Connecting Through "Desire": A Marketing Perspective for an Era of Diversification

We are entering an era where companies face significant challenges in selling products, driven by a prolonged slump in personal consumption and an unpredictable social environment. Various factors are intertwined, creating this difficult landscape.

Amidst this, Dentsu Inc. has launched a new consumer research project, "DENTSU DESIRE DESIGN (DDD)," formed by a group of volunteers centered around members from its solutions division.

DDD is a project aiming to unravel the modern consumer profile, which has become increasingly elusive to companies, by revisiting consumption consciousness rooted in "Desire." This series will introduce DDD's approach to consumer insights and its future developments.

In Part 1, Yasuaki Matsumoto of Dentsu Inc. Second Integrated Solutions Bureau explains how to view consumers' 'Desire' when considering modern consumption.

Despite declining annual income and earnings, over 80% report finding consumption "enjoyable"

We live in an era of unprecedented upheaval in the consumption landscape: the proliferation of social media, the rise of e-commerce, widening income disparities, the COVID-19 pandemic, growing understanding and interest in SDGs and sustainable consumption, and the emergence of Generation Z.

From a marketing perspective, many companies have adopted "demand-based" marketing approaches. This involves accumulating data on what consumers buy, see, hear, and do, then providing the optimal product at the optimal place. In essence, today is an era where "a vast amount of information is continuously supplied to consumers at various points in time."

Amidst this landscape, how are individuals' attitudes toward consumption evolving? We will now explore this by referencing findings from DDD's September 2021 Dentsu Inc. "Heart-Moving Consumption Survey" ( survey overview here ).

When the survey asked 3,000 men and women aged 20 to 74 nationwide how their income, household financial leeway, and disposable income had changed compared to a year ago, the number of respondents who answered "decreased" significantly outnumbered those who answered "increased" for all categories: personal annual income, household annual income, disposable income, and household financial leeway.

At the same time, the survey also revealed that many consumers still hold onto the enjoyment and anticipation of spending.

"I want to spend money on enjoying the present"
"I want to spend money on the future"
"I want to spend money to make others or my family happy"
Approximately 70% of respondents answered "agree" to each of these statements.

Furthermore, a remarkable 82% of people continue to feel that "shopping is enjoyable."

Furthermore, about 60% of people answered "Yes" to the question, "In the past month, were there any products or services you purchased that truly moved you?"

The survey was conducted in September 2021, a period when Tokyo and surrounding areas were under a state of emergency, limiting normal consumption activities. Despite this, it is clear that many consumers still experienced some form of "emotionally resonant consumption."

If consumers are being forced to suppress their "desire to consume" due to the consumption environment and economic conditions, then identifying how to capture consumers' true "desires/wants" and how to translate them into consumption could be the key to solving Japan's sluggish personal consumption.

New consumer insight perspectives emerge by revisiting AI "D"MA

When considering future consumer insights, let's examine the evolution of past purchasing behavior models.

As shown below, the consumer purchasing behavior model has continuously evolved: "AIDMA" → "AISAS" → "SIPS". However, since "AIDMA"—the foundation of consumer purchasing behavior models—the "D (Desire)" has disappeared. Even in modern consumer behavior models, Desire remains a fundamental premise of consumption yet has become an unseen factor.

How should we grasp this Desire when considering modern consumption? As the consumption environment grows more complex, merely pursuing "explicit awareness" manifested through consumer actions, as seen in demand-based marketing, is increasingly insufficient for capturing the underlying "emotion."

What marketing strategy now demands is consumer insight that lies beyond demand and needs—the "true 'want/desire to do' feelings" deep within people's psychology. Visualizing and structuring this true "want/desire to do" = desire, and grasping it quantitatively and qualitatively, illuminates a new path for consumer insight. This is the "desire" perspective consumer insight envisioned by DDD.

Precisely because we live in a diverse and complex era, grasping consumer insights from the desire perspective is essential.

Now, let's compare existing "demand-based" marketing with the marketing insights envisioned by DDD.
The "Heart-Moving Consumption Survey" asks: "What products or services moved your heart and did you purchase within the last month?"

Picking out several responses from men in their 60s:
"Smartwatch"
"Slim slacks"
"Audio component systems"
At first glance, these answers seem unrelated.

Let's consider what products current online shopping recommendation services (which analyze customer preferences to provide tailored suggestions) might propose to each of these buyers.

For someone who bought a smartwatch, it would likely be seen as for exercise and recommend "training wear" or "shoes."

For slim slacks, recommendations often include coordinating "jackets" or "shirts." For audio component buyers, suggestions frequently include compatible "players" or "surround sound systems."

But does this kind of marketing always resonate with consumers?

To explore the "Desire" behind these purchases, this survey asked buyers: "Please freely describe what feelings or version of yourself you wanted to become when you bought this product." The responses were:

• Smartwatch buyers ⇒ "To stay healthy, I want to visualize my sleep patterns and improve my quality of life."
• Slim Slacks Buyer ⇒ "Wearing slim-fit slacks makes me look younger."
• Audio component purchasers ⇒ "Though I'd been away from it for a while, listening to music with great sound takes me back to my younger self."

These responses were obtained.

This reveals that all three products were purchased driven by the underlying desire to "stay healthy and youthful forever."

Based on these insights, we could recommend a "relaxing pillow" to smartwatch buyers, "youthful styling products" to slim slacks buyers, and "an electric guitar they used to play in their youth" to audio component buyers.

Analyzing consumer insights from this desire-based perspective reveals consumer profiles that demand-based marketing alone cannot capture.

And companies can then
"clearly grasp the profile of people using their products and services, linking this to new product development"
"Identify the potential of previously untapped target markets"
"Consider communication strategies not previously pursued."
DDD clarifies the modern consumer's desires through continuous baseline surveys like those introduced here, case

DDD clarifies the desires of modern consumers through the accumulation of continuous fixed-point surveys like those introduced here, case studies, and literature reviews. It then provides marketing support, including strategy formulation, tactic development, and new product development, all from the perspective of "desire."

Next time, we will explore "contemporary desire theory" starting from the "Heart-Moving Consumption Survey" referenced in this article.

【Contact】
DENTSU DESIRE DESIGN　ddd-project@dentsu.co.jp

【Survey Overview】
Title: Dentsu Inc. "Heart-Moving Consumption Survey"
Purpose: Analyze increasingly elusive consumer consciousness from the perspective of consumer desire within an ever-changing social environment to interpret the future of Japan's consumer society.
Target Area: Nationwide, Japan
Respondent Criteria: Ages 20-74
Sample Size: 3,000 samples (allocated according to population ratio across 6 age groups [20s-70s] and 2 gender categories)
Survey Method: Internet survey
Survey Period: First Survey: Friday, September 3, 2021 - Monday, September 6, 2021
Survey Institution: Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc.