A Third Eye View of Emerging Markets

Emerging Markets are undergoing dramatic change at breath-taking speeds, impacting their societies, culture and the way they consume. In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos discusses how brands with cultural or religious underpinning can connect with EM consumers through their values, leaving multinationals behind. We consider the impact that change has on people in Emerging Markets, and how fast change leads consumers to turn to simpler more natural products aligned with their values, albeit in a continually-changing world.

Emerging markets are not simply following the same path to development that has already been trodden by the emerging markets. Some multinationals have failed to grasp that consumers desire products and brands that reflect their values, a big distinction from the scientifically engineered products that make your clothes whiter, your dishes sparklier, and your shave closer. Local culture, simplicity, integrity and authenticity resonate, and niche brands that can emotionally connect with consumers often do this more effectively.

By understanding this cultural context, we believe that it is possible to see further and more accurately into the future than conventional, extrapolative analysis. Data that most investors look at can explain what is happening. But our Immersions research, taking time to understand and empathise with consumers in their own homes, takes us closer to understanding why things happen. Understanding consumers’ values, and what matters to them, in turn shows us a path to solving their problems, and to the future.

It is often assumed that growth in Emerging Markets stems from the expanding youth population. On-the-ground insights, however, point to an overlooked longevity dividend, where people in urban areas carry on working to an older age, even starting new businesses or careers, in order to continue making connections and contributing and earning the respect that was previously given by virtue of age alone. In this podcast recorded in late 2019, before COVID-19, Tassos Stassopoulos discusses on-the-ground insights, and what it means for EM investment, with Gita Ghate, founder of Third Eye, an Indian Ethnographic Research Firm.

Societies in Emerging Markets are changing, but many people assume that with modernisation comes westernisation. In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos talks to Mike Ivatt about how the increasing ability for countries to produce their own content leads to the development of their own identities, staying connected to their values rather than following the same path as the West.

Big Data can give us faster and more detailed information about what is happening. But, especially in Emerging Markets, statistics and data often mislead or miss major trends as they struggle to keep up with fast-moving societies. In this podcast we discuss how analysing data and statistics might help you to understand what is happening, but not why something is happening. It can even lead you to draw incorrect conclusions. We will explain how properly planned and conducted ethnographic research can lead to understanding why things are happening, and to spot upcoming trends before they show up in the statistics.

India’s consumer patterns are shifting faster than ever, accelerated by a changing post-Covid mindset. To ensure these trends and cultural behaviours are fully understood, our team is heading back to India in December 2022 for an ethnographic research study.

In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos and Gita Ghate, Managing Director of ethnographic research firm Third Eye discuss the changing mindset of Indian consumers and possible areas for the study.