Chinese consumers fear aging, Japanese link technology to health: McCann

These findings are from “The Truth About Wellness", a global study based on a quantitative online survey of 7,000 respondents in the China, Japan, the US, the UK, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey, plus supplemental qualitative surveys in the US, the UK, Japan, Peru and Brazil.

Globally and in Asia the study reflected a shift away from 'fitness' and 'health' as standalone factors towards an overall state of “wellness”, said Dave McCaughan, director of McCann’s Truth Central for Asia.

“Wellness is seen as a balance between physical and mental," he told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "People were quite happy to say, ‘Well, I’m not physically in great shape, but if I’m mentally feeling good, that offsets it'.”

This presents an opportunity for brands not immediately associated with health. Examples would be Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” tagline or McDonald’s “I’m Loving It”, both of which speak to emotional gratification and well-being.

But while the global average placed mental ahead of physical well-being in terms of importance, participants in Japan and China placed more importance on physical well-being. “It’s related to the feeling that if you don’t have physical well-being as you get older you can’t do much,” observed McCaughan.

For the Chinese, this may tie into their fear of aging, surprising in a culture that has traditionally respected age and venerated elders. “Their biggest concern is getting left behind," he said. "A 25-year-old’s life in China is one of constant change and they find it normal. But if you talk to a 60-year-old, the shock they’ve faced is amazing. They fear not being able to keep up and to lose their place in society.”

The Japanese, however, fear aging less than other markets; people there feel young until about 44 (later than in other markets). But with the expectation of a long life comes the responsibility of caring for their bodies. “If you think about it, they start to realise in their 30s that they’re going to live for another 50 years and it becomes increasingly important to take care of themselves,” noted McCaughan.

The study also attempted to gauge consumer perceptions about technology and its relationship to health. Globally, the split in opinion on technology’s impact on health is nearly even, with 54 per cent believing that technology will ultimately benefit health, but 46 per cent thinking it will make us sicker.

On one hand, 40 per cent of global respondents believe technology gives them more control over their health, and 28 per cent of consumers in China and Japan also believe that devices, such as MP3 players, Nike+ and devices such as Xbox and the Wii, make exercising more fun. On the other hand, 25 per cent of young men and 17 per cent of women globally fear that their obsession with technology and social networking is encouraging a more sedentary lifestyle.

“Across Asia, people of all ages believe that the increased use of technology—be that social media, gaming or excessive ‘screen time’—can be detrimental to physical health and acknowledge that they should be doing more exercise,” said McCaughan. “But at the same time, they also need to “keep up, be involved, and to keep motivated”, which invariably justifies tech time.

Along with a more holistic and long-term view of wellness, consumers expect brands to contribute to and aid them in their quest for wellness. According to the report, the brands that consumers felt had given most to wellness in a positive way include Nike, Subway, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé and adidas. The wide spectrum of categories represented by these brands supports the notion of a more holistic wellness approach and presents opportunities for brands that have not traditionally been associated with health.

“The definition of wellness has evolved," said Amar Urhekar, executive vice-president, McCann Health Asia-Pacific. "Wellness is no longer aspirational, it’s the norm of the day. Like all things associated with technology and social media, I believe consumers expect brands to be honest and upfront with them, and want to see the efforts taken to ‘keep them well’.”

The stoic approach of “going it alone” has also faded away, such that 57 per cent of people globally wish they had more support in leading a healthy life. This is especially true in emerging markets like China (88 per cent) and Brazil (73 per cent). The young are the most open to help, with 61 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds wanting support, versus 44 per cent of those over 55.  

“The good news is that 94 per cent of consumers say brands have a role in supporting their wellness needs,” said Daryl Lee, McCann’s global chief strategy officer. “There has never been a better time for brands to lead positive change.”

Urhekar’s advice for marketers is to constructively offer wellness engagement, be it mental, physical, spiritual or even financial.

As an example, the report cited Molico (Nestlé) in Brazil, which showcased women as “day-to-day athletes” by celebrating their normal activities. This placed the brand in the everyday and showed that wellness was something that could be achieved outside a perfect world, said the report.

Another rather surprising example of a ‘wellness company’ is Ikea. The brand qualifies because it has been supporting the notion of living well and a wellness ethos of “creating a better everyday life for many people”, according to the report.