Getting closer to the Great British public

The challenges for

media planning today

How do we

plan in a era

of disruption?

The nation is

seemingly divided,

but really there’s

more that unites us

The labels that

are put on

people often

don’t fit

Brands and

advertisers

seem out of

step

Source: Newsworks, Getting closer to the Great British public, 2017

Fear divides us

Ceredig is 56 and lives in Aberystwyth.

He is an active local councillor.

I’ve got my children and my grandchildren down in southern England

and I don’t see them enough. You can’t just hand in your notice when

you’re self-employed. If we move down to southern England and I sell

my house here, it’ll buy me a tin shed down in Guildford. Thinking of

the next step is very difficult.”

“


Money divides us

£58k

£82k

Londoners People not from London

Real vs assumed household income of Londoners

Actual average

household

income = £41k


Perception vs reality:

Everyone thinks everybody else earns more than them

£123k

£114k

£106k

£76k

£70k

£61k

£43k

£34k

£33k

£32k

£31k

£29k

£29k

£28k

£23k

£22k

£21k

£20k

£18k

Metropolitan elite

Business people

People in the media

People from London

The middle class

People from the south

The middle aged

Hard working families

The British people

The silent majority

People like me

People from the north

The average person in this country

The working class

Millennials

The old

Pensioners

Homemakers/housewives

The young Assumed earnings


The more people think others earn, the more negative

their view is of them

[CELLRANGE]

People like me

The young

The old

Millennials

The middle aged

Pensioners



People from London

The metropolitan elite

The silent majority

The British people

hard working families

The working class

The middle class

Homemakers/housewives

Business people

People in the media

Po

sit

ive

vie

wAssumed average income

Ne

ga

tive

vie

wLow High


Think they are

slightly younger

than us… it’s

one of those

things where it

doesn’t really

define

anybody.”

Erin, Aberystwyth

“

Stereotypes divide us - age

• The label ‘millennial’ is increasingly questioned especially

by millennials themselves, with many of us unsure about the

actual definition

• Just one in four 18-34s think the term ‘millennial’

applies to them

• Only one in five of 18-34s cite their aspirations to be

similar to those of ‘millennials’.

• On the other hand, 24% say they’ve got similar aspirations to

‘the working class’ and 28% to ‘hard working families’


“

I don’t know whether

it’s money or whether

it’s your background

or education for me

the boundaries are a

bit blurred. Plumber

with middle class

money. What is

middle class?

It’s a bit confusing

now I think.”

Ayo, Thurrock

Stereotypes divide us - class

Stereotypes around class can divide us, but not in the traditional sense

31%

20%

50%

Working class Middle class None of these


“

I think now there’s

not really that much

of a difference.

Maybe before you

could clearly see the

distinction between

middle and working

class.”

Ayo, Thurrock

Stereotypes divide us - class

Stereotypes around class can divide us, but not in the traditional sense

50% 50%


https://youtu.be/sUaX_h26zE4

https://youtu.be/sUaX_h26zE4

I get rid of the weeds

along the wall... Still

wash out the front and

clean. My neighbours

do it, we all do it.”

Mark, Thurrock

“

A sense of community unites us


https://youtu.be/FiZmHR75GFk

https://youtu.be/FiZmHR75GFk

Shared values unite us

Somehow the rest of the world needs to come together and discuss

how we’re going to get ourselves out of it as everyday people.”

Jen, Aberystwyth

“


Jen is 27 and is originally from the East

Midlands but has stayed in Aberystwyth

since completing her studies.

People are united on what they view as success with happiness,

health and a sense of control more important than money

70%

63% 62%

37%

13%

6%

Having a happy familylife

Having good health Being in control of yourown life

Having a lot of money Being promoted orbeing the boss at work

Being famous or wellknown

Which of these would make you feel most successful?


It’s always

stereotypes, and

particularly if you’re

talking adverts and

stuff like that. You’ve

always got the sexy

girl, the weedy guy...”

Ayo, Thurrock

“

Always check the label

- People aren’t identifying with the labels assigned to them

- A label doesn’t mean the same thing to all people


https://youtu.be/ACXttQlJVR0

https://youtu.be/ACXttQlJVR0

Age is as unrepresentative as other labels

39%

29%

18-34

‘young’

65+

‘old’


Older generations are more likely to think progress

and change is a good thing

37%39%

46%

43%

52%

49%

6%

10%11%

4%3% 3%

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

good thing bad thing


Positive view

We clearly value graft in society today with hard working

families viewed most positively

9%

11%

16%

27%

30%

30%

35%

35%

38%

42%

47%

48%

49%

50%

54%

54%

54%

55%

63%

66%

None of these

People in the media

Metropolitan elite

Business people

Millenials

People from London

The silent majority


The young

The middle class

The average person in this country


The middle aged

The old

The working class

Housemakers/housewives

Pensioners

The British peopl

People like me

Hard working families


Where do you learn about these topics?

Newsbrands continue to be an important

window on the world

21%

19%

21%

20%

53%

55%

54%

41%

World

Politics

National

Local

Newspapers Social Media


The newspapers

you read explain much

more of the variance in

your views on success,

politics, risk and

generosity than simple

demographics

71%the newspaper

you read

16%

age

6%

social

3%

income

3%

urban

% o

f va

ria

nc

e e

xp

lain

ed


Less than one in five Britons say ads often introduce them to new

products. This is even lower among 18-34s

‘Ads can often introduce me to new products and services I hadn’t thought of before’

11% of 18-34s 17% total


63%

of people love it when they

stumble across something useful

and interesting but unexpected

Opportunity

for brands

Serendipity

Redefining relevance

We need more serendipity – in between the hyper-targeted and completely random. Something relevant but not exact.

Ads related to ‘interests and hobbies’ are deemed more relevant than search/browsing history and age

52%

37% 37% 36% 35%

19%

My interests and

hobbies

Products I have

bought previously

Products I have

looked at recently

but not bought

Websites I have

visited

Recommendations

based on other things

I have looked at or

bought

My age

Source: Newsworks, Pop goes the filter bubble, 2017

Recommendations

for planners

Know what pulls

people apart – fear,

money, stereotypes

Know what unites us - people

want to come together. There

are common human values that

we all share which unify us.

These values go beyond politics

and superficial brand purpose

Always check the label and

your assumptions. Brands

and advertisers are often out

of touch with the ways that

the Great British public want

to be represented

Recognise and explore new core

values. Brands need to appeal to

emotion and tell a story based

around new core values of graft,

personality and community


Conducted by Flamingo Research and Tapestry Research

Step 1: Tapestry carried out a quantitative online survey with 1,000 nationally

representative adults aged 18+yrs

Step 2: Our research partners Flamingo undertook in-depth qualititative fieldwork and

interviews in two very different locations

Where? – Thurrock in Essex and Aberystwyth in West Wales

When? – quantitative online survey – January/February 2017 and qualitative fieldwork –

May 2017

Research

Methodology


Marketing

Getting closer to the Great British public