
family setup, it’s less likely that the couple would live independent lives).
• Dual-income households: With both spouses working, it’s more difficult to carve out
time to spend together.
• Increased prosperity: Spouses have more resources with which to maintain two
independent lifestyles under one roof.
• Increased connectivity: The Internet and mobile phones give people always-on
connectivity to the ―single‖ world even when they’re at home.
MARRIED SINGLES

20. TILL OUR “SINGLE”
WAYS DO US PART
Till death do us part seems an obsolete concept. Now even
vacations are enough reason for urban couples to part ways. Deanne Pandey parties often without
Take, for example, Nilanjan and Sharmistha Roy of Kolkata. Chikki, her husband, because he hates
[They] always part ways during vacation times, simply because partying and would rather be home with
they have different tastes and preferences. … Sharmistha heads the kids. In fact, after each of her babies,
to her elder sister’s home in Bangalore where she can spend she took a break and went out for a small
some time with her maternal family. Nilanjan, on the other holiday with friends and Chikki stayed home
hand, would be joining his office colleagues for a hiking with the kids. Does this cause any rancor
expedition to the Himalayas. between them? She doesn’t feel so.
—―Till Holidays Do Us Part,‖ The Tribune, June 19, 2010 —―Of the Rocking Parties Alone and the
Shaking Relationships,‖ MeriNews, Oct. 21,
2007
This couple’s other space frontiers include separate bathrooms and separate
suitcases. After four years together, they’ve worked out all the details. He
loves playing cricket on Saturdays so she does her own thing; every time she
wants the house to herself for a girls’ night in, he makes alternative plans. Like
with most things in a relationship, there are no rights or wrongs, just what
works for you.
—―Space, the Final (Couples) Frontier,‖ LiveMint.com, June 18, 2010
MARRIED SINGLES

21. TIMES OF INDIA CELEBRATES
INDEPENDENCE IN MARRIAGE
Many educated, independent-minded young
people don’t want to compromise their beliefs
and lifestyle when they marry. In response, Times
of India introduced ―Equality Matrimonials‖ to its
Sunday matrimonial classifieds, declaring: ―This
space … regards marriage as a true partnership
placing both people on an equal footing.‖
An Equality Marriage Manifesto includes the
provision that ―Personal preferences, including
those related to dress, food and hobbies, will be
respected, with no pressure from in-laws or
relatives.‖ And one ad targeting women asks,
―Does hello to marriage mean goodbye to life as
you know it?‖
MARRIED SINGLES

22. THE POTENTIAL
The tendency to maintain two lifestyles within one marriage will create
more demand—two cars, two TVs, etc.
Individuality/freedom/choice will emerge as areas around which brands
can have conversations (i.e., brands that offer more ―me time‖).
On the flip side, brands can help the independent-minded become
accustomed to the compromises that come with couplehood. Marketers
can find ways of facilitating those relationships, bringing the married
couple closer together.
MARRIED SINGLES

23. IMAGINE …
Innovations around ―his‖ and ―her‖ variants of TVs, automobiles, bank
accounts, gym memberships, etc.
Holiday packages that celebrate continued ―singlehood,‖ where each
spouse can travel with his/her own friends.
Household cleaning brands that speak to a more equitable division of labor
within the home.
Male/female TV channels.
Classes for things typically male/female—fixing the car, commando
training, cooking, stitching.
MARRIED SINGLES

24. DELAYED
PARENTHOOD
24 Photo credit: hfb

25. THE TREND
Most urban couples are deferring kids from the first year of marriage to
two to four years post-marriage.
DELAYED PARENTHOOD

26. THE DRIVERS
• The rise of the nuclear family: Young couples are moving away from the traditional
extended-family setup and the expectations and pressures that go with it.
• Perfect lives: Set up as a nuclear family, newlyweds are enjoying their couplehood
and the fruits of Double Income No Kids; they want to prolong a lifestyle that will
inevitably change once a baby arrives.
• Reduced parental influence: With the rise of nuclear families and more couples
living in different cities than their parents, familial pressure is limited to that
once-a-week phone call.
• Delayed responsibility: The couple can continue to act almost as if they are still
single rather than live the conventional married lifestyle (see Married Singles).
• Birth control: Couples are more aware of their options, thanks to the government’s
aggressive family-planning campaign, as well as wider availability of birth control.
• Body beautiful: Today it’s not enough to look good until marriage; you want to
maintain your looks for life. Women don’t want to lose the body they’ve worked
hard to achieve.
DELAYED PARENTHOOD

27. THE POTENTIAL
With the phase between marriage and parenthood getting longer, couples
have more discretionary income—especially if both spouses are working—
and more reasons to splurge on each other. The couple are still in lovers
mode, as opposed to providers. They’re discovering each other and finding
new dimensions of their union, especially in the case of arranged
marriages. Brands can connect by portraying them as such.
With parenthood delayed, it is that much more revered, and the couple
likely has more money than their earlier counterparts. So when the baby
does come, parents are prone to spend more on the new arrival. There is
an opportunity to dramatize and romanticize the first pregnancy even
more and to add luxury to every step of this pregnancy.
DELAYED PARENTHOOD

28. IMAGINE …
Second honeymoons
Couples-only events/trips/retreats
First-anniversary celebrations (jewelry brands/luxury brands)
Catering to everything around the baby: fashion, accessories, new gadgets
to help mother and baby
Fashion-forward maternity clothing, as seen with offerings from FabIndia
and U.K.-based Mothercare, which has outlets in India.
Products addressing the health needs of the older mother
DELAYED PARENTHOOD

29. LOOKING FORWARD—
AND BACK
29 Photo credits: Shannon Clark

30. THE TREND
With one foot firmly rooted in tradition and the other springboarding into
modernity, India is teetering between two mind-sets. As the rush toward
modernization drives forward, each proceeding generation experiences a
dilution or loss of heritage when it comes to language, rituals, food,
entertainment, dress, values, beliefs and so on. As a result, age-old
practices and ways of being are acquiring a new luster among those
wishing to reconnect with India’s rich cultural traditions. This is a
maturing trend.
LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

31. THE DRIVERS
• More nuclear families: With only two generations living under one roof, there are
fewer elders around to teach the next generation rituals and traditions.
• More mixed marriages: When each parent has a different set of regional traditions,
either one or both of these gets lost. (For example, parents are often multilingual,
while children typically speak only one language well—the one they’re taught in
school.)
• Dual-income households: With both spouses working, there’s less time to pass on
traditions and skills.
• Migration: More people are moving to mass centers of homogenization, where their
day-to-day lives lack exposure to their traditional culture and they begin to adopt
the ways of those around them.
• Globalization: This brings increased choices and media exposure to global products.
LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

32. WESTERN PUSH
INDIAN PULL
WEST VS.
English-language instruction has grown five-fold over the
EAST
last 15 years into an $11-20 million industry, according
to The Wall Street Journal. And last year The Times of
India reported that Mumbai schools, noted for their
Marathi language education, have seen a drop in
enrollment for instruction in the mother tongue; According to The Financial Express, ―the number of
instead, English has steadily gained popularity. regional channels [grew] from 114 in 2008 to 135 in
2009. In comparison, only three new Hindi GECs
(general entertainment channels) were added during
the same period."
A slew of animated children’s
The sari is falling out of favor with shows based on Hindu mythology
young women across India. According to has been popping up after a 20-
a 2009 Time article, Kanjeevaram year dearth of such programming.
weavers, famous for their silk saris, But today’s animated gods don’t
sold $12 million worth of saris in 2008, just fight demons, they snowboard
down from $40 million in 2004. and play ice-hockey. According to
livemint.com, these shows
outrank traditional Western
favorites such as Tom and Jerry
and Popeye.
LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

33. BRANDS BRIDGING THE GAP?
These products and services (both homegrown and Western) celebrate Indian
tradition while integrating elements of modernity—such as prepackaged or fast foods
suited to a fast-paced urban lifestyle—and a liberalized Indian mind-set.
Domino’s offers a
Fashion designer Anita Dongre’s Global Desi and
range of pizzas In February 2010, McCain iinter-pret labels fuse Indian and Western elements,
inspired by Indian launched Masala Fries, a incorporating traditional cuts, colors and patterns
flavors and dishes. typical French fry with Masala into Western looks.
seasoning.
When McDonald’s entered India
in 1996, it replaced its
trademark beef burger with the
Aloo McTikki sandwich, a ―Kitchens of India recreates the forgotten
variation on the potato-based delicacies of a bygone era, when Maharajas
Indian dish. ruled the land and cooking was an art
perfected by few. Every Kitchens of India
recipe has been developed and perfected by
Tanishq, a well-known jewelry brand, is the Master Chefs of ITC’s award-winning
lightheartedly tackling the new dynamic gourmet restaurants, renowned for their
between parents—the traditional matchmakers— delectable and authentic Indian cuisine.‖
and their more modern daughters. In this TV (Company website.)
spot, the lure of lavish wedding jewelry helps
open a daughter’s mind to the prospect of
meeting a match. LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

34. BRANDS BRIDGING THE GAP
& TAKING A LEAP FORWARD
Recently, brands have been taking this a step further, creating products that pay
homage to regional differences across India.
Future Group recently launched the Ektaa
brand of food products, designed to cater to Introduced in 1999, Kurkure, a Cheetos-like snack adapted
the range of tastes and preferences across to local tastes, ―helped create a bridge category between
India. The first line consists of five varieties Indian namkeens [snacks] and Western offerings like potato
of rice from various Indian states. chips [and cheese balls],‖ says Deepika Warrier, marketing
director for PepsiCo Holdings India. Earlier this year, the
brand launched three flavors based on regional spices.
LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

35. THE POTENTIAL
As Eastern and Western cultures continue to blend, there’s appeal in
marketing messages that ramp up tradition and nostalgia, painting the
past with images of purity and glorifying an uncorrupted culture. By
closely aligning themselves with cultural roots and explaining regional
origins, brands can become an extension of traditional communities—
passing on cultural histories to the next generation.
It’s unlikely the Western way of life will completely replace Indian
tradition. Instead, we’ll have a redefinition of what it means to be Indian
in today’s globalized world. Brands are in a unique position to help bridge
the divide between new and old ways by showing how a liberalized Indian
mind-set can be expressed within traditional cultural norms.
LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

36. IMAGINE …
In addition to playing up local or regional heritage in ready-to-eat
packaged foods or clothing, brands can leverage this trend in other ways:
Financial brands based on the Indian culture of savings, debit/credit
Courses to teach traditions (rituals, dance, cooking, etc.)
Literature, games, entertainment infused with tradition
LOOKING FORWARD—AND BACK

37. SIN-ECONOMY
37 Photo credit: Sistak

38. THE TREND
Indians have traditionally adhered to a set of deeply ingrained values
revolving around fairness, family and religion. This sense of morality has
been propagated by and reflected in literature, cinema and television. But
in recent years, the social system of checks and balances has started
coming undone.
As people break free from the culture of self-restraint, they are breaking
longstanding taboos. Vice is nice, and indulgence is out of the closet. This
shift isn’t simply about overeating, it’s about eating beef.
This trend is maturing among media outlets and consumers but emerging
among brands.
SIN-ECONOMY

39. THE DRIVERS
• More flexible religious interpretation: As the reins of religion are loosened, so too
are ideas about what’s right and wrong.
• Urban migration: Living away from their family and community, people are free
from the restrictions and judgments traditionally placed on them.
• Access to global media and technology: While Indian media once emphasized
adherence to strict moral guidelines, it now mirrors the racier themes featured in
Western media.
• More disposable income: Where past generations would have focused on building up
savings, the lifestyles of today’s upwardly mobile middle-class Indians are focused
around entertainment, pleasure and self-indulgence.
• A more competitive generation: Having grown up in an economically strong and
liberalized India, the youngest generation is very competitive. They’ve seen new
opportunities open up, and there’s a strong desire to seize them—to get ahead at
all costs.
SIN-ECONOMY

40. SIN TAKES HOLD The Indian market for beer, wine
and spirits grew by 84 percent
between 2004 and 2009, from
1,781.8 million liters to 3,276.6
million liters, according to a
December 2009 Euromonitor
International report.
In an upcoming reality show on MTV India,
Eristoff Male Fantasy 101, four young guys
will be showered with hot women, flashy cars,
Gambling is highly regulated in India, and illegal gambling is big business (an estimated
a swanky pad, VIP access to exclusive clubs
$40 billion industry). The first legally sanctioned casino opened in Goa in 2001, and at
and more as they live out their fantasies and
least six more have followed. In 2009 Sikkim became the second Indian state to allow
compete to win tickets to an Eristoff vodka
casinos and in May 2010 the first to allow sports betting beyond horse races. Despite
party in an exotic international locale. This
attempts to draw international gamblers, ―Indians are the spenders,‖ an exec from
follows on the heels of popular MTV shows
Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment told the BBC in July.
such as Splitsvilla and MTV Roadies.
Despite a ban on the sale of tobacco
products to minors, the Global Youth
Tobacco Survey found the percentage of
Ads for watch and accessory brand Titan Indian tobacco users aged 13-15 was at 22
Fast Track feature youth shamelessly percent among males and 9.6 percent among
flaunting their ability to move from one females last year. The World Health
romantic interest to the next, lying and Organization predicts tobacco-related deaths
cheating in the process. The message: It’s will rise to 13.3 percent of all deaths by
cool to ―move on.‖ 2020, from 1.4 percent in 1990.
SIN-ECONOMY

41. THE POTENTIAL
Conversation about what was long considered taboo is becoming
mainstream. As segments of Indian society move from repression to
expression, the sin economy is a symbol of all that’s new, experimental
and exciting in this world of seemingly infinite opportunity.
Not surprisingly, sin categories are already leveraging this trend. The next
challenge for brands is finding ways to make ―good‖ more intelligent and
edgy. How can brands inject some sin into non-sin categories, making the
good feel indulgent through new product development or brand
communications?
SIN-ECONOMY

42. IMAGINE …
Sin holidays
Indulgent rewards (e.g., a candy bar positioned as a sinful midday treat)
Apparel and accessory makers adding items that loosen up conservative
looks, allowing people to add a gently provocative note without leaving
their comfort zone
SIN-ECONOMY

43. GROWING OLDER
YOUNGER
43 Photo credit: HazPhotos

44. THE TREND
The modern and hyper-hectic lifestyles of today’s twenty- and
thirtysomethings are affecting their mental and physical health. They are
aging faster, facing physical ailments and mental fatigue normally
associated with older generations.
GROWING OLDER YOUNGER

45. THE DRIVERS
• More sedentary lifestyles: With jobs that are largely desk-based, more people using
cars for transportation and a high penetration of consumer durables/appliances,
this cohort is less physically active.
• Poor sleeping habits: A result of longer and more erratic work hours.
• Poor eating habits: As a population ascends the socioeconomic ladder, convenience
and fast foods become more accepted and intake of sugar and fats increases. At
the same time, food consumption patterns are becoming more irregular.
• More stress: Pressure to achieve and perform is taking a toll on mental well-being.
More time spent commuting in traffic is exhausting for mind and body.
GROWING OLDER YOUNGER

46. THE FACTS
• Incidence of obesity, hypertension, heart disease and other lifestyle
diseases is increasing at an alarming rate and occurring at earlier ages.
An estimated 40.9
India accounts for 60 percent of heart disease patients worldwide. million Indians suffer
from diabetes, the
The major causes of heart disease: tobacco use, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet
often linked to that of the developed world. highest number in
the world.***
A genetic mutation that puts people at greater risk of heart disease affects 4 percent of
Indians vs. 1 percent of the world’s overall population.*
Approximately 30
More than a third of Indians age 35 to 64 are at risk of heart disease, vs. 12 percent of million Indians are
Americans in the same age cohort.**
obese.****
* CNN, April 2009
** Cardiologist Dr. Naresh Trehan
*** Global Health Progress: Innovative Solutions to Improving Health in India, 2010
**** National Family Health Survey, July 2010
GROWING OLDER YOUNGER

47. GETTING SICKER YOUNGER
Forecasting the prevalence rate (%) of coronary heart disease (CHD) in India
Estimated mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD)
Source:NCMH Background Papers—Burden of Disease in India (New Delhi, GROWING OLDER YOUNGER
India), September 2005

48. THE POTENTIAL
Taking lessons from the developed world, brands can help to counteract
premature aging and head off lifestyle diseases by introducing more
healthy alternatives. (This will inevitably work to their advantage, as
lifestyle diseases could ultimately be linked to the consumption of their
products.)
Brands can offer services that help people unwind, relax and rejuvenate.
GROWING OLDER YOUNGER

49. IMAGINE …
More fast food and packaged goods brands preemptively introducing healthier and
more natural alternatives, as they’re now doing in the West, before they’re
accused of aiding and abetting unhealthy lifestyles.
Food and beverage brands developing product lines that help thirty-somethings
maintain more balanced diets.
Pharma brands providing alternative medicines that help in de-stressing.
More holiday resorts and spas catering to the need to turn back the clock. Gyms
with sections for spas and mental health counseling.
Wellness-themed homes
Life skills coaching that provides tools to cope with high-performance situations.
GROWING OLDER YOUNGER

50. CATEGORY-SPECIFIC
TRENDS
50 Photo credits (clockwise from top left): keithpr, courtneyBolton, clevercupcakes, Image Triangle India, SummerTomato

51. SNACKING
HOLIDAYS
The Trend The Drivers The Potential Imagine …
Snacking holidays—short More pressure: Work Beyond the travel, tourism Brand-sponsored ―no cooking
breaks rather than regular schedules make it difficult to and associated categories, Sundays‖ or ―no studying
holiday getaways—are gaining take a long leave. this trend has potential for Fridays‖ to provide a small
popularity in tandem with the brands that provide escapism escape from routine.
rapidly increasing pace of More budget airlines and at home or at work or those
life. hotels to make trips that offer unplanned and/or Bite-sizing going beyond just
affordable. bite-sized rewards or holiday bookings: ―snacking
experiments. degrees‖ (e.g., a two-week
A counter to the daily slog: filmmaking course), three-
Snacking acts as a mood lifter month car leases, try-before
and reward, and a way to you-buy schemes, etc.
beat monotony.
Food and beverage brands
Social capital: Snacking developing new flavors to
holidays provide some social reflect broadening tastes and
currency. cultural experiences.
Greater interest in Brands sponsoring tech
experimenting: People can platforms for sharing holiday
try out a new destination or photos/experiences.
activity without having to
commit to a full week or In fashion and home décor,
two. brands offering more
―escapist‖ colors (cool
neutrals).
51

52. TECHNOLOGY IS
THE NEW SIGNET RING
The Trend The Drivers The Potential Imagine …
The class system is being The rise of the IT industry in As more people start carrying FMCG brands appropriating
reorganized, with techno- India and image of the technology for its symbolic technology values or
mavens sitting at the top. Technocrat. rather than its functional increasing the ―techiness‖ of
Flaunting and mastering value, technology that can be their design and packaging to
technology are the new signs The increased penetration of flashed or displayed will stay aspirational.
of status. and opportunities created by benefit.
mobile telephony. More collaborations with tech
Acquiring and then mastering Since technology can have a brands (think Nike+).
technology, its complexity Techno bling: The rise of and democratizing effect, luxury
and its everyday evolution is increased access to techno- technology will serve as a Skins on household
the logical extension of cool products. way to separate the masses electronics.
India’s focus on math and from the elite—for example,
science mastery. Film stars and the global Vertu phones and high-end Creative markers of elite
media glorifying new music and home theater status—i.e. making the
technology accessories, systems. latest, greatest gadget
making them a symbol of available by invitation only.
success. We may see a shift in
emphasis in India from IT Family trees: ―Other leaders
services to manufacturing who have bought this product
technology/tech products think this or have bought that
and consumer technology. …‖
Using technology for altruism
as the ultimate sign of
supremacy.
52

53. GIFTING
GOOD HEALTH
The Trend The Drivers The Potential Imagine …
Gifting is moving from giving A larger ―urban Robin Hood‖ Brands can build consumer A bra brand gifting a free
products (perfumes, trend—the desire to do good connections at a far deeper checkup for breast cancer.
chocolates, jewelry, etc.) to for others and for society. level by hitching themselves
experiences (day at the spa, to a cause. And there is no A sugar brand offering a
tickets to an event, etc.) and Increased health awareness. cause closer to a person’s glucometer.
even to well-being itself heart, or more relevant, than
(e.g., a glucose meter). More interest in preventive the well-being of loved ones. A laptop brand gifting a hand-
health care versus curative, rest and stand to prevent
for oneself and loved ones. Brands across categories can back and neck problems.
play the Good Samaritan by
More interest in standing out: changing the paradigm of An auto brand that has
People want to gift gifting itself. ergonomically designed seats
something different rather that prevent backache.
than recycle the same old
things, because a gift says a An alcohol brand partnering
lot about the giver. with a car rental company to
organize free after-party
drop-offs.
53

54. BRAIN- AND BEAUTY-
BOOSTING NUTRITION
The Trend The Drivers The Potential Imagine …
With nutrition taking center A shift toward seeing food as As India catches up to An Ayurvedic knowledge
stage in preventive health more than just sustenance. markets such as Japan, transfer to the global beauty
care, nutritional supplements Europe and the U.S.—which marketplace—multinational
and fortified foods and A shift toward preventive have driven the growth of players entering India,
beverages will proliferate. therapies. nutraceuticals—the lines looking to diversify their
The focus will be on between pharmaceuticals, natural solutions portfolios.
enhancing and preserving Increasing media awareness nutrition and personal care
cognitive health (for senior of the foods and ingredients will continue to blur. Greater India’s belief in mind-body
citizens and children) and that can enhance beauty/ awareness of the effect of connection finding expression
beauty (for the 35-49 brain power. nutrition on beauty and in everything from beverages
cohort). cognitive health will prompt to shoes. As this trend ramps
More R&D focused on more collaboration among up, watch for more brands
The total market for nutraceuticals, plus growth in brands in these categories. like Biotique, whose food and
nutraceuticals in India, Ayurvedic and other natural personal care items are based
valued at INR 44bn, is remedies. Commodities will get on traditional Ayurvedic
growing by 21 percent branded, fortified. principles.
annually, according to a 2009 Ongoing emphasis on
report from Netscribes intelligence, competition and
(India). learning as a means to climb
the social strata. Explosive
growth of education industry.
Rising disposable income and
an increase in health care
spending.
54

55. HAMPER
PAMPER
The Trend The Drivers The Potential Imagine …
As Indian consumers grow Rising affluence and more Across categories, brands Infusing luxury into everyday
increasingly affluent, they disposable income. have opportunities to experiences (banking, retail,
are seeking world-class introduce high-value luxury etc.).
luxuries—they believe they Since they have strived hard items that satisfy affluent
deserve the best. The value to get where they are, Indians’ need to pamper Dedicated luxury shopping
equation is no longer simple, affluent Indians believe they themselves. But luxury must areas and neighborhoods, like
as factors like image, world- deserve the best for move from just a purchase to Fifth Avenue in New York and
class, premium, cool, etc., themselves. Aspirational an experience; otherwise, Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles.
come to play a more products have a heightened high-end consumers will
important role. appeal. continue to buy overseas,
driven by a less-than-stellar
Currently worth around $3 The traditional Indian shopping experience and high
billion a year, the premium- mentality of saving for luxury duties.
goods industry in India is tomorrow is no longer
expected to expand by 25-30 prevalent. People believe in
percent annually in the next living to the fullest today.
five years.* India’s 120,000
dollar millionaires hold Globalization: Global
roughly a third of the exposure has opened a world
country’s gross national of possibilities and
income, a figure that is rising experiences to the consumer,
rapidly.** thereby raising aspirations.
Increased competition and
improved retail
opportunities.
55 *Technopak Advisors **Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

56. IN CONCLUSION
56
Photo credits (clockwise from top left): Ashok666, boltron-, hfb, HazPhotos, Sistak, judepics

57. IN CONCLUSION
Several factors—urban migration, the rise of the nuclear family,
modernization, etc.—are changing relationship dynamics, from the
adoption of friends as family to the continuation of single-type
lifestyles post-marriage to delayed parenthood. With some
modifications to products or communications, there is huge potential
to reach and resonate with these growing consumer segments.
The push-pull between modernity and tradition will become more
exaggerated as the sin economy takes hold. Brands are in a unique
position to help bridge the divide between new and old ways by
showing how a liberalized Indian mind-set can be expressed within
traditional cultural norms.
As lifestyles get faster paced, health is becoming compromised. Taking
lessons from the developed world, brands can help to counteract
premature aging and head off lifestyle diseases by introducing more
healthy alternatives.
IN CONCLUSION

58. THANK YOU
58
Ann M. Mack Jessica A. Vaughn JWT Enkay Centre, Block A, Udyog Vihar
Director of Trendspotting Trend Strategist Phase 5
JWT Worldwide JWT Worldwide Gurgaon – 122016,
ann.mack@jwt.com jessica.vaughn@jwt.com Haryana, India.
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