Why is Havas Worldwide studying Digital Life?
The extent to which the world has changed in the past couple of decades is astounding—with social, political, economic, and marketing implications. In the second half of 2011, Havas Worldwide undertook this major global study in order to better understand the new realities of modern-day life and how people are reacting to them.
What we found is that the rapid proliferation of digital technology, new channels of communication, changes in household composition, the faster pace of living, and the radical transformation of social mores have left many of us feeling unbalanced and unsure of what’s coming next. For all the good it has brought, this dizzying maelstrom of change has also pushed aside a number of things we value, including a meaningful connection to the natural world and a deep-seated sense of community. With each step we take toward an artificial, high-tech, digitally centered future, we reach back and pull closer objects and customs that offer comfort and help to re-center us—things that we deem more authentic, more natural, more “real” than those digital substitutes that have been created to replace them. In this way, we seek to live a hybrid existence that keeps us comfortably tethered to a world we’re not quite sure we’re ready to leave behind.
What topics are covered in the white paper and presentation deck?
•Life in the Post-Technology Age
•When the Idea of Progress Doesn’t Make Us Dream Anymore
•Digital Invasion
•Intimacy Is a Mirage, and We’ve Lost Control Over Our Personal Narratives
•More Minutiae, Less Meaning
•The Nuclear Family Is Disintegrating
•Google and Facebook are the New Gods, but Jesus Died and His Name Was Steve Jobs
•Is Personal Freedom Making Us Insecure?
•Exhausted by Hyperconsumption
•What It Means
Who are Prosumers?
In all of our global surveys, Havas Worldwide uses a proprietary algorithm to break the sample into two groups: mainstream consumers (which, in the case of this study, made up 84 percent of the sample) and Prosumers (16 percent). These breakouts are included in the report and presentation.
Why do Prosumers matter? These proactive and informed consumers are today’s leading influencers and market drivers. They have always been important, but they have grown even more powerful thanks to their skillful embrace of new technologies and, especially, social media. Havas Worldwide has been tracking Prosumers for more than a decade and in that time has interviewed thousands of them. They are important to us because, beyond their own economic impact, they influence the brand choices and consumption behaviors of others. Simply put, what Prosumers are doing today, mainstream consumers are likely to be doing six to 18 months from now. We invite you to learn more about Prosumers and our Prosumer studies at
www.havasworldwide.com/prosumer-report and by following us on Twitter (@prosumer_report).
Who created the study?
Prosumer Reports is a series of thought leadership publications by Havas Worldwide—part of a global initiative to share information and insights, including our own proprietary research, across the Havas Worldwide network of agencies and client companies Havas Worldwide is a leading integrated marketing communications agency and was the first agency to be named Global Agency of the Year by both Advertising Age and Campaign in the same year. Havas Worldwide is made up of 233 offices in 75 countries and provides advertising, marketing, corporate communications, and digital and social media solutions to clients, including Air France, BNP Paribas, Charles Schwab, Citigroup, Danone Group, Heineken USA, IBM, Kraft Foods, Lacoste, Merck, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Pernod Ricard, Reckitt Benckiser, Sanofi, and Volvo. Headquartered in New York, Havas Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, a world leader in communications
(Euronext Paris SA:HAV.PA).
For more information, please visit www.havasworldwide.com.
How was the This Digital Life study fielded?
Working with our research partners at Market Probe International, Havas Worldwide fielded an online survey in 19 countries—Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States—in summer 2011. These 19 markets represent a combined population of 3.6 billion people. Our respondent base is made up of 7,213 men and women age 18 or older.
Where can I get complete findings?
Complete findings of This Digital Life and all our earlier studies—including data for each market—are available to employees and clients of Havas Worldwide by contacting emily.rosen@havasworldwide.com. Key findings from our most recent studies, along with select data, are available to the public on this site.
I want to learn more about how Havas Worldwide can help my brand.
For new-business inquiries, please contact:
Naomi Troni
Global Chief Marketing Officer
Havas Worldwide
T +1 212.886.2009
E naomi.troni@havasww.com
I am a member of the media. How can I get more information?
For inquiries regarding Havas Worldwide’s “This Digital Life” study or earlier studies, please contact:
Lisa Gruber
Global Communications Manager
Havas Worldwide
T +1 212.886.2018
M +1 646.431.1289
E lisa.gruber@havasww.com