SBS commissioned study shows Australia is changing and brands need to change too
Wednesday 28 May, 2014
Please see attached a presentation by Pollinate Research Managing Director Howard Parry-Husbands to a session at the Vivid Festival of Light, Music and Ideas this morning on SBS commissioned study: Who Do We Think We Are? In search of ourselves: Understanding the Australian identity.
Who Do We Think We Are? was commissioned by SBS in 2013 and conducted by Pollinate. It asks Australians from across the country key questions about how they believe the nation has changed in the past 20 years, what it means to be Australian today, and considers future implications for businesses and brands.
The Study draws on data from a nationally representative sample of over 1000 across age, gender, location and language spoken at home, and shows that the vast majority of people understand and accept that Australia’s future will be more multicultural – and that is the one thing they know for sure.
According to the Study, Australians see the nation as having three varying categories of people: those that embrace change, those that are open to change as long as it is in line with their values and those people who reject change and see it as a threat.
And whilst Australians are proud of the successes forged by their immigrant nation, they are confronted with a daily contradiction between how they see themselves represented by the media and how they perceive they are in day-to-day life. They think the media portrays Australians as hardworking, clever, egalitarian, tough and never in possession of the things they perceive they need but the individual Australian is perhaps not actually as hardworking as they may think and is suspicious of academia and intelligence, threatened by rapidly increasing cultural complexity, enjoys comforts and is more wealthy than they believe they are.
SBS Director of Sales Andrew Cook said: “With the research that we have commissioned, SBS Media can now provide marketers and agencies with additional help in understanding what Australians think about where Australia is headed. We know Australia has changed compared to 20 years ago and this research can help with strategic insights when it comes to Australia’s mindset.
“According to the research, all Australians believe one thing is certain, the growth of multiculturalism. One thing brands need to consider is how they can talk to an even more multicultural society, many of who are still developing a connection with local brands.”
Who Do We Think We Are? draws on a wealth of data to help decision makers position their brands to cater for a changing and increasingly diverse Australia, to ensure they stay relevant and maximise future opportunities in an increasingly diverse Australia.
SBS is available to present more in depth findings of Who Do We Think We Are? In search of ourselves: Understanding the Australian identity.
The Who Do We Think We Are? Presentation can be downloaded at this link: