LMRB offers total consumer insight through TGI

Lanka Market Research Bureau Limited (LMRB) provided a packed audience of senior marketers and other business leaders a brief glimpse of the findings from Sri Lanka’s first TGI survey, at a preview presentation made at The Park Street Mews, Colombo.

The Target Group Index or TGI, is a product of LMRB’s parent company, Kantar Group UK, designed to capture consumer lifestyles and behaviour, including product and media consumption, psychographics and geo-demographics.

It offers an understanding of consumer mindsets, individual habits, values and beliefs which can be used in market segmentation, media planning, brand communication and product development.

What is remarkable about TGI is that all this in-depth information about consumers is available from a single data source. This makes the TGI database, and its powerful user friendly software ‘Choices,’ an indispensable tool for market analysis and planning.

TGI Sri Lanka 2012 was conducted island-wide in both urban and rural areas among a representative sample of 3,000 individuals aged 15-65 years from Socio-Economic Classes (SEC) A, B and C which represents 8.1 million Sri Lankans.

The information that can be gleaned from TGI is endless, limited only by the ingenuity of the analyst. Some of the extremely interesting and useful insights shared by LMRB at the event were:

People have faith and belief in the country and themselves. Over 50% of Sri Lankans from SEC ABC are optimistic about the future.

While there is a desire for change and perhaps more Westernisation, Sri Lankans are still deeply rooted in their culture and traditions. Two out of five consumers firmly believe that it is important to respect traditional customs and beliefs. This is what makes us so different and unique – it is the ability to mix the contemporary with traditional.

Sri Lankans are changing as a society. When we look at the parent – child relationship and the power structure therein, we seem to have come a long way. Nowadays, 44% Sri Lankans from SEC ABC firmly state that they would encourage their kids to express themselves freely. This suggests that the power distance between parents and their children has reduced and children are now getting their due as well as being encouraged to share their opinions and views.

Sri Lankan consumers are gradually moving into an experimentation mode. They are willing to try new products and new brands and are seeking newer experiences. The most significant sign of this mood for experimentation emerges for the need to try new cuisines. Palates, as we know, are hardest to change. Yet, we find that one out of five Sri Lankans is showing a keenness to experiment with newer cuisines and foreign foods.

Being healthy seems to have a new definition in Sri Lanka today. In the past, being healthy meant having no illnesses or diseases. Today, the definition of the term seems to have been expanded. For the SEC ABC Sri Lankan of today, being healthy means not just the lack of illnesses but also being fit and active. This has huge implications in the way we position as well as promote our food and beverage products.

Sri Lankans from SEC ABC unanimously voice the need for equality for everyone.  They are looking for a fair and just society and system. They seem to voice the need to put behind the scars of the past and a desire for a fair and just co-existence.

TGI also suggests that besides conventional media, it may be time to start using Word of Mouth as a potent medium for communication. One in four seeks advice from a person he trusts before making a purchase decision.

Currently, TGI is conducted in 69 countries across five continents. It is used globally as a barometer of consumer behaviour, attitudes and values as well as product adoption. The set of gold standard questions that are tracked in each of these countries enables the user to understand global trends and compare them with those in his or her own country.