Marketers, advertisers told to focus more on 'status seekers'

The “3D 2012” study was undertaken by Mindshare Thailand, a major marketing and media network company.
The three-dimensional survey is conducted every two years, providing in-|sights into relationships between people, brands and media. This year’s survey |had 2,400 participants aged between 14 and 65, recruited from random sampling to represent the overall population of the Kingdom.
The three dimensions concern the bonding between brands and consumers, the in-depth understanding of people’s attitudes, and consumers’ media habits.
Pathamawan Sathaporn, head of business planning at Mindshare Thailand, said yesterday that the category of image-conscious status seeker currently represented about 22 per cent of the 62 million-strong population, against just 9 per cent 10 years ago.
This group has had the highest growth over the past decade to become the biggest cluster group for marketers and advertisers today.
Those falling in the category have a positive look in life, are willing to spend and be in debt in order to live life to the full, she said.
Pathamawan added that this might result from communication technology transfers to the digital arena, while local demand is driven by the government’s populist policies.
Another key cluster group in the study is “disadvantaged and indifferent”, which accounts for 19 per cent of the population.
This group has been the most consistent in the past 10 years and can be characterised by a tendency to respond more negatively to most of the statements put to participants in the survey. Their attitude is closest to Thailand’s cultural values of sabai sabai (relaxed and comfortable) that foreigners find interesting, she said.
Several cluster groups have seen a decline in penetration. For example, the “young aspirers” group, which accounts for 11 per cent of the population.
Members of this group can be summarised as being sociable, considerate and image-conscious, said Pathamawan, adding that they are aspiring without being overly ambitious.

LIFESTYLE/ OUTLOOK
They have a similar lifestyle and outlook in life to what the group had 10 years ago, with peers an integral part of their lives. The key changes have come mostly from technological advancement.
Meanwhile, the “young pragmatics” group, which accounts for about 10 per cent of the population, comes across as being very confident, ambitious and sensible. This group is also popularly known as “Gen Y”.
Another group that has witnessed a decrease is “no-nonsense loners”, which accounts for 8 per cent. This type of person is normally very shrewd, calculating and confident with a down-to-earth no-nonsense approach to life, she said.
The research also confirmed that Thailand is moving towards an increasingly “ageing society”, with the number of new-borns declining while people are generally living longer.
Mindshare also found that the labour force generally remained consistent, with farming and fisheries still representing about two-thirds of the total. Government-related jobs are, however, on a declining trend.
In terms of household size, the proportion of “non-nuclear families” has risen, while married couples with at least one child at home are on the decline, partly because their offspring are these days often raised by grandparents.
Pathamawan said advertisers and marketers should adjust their marketing strategies to take into account the various changes in people’s behaviour, attitudes and demographical changes.