Home, clothes and kids’ school are important status symbols for Indian parents

Home, clothes and kids’ school are important status symbols for Indian parents

KEY INSIGHTS
• Home is the No. 1 important status symbol for Indian parents. The clothes they wear and the neighbourhood they live in are also strong symbols for parents to express their status in society.
• Intuitively, more than half of Indian parents (56%) think that the schools their children attend are extremely important to express their status.
• Holiday destinations, cars, frequently visited places and club memberships are relatively less important status indicators for Indian parents.


WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
• It has been well researched that consumers from emerging markets buy for status. But before everything else, personal backgrounds are still strong indicators of socioeconomic standing.
• In emerging markets like China and India, where education is the best way to move up in the society, admission to top-tier schools not only flags a bright future for the kids but also signifies an honor for the entire family.

Hangover Heaven rides to the rescue of Sin City revelers

WHAT'S HAPPENING
When it comes to the morning after, sometimes hard partying demands hard science. A Las Vegas anesthesiologist claims that IV treatments like those given to patients post-surgery can benefit people who overindulge, and he's bringing the Rx directly to the suffering.

Dr. Jason Burke's Hangover Heaven is a mobile service designed to cure even the most monumental hangover in 45 minutes or less. On the company's Strip-roving, designed-for-comfort bus or in the client's hotel room, medical professionals administer intravenous hydration solutions packed with vitamins, amino acids and prescription medications.
The FDA-approved therapies reduce recovery time by accelerating the purging of aldehydes, the toxic compounds that cause headache and nausea.

Treatments start at $150. For those who can't make it to the bus or just want to spring for a house call, in-room therapy is available three days a week for $500.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
What happens in Vegas: Video testimonials on the HH site speak of speedy recovery from nights of prodigious alcohol consumption. The company's judgment-free attitude toward overindulgence might not sit well with everyone, but it's in keeping with the vice-friendly profile that draws tourists to the city.

Party-hearty types value the convenience of easy access to serious remedies, and the confidence that painful downtime won't ruin their getaway.
In nightlife meccas, mobile and pop-up opportunities abound for detox drink and food brands.

RESOURCES
Hangover Heaven & Sheri Linden

Barbie goes bald for a good cause

WHAT'S HAPPENING

After parent-inspired Facebook group "Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made" scored thousands of likes within hours, toymaker Mattel instantly responded by announcing the creation of a bald friend of Barbie (Good.is, 18 April 2012).

The doll will be exclusively distributed to children's hospitals in 2013 and will come fully equipped with hats, scarves and other fashion accessories, giving young girls the traditional Barbie-playing experience.

Beckie Sypin, co-founder of the cause and mother of a 12-year-old daughter who lost her hair after chemotherapy, hopes that Barbie's new friend will help children with cancer and others who have lost their hair cope with their conditions.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
A cause that plays up beauty and self-worth through a much-loved and familiar toy gives Gen We a playful way to cope with their own or a loved one's illness.
Listening to and responding to a viral Facebook campaign goes a long way for brand loyalty.

RESOURCES
Mattel
Facebook: Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made

Word of mouth rules for Europeans' grocery purchase decisions

KEY INSIGHTS
• In spite of an abundance of online information, good old-fashioned word of mouth is the key source when making grocery purchase decisions. More western European consumers turn to family and friends than any other source. Spain is the exception, where the internet (53%) narrowly edges out family and friends (52%).
• In the UK and France, word of mouth has the greatest dominance over other sources of information.
• Consumers are perhaps not as cynical as marketers think—at least one type of advertising appears in the top three for all countries, outranking sources like articles and reviews.
• The internet may be a go-to source for information, but internet advertisements lag in the influence stakes, outranked by TV advertisements in all countries and print advertisements in all countries except Spain.


WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
• Despite the ever-increasing availability of grocery product information, consumers are still relying most on word of mouth. The key to being heard by consumers isn't more information, but instead more trust

Emerging-market consumers had a good year and are expecting an even better 2012

Emerging-market consumers had a good year and are expecting an even better 2012

KEY INSIGHTS

•When asked about their household income change in the past 12 months, 41% of households from emerging markets said they saw an increase, compared with only 20% for households in developed markets. It seems that in the past 12 months, the majority of households in developed markets haven’t experienced any change in terms of income.

•Looking into the future, emerging-market consumers are also more optimistic about their financial prospect, with 59% thinking that they will have an increase in household income in the next 12 months — more than twice as many as the 28% for developed market consumers.