CONNECT ME IF YOU CAN
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About the Study
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia,
Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
The survey sample was made up
of 20% leading-edge Prosumers
and 80% mainstream consumers.
Who are Prosumers?Prosumers are today’s leading influencers and market drivers
and have been a focus of Havas Worldwide studies for more than a
decade. Beyond their own economic impact, Prosumers are important
because they influence the brand choices and consumption behaviors
of others. What Prosumers are doing today, mainstream consumers
are likely to be doing 6 to 18 months from now. Learn more at
mag.havasww.com/prosumer-report/
In March 2015, Havas Worldwide partnered with Market Probe
International to survey 10,131 people aged 18+ in 28 markets:
Notes: For the purposes of this report, we have characterized respondents aged 18—34 as millennials.
Some figures do not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
Table of Contents
4
6
19
22
33
44
46
Who Knew?!
Time, the Common Denominator
Three Typologies for the Modern Nomad
What a Small World!
Tomorrow’s Commute
Connecting Modern Nomads
Getting Us Up to Speed
FAD!
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Who Knew?!
Early technology forecasts have long been a source of amusement. Dr. Dionysius Lardner, a professor at University College, London, deemed high-speed rail travel impossible because passengers would “die of
asphyxia.” Counseling against a client’s investment in Ford Motor Company in 1903, the president of Michigan Savings Bank dismissed the automobile
as no more than “a novelty a fad.” In the 1940s, IBM chairman Thomas Watson famously predicted a world market for no more than five computers.
And just 20 years ago, Robert Metcalfe, co-inventor of Ethernet and founder of 3Com, predicted that “the Internet will soon go spectacularly
supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse.”
Oops...
It’s hard to imagine what the likes of Dr. Lardner and Mr. Watson would
make of today’s world a place where magnetic levitation trains have
reached speeds of 375 miles an hour, where automobiles will soon
drive themselves, where more than a billion people congregate on
a single social network online, and where e-retailers are promising
deliveries via drone.
This new world we’ve created doesn’t merely represent a lifestyle shift;
it’s actually altering our perceptions of space and time. Over the past
few decades, we’ve gained the ability to move through life ever faster
interacting with more people, accomplishing more tasks, getting from
point A to point B in less time and, if current forecasts prove correct,
we’re only going to keep gathering speed.
How is our always-on world affecting the way we live, work, and think
Which further advances do we most want to see
How can brands help people get the most out of their high-speed lives even if that meanshelping them slow down
In this report, we share findings related to time, space, and mobility.
The questions we explore in our latest global study:
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Time, the Common Denominator
Move It or Lose ItBeginning in the late 1980s, we saw the birth of a “slow movement”
that eventually grew beyond “slow food” and “slow travel” to
encompass such concepts as “slow journalism,” “slow brands,” and
even “slow thinking.” And yet our survey makes it clear that, as much
as many of us would like to slow down, we’re not willing to make the
sacrifices such a change would entail. So while we may dream of
luxuriating in some slower-paced alternate reality, we’re really just
looking for ways to recharge so that we can tick off even more boxes
on our to-do lists.
In our professional and private worlds, time itself has become more
valuable. We simply can’t stand to miss out on anything (or, worse,
be perceived as having missed out on anything), whether it’s the
new season of Game of Thrones, that pop-up art exhibit, or the latest
app our friends swear is the Best. Thing. Ever. And so we frantically
squeeze in all we can while bemoaning the loss of all we can’t.
One reason so many of us feel crazed is that time is no longer
segmented. Whereas the day used to be divided into clear-cut sectors
(working, sleeping, socializing, shopping, chores), now it’s more of a
continuous flow during which we switch from one task to the other
at will, or even dip into multiple columns at once shopping from our
desks at work, eating in our cars, responding to work emails while
waiting for the movie to begin. There are no clear delineations, so
we’re always at least peripherally aware that the way we’ve chosen
to spend a particular moment might not be optimal.
There’s a conflict, too, between our desire to get even more done and
our wish to savor life a bit more. On the one hand, a slight majority of
the global sample (including nearly two-thirds of Prosumers) admire
people who are always on the go, and think such folks lead more
interesting lives. Chalk one up for going faster. And yet, nearly as
many think that people who are always on the go are actually missing
out on important facets of life. Even as these scurriers are seeing
more and doing more and going more places, they potentially are
experiencing less or at least experiencing things less deeply as
they race from one place, one activity to the next. Millennials seem
especially conflicted. Theirs is the only generation to show majority
agreement that people who are always on the go lead lives that are
at once more interesting and potentially less fulfilling.
62% 56% 47%
49% 49% 43%
57% 52% 47%
48% 49% 44%
41% 47% 29%
65%
50%
57%
49%
43%
TOTAL 52% TOTAL 51% TOTAL 50% TOTAL 43%
PROSUMER MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
People always on the go have more interesting lives
I admire people who are always on the go
People always on the go are missing out on some important parts of life
I would love to be able to slow down
And so the question becomes: How can we accomplish more while
stressing less? How can we inject a sense of stillness and relaxation
into our lives without falling hopelessly behind?
The answer lies, at least in part, in being able to live more mindfully
and in identifying which activities and behaviors are contributing to
a more satisfying life and which are merely bogging us down. As
our respondents made clear, it has never been easier to live in a
near-constant state of hurriedness while getting so very little of
substance done.
A Conundrum
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Free time is now seen as an admission that you’re nonessential.
The Productivity Paradox
In many parts of the world, complaining about how busy we are has
become a standard part of daily conversations. “How are you doing?”
“Crazy busy. You?” “Yeah, it’s insane.”
Check out the titles of books released in recent years and you’ll find
all sorts of evidence of our hectic lifestyles, including CrazyBusy:
Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap!; 15 Ways to 15 More
Hours a Week: Strategies for the Overscheduled, Overworked, and
Under-Rested; and When You’re Running on Empty: Hope and Help
for the Overscheduled Woman.
And yet…are we truly as busy as we claim? Our study suggests we’re
not. Fewer than 1 in 3 global respondents said they always have too
much to do, and only 1 in 5 said they’re constantly rushing around.
And this holds true even in the hyperkinetic US.
Our issue with time seems to be not so much that we have too little of
it, but that we now equate being busy with leading a life of significance.
And we don’t want to be relegated to the sidelines. In an essay in The
New York Times, writer Tim Kreider observed, “Busyness serves as a
kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously
your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are
so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.”
Whereas leisure was once regarded as an important time for
reflection, introspection, and the pursuit of the “finer things” in life,
free time is now seen as an admission that you’re nonessential. It’s
no surprise, then, that 4 in 10 global respondents say they sometimes
pretend to be busier than they actually are. And 6 in 10 believe most
others are faking their busyness, too.
41%
41%
34% 65%
59%
57%
51%
36%
26%
31%
33%
24%
22%
21%
11%
34%
28%
21%
Most people pretend to be busier than they actually are
I sometimes pretend to be busier than I actually am
The one thing we’re rarely too busy for, it seems,
is complaining about how busy we are.
Truth Meets... ...Pretense
I’m usually doing two or more
things at once
I always have too much to do
I’m always rushing around
I’m tired most of the time
MILLENNIALS BOOMERSGEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
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Why is it difficult for so many of us to admit to having free time?
Because time is now so precious, we don’t want others to judge us for
not taking full advantage of it. And because we have so much more
to do these days (or at least believe we do), we feel guilty if we’re not
putting every moment to use. It speaks volumes
about modern society that the phrase “I can rest
when I’m dead” has taken hold.
Exacerbating the situation is the fact that most
of us think we’re not accomplishing enough in the
time we do have. And that puts us in a constant
state of pressure and unease. All day long, we
receive cues via mass and social media, email,
and advertising and on the street that the rest
of the world is busy getting important things
done. Log on to your favorite social media site
and you see that a former classmate you barely
remember has just gotten her PhD in some
subject you couldn’t begin to understand. Your former intern sits at the
helm of the latest startup sensation. Your neighbor’s kid has figured
out a way to turn mud into crystal-clear water. And everybody but you
seems to have some exotic hobby or riveting purpose in life. Meanwhile,
you’ve wasted most of your morning taking quizzes on BuzzFeed.
Time’s A-Wastin’ If only the rest of us could be spectacular, too. If only we could stay
focused, be more creative, achieve something anything worthy of
boasting about. Nearly 6 in 10 global respondents and two-thirds
of millennials believe their lives would be better if they were more
productive. And around half as many think their lack of productivity is
their own fault, because they procrastinate or simply waste too much time.
Overall, there’s a sense that way too many
hours are being frittered away. Few people
feel that modern technology has made them
less productive, but it’s not difficult to see
that a lot of us are devoting too much time to
the inconsequential. Whereas in earlier eras,
we might have spent our free time socializing,
doing craftwork, or reading decent literature,
now we can while away hour after hour
learning about the latest misadventures of the
Kardashians, browsing potential hookups on
Tinder, and obliterating icons on Candy Crush.
At the same time, our modern-day disassociation from the rhythms of
nature and from our local communities has left many of us feeling
adrift. We want to feel our lives have meaning, but too few of us have
a transcendent purpose. And it’s so much easier to browse images on
Instagram or amuse ourselves on Snapchat than it is to ponder more
meaningful ways to fill our existential voids.
“The world is changing very fast.
Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating
the slow.”—RUPERT MURDOCH
68% 56% 58% 57% 65% 54% 42%
32% 29% 29% 31% 35% 24% 26%
29% 27% 28% 26% 35% 21% 18%
57%
30%
27%
My life would be better if I were more productive/got more done
I often procrastinate
I waste too much time
Tyranny of the To-Do List
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSTOTAL MAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
73% 62% 64% 64% 65% 63% 62%
63%73% 62% 64% 63%63% 64%
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64%
People waste too much time at work doing things that don’t really matter
64%
People waste too much time in their personal lives doing things that don’t really matter
Does Any of It Matter?
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSTOTAL MAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
Which comes closest to your point of view? (Respondents chose one.)
For the most part, technology makes me MORE productive (faster research, communication, etc.)
For the most part, technology makes me LESS productive (time spent playing
games, surfing social media, etc.)
Technology makes me more AND less productive to EQUAL degrees,
so it all balances out in the end
PROSUMER MAINSTREAM MALE FEMALE MILLENNIALS GEN XERS BOOMERS
57% 8% 36% 44% 13% 43% 52% 13% 36% 40% 13% 48% 44% 15% 41% 49% 11% 40% 41% 9% 50%
TOTAL 41% TOTAL 19% TOTAL 24%
47%
40%
42%
40%
45%
39%
34%
22%
18%
18%
20%
22%
17%
14%
27%
23%
22%
25%
25%
22%
23%
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Can’t Sit StillFor quite a lot of us, the issue isn’t simply that we feel we should be
doing more, but that we no longer know how to do less. We can’t stop
moving. Canadian journalist Carl Honoré, an advocate of slowing
down, cautioned in an op-ed in The Guardian: “Our obsession with
speed, with cramming more and more into every minute, means that
we race through life instead of actually living it. Our health, diet, and
relationships suffer. We make mistakes at work. We struggle to
relax, to enjoy the moment, even to get a decent night’s sleep.”
And, sure enough, nearly half our respondents say that sitting still is
something they find it difficult to do, and around a quarter worry that
I have trouble sitting still I have trouble focusing on one thing at a time
I worry that my attention span has gotten shorter
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
TOTAL 60% TOTAL 49% TOTAL 32%
My life would be better if I relaxed more
The fast pace of life is harming my health I need a long vacation
Can’t We All Just Take a Break?
their attention spans have grown shorter. (If you’ve made it this far in
the report, give yourself a gold star!) More disturbing, half believe the
faster pace of life is actually harming their health. They may very well
be right, given the growing mound of evidence that our newly digital
existence is shrinking attention spans, altering brain structure (for
better or worse), and damaging our physical and mental well-being.
71%
58%
58%
62%
64%
60%
47%
56%
47%
49%
49%
52%
49%
37%
42%
30%
30%
33%
35%
33%
20%
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
TOTAL 49%TOTAL 51%
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Which comes closer to your reality? (Respondents chose one.)
Even our weekends traditionally a time for family and religious
observance in many cultures have become a time to cram in all the
things we weren’t able to do during the week, whether that involves
the drudgery of chores and errands or the chance to socialize and
hit the town. Only a quarter of the sample (19 percent of Prosumers
vs. 26 percent of mainstream consumers) use the weekends
primarily as a time to relax and recharge at home.
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS
It’s easy for me to sit down and completely relax
It’s difficult for me to sit down and relax because I’m always thinking about things I should be doing instead
45%
52%
55%
47%
47%
52%
60%
55%
48%
45%
53%
53%
48%
40%
30% 28% 31% 28% 33% 29% 32% 33%
45% 53% 44% 47% 43% 47% 43% 44%
25% 19% 26% 25% 24% 25% 25% 23%
PROSUMERTOTAL MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS
Catch up on chores and errands I don’t
have time to do during the week
Stay at home and do nothing
but sleep and relax
Do things I’m not able to do during the rest of the week (e.g.,
cinema, museums, travel, exercise)
What is your #1 priority for weekends? (Respondents chose one.)
62% 69%
51% 58%
52% 59%
53% 60%
58% 61%
49% 58%
41% 56%
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Impatience: A Virtue?
You know what we hate even more than not being able to slow down?
Being forced to slow down!
As our world speeds up, we have less and less patience for delays of
any kind. Nearly 7 in 10 Prosumers and 6 in 10 mainstream consumers
say that waiting is one of the things they hate most in life. And a
majority of the global sample, led by Prosumers and millennials,
find it annoying when they encounter people who move slowly.
It’s one thing for any of us to decide to apply the brakes ourselves,
but quite another to have the driver ahead of us do it.
Waiting is one of the things I hate most in life It annoys me when people move slowly
TOTAL 52% TOTAL 59%
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
THREE TYPOLOGIES for the Modern Nomad
With more than 10,000 people in 28
countries taking part in our study, our
respondent base encompasses a wide array
of experiences and lifestyles. On the whole,
there were more similarities than differences
across cultural and geopolitical lines, but we
were able to divide the respondent countries
into three broad categories based on how
they’re responding to society’s increased
mobility and the quickened pace of life.
This segmentation isn’t definitive. There
is certain to be a mix of all three attitudes
within each market. A country’s placement
into a particular category merely indicates
which of the three attitudes currently
predominates there.
THE CONFLICTED
THE ENTRENCHED
THE FATIGUED
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This is the group most likely to pretend to be busier than they
actually are, even though they wish they could relax more.
THE CONFLICTEDBrazil, China, Colombia, Estonia, India,
Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia,
Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia,
Singapore, South Africa, Spain,
United Arab Emirates
The vast majority of respondents fall
into this category. They are the people
experiencing the greatest tension between
an outward admiration for those always
on the go and an inward yearning to slow
down and live in the moment. In their view,
those people who are busiest and most
mobile lead more interesting and likely
more successful lives. This thinking helps
to explain why this is the group most likely to
pretend to be busier than they actually are,
even though they wish they could relax more.
For instance, looking at Brazil we see that
62 percent admire people who are always
on the go, with 58 percent believing such
people lead more interesting lives. And
yet nearly as many (57 percent) believe
people always on the go are missing out
on important parts of life, and 67 percent
think their own lives would be better if they
relaxed more.
With regard to China, a strategic planner at
Havas Worldwide Shanghai explained the
conflict thus: “Here, people regard wealth
as the only standard of success, and the
intense competition puts pressure on people
to work and live at a pace that’s exhausting.
There’s a struggle between the desire for
success and the desire for leisure. People
don’t think they can have both at once.”
Across these 18 markets, people haven’t
quite come to grips with the new direction
life is taking. They want all the benefits that
come with technological advances, but they
fear that the price they’re being asked to pay
in exchange is too high.
THE ENTRENCHEDCanada, Czech Republic, France, Germany,
Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States
The second category is made up of markets
that are neither strongly for nor strongly
against our faster-paced lifestyles. The
citizens of these countries don’t necessarily
admire those who are always on the go, but
they’re also not desperate to slow down.
This group is greatly influenced by their
longstanding cultures. So we see only a third
of respondents in the US wanting to slow
down, even though nearly 6 in 10 agree that
always being on the go isn’t a great way to
live one’s life. In France, we see quite the
opposite attitude. Even with their shortened
workdays and long summer holidays, the
French are still looking for a break, with
three-quarters of Prosumers and 60 percent
of the mainstream agreeing that their lives
would be better if they relaxed more.
THE FATIGUEDAustralia, Belgium, Italy
The final category is home to just 3 of the
28 countries, but offers a perspective that
likely strikes a chord around the globe.
People in these markets are unconvinced
that speeding up is a good thing for
individuals or for society as a whole.
Looking at Italy, for example, we see that
only 42 percent admire those who are
always on the go, while 75 percent think
such people are missing out on important
aspects of life. Around 7 in 10 Italians
think their lives would be better if they
personally slowed down, and, at 45 percent
(tied with Singaporeans), Italians were the
respondents most likely to say they need a
long vacation.
In these markets, the new pace of life isn’t viewed as a threat to be dealt with so much as a new reality to work around as one sees fit.
In these markets, the question isn’t so much “How can we go faster?” but “Why would we want to?”
1950
1999
2014
25M
664M
1.1B
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Hyper-Connected Wanderlust
Despite our perceived lack of time, we sure
are getting around more. More than 1.1 billion
tourists traveled abroad in 2014, according
to the UN’s World Tourism Organization.
That’s up from 664 million in 1999 and just
25 million in 1950. Clearly, our ability to see
other countries and cultures online hasn’t
dampened our enthusiasm for experiencing
these places in person.
According to nearly three-quarters of our
global respondents, physical travel offers a
surer path to discovery and knowledge than
anything one can find on the Internet. And
only around a quarter of the sample say the
ability to digitally connect with people makes
them less inclined to want to travel to see
their friends and relatives in person.
What a Small World!
Number of tourists traveling abroad
81%
64%
65%
67%
68%
66%
62%
71%
60%
66%EMERGING
DEVELOPED
Traveling is one of the great joys of my life (% agreeing strongly/somewhat)
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSTOTAL MAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS
71% 29%
MAINSTREAM
79% 21%
PROSUMER
PROSUMER
29% AGREE
53% DISAGREE
19%NEUTRAL
30% NEUTRAL
27% AGREE
43% DISAGREE
MAINSTREAM
24 / 54
I don’t feel as much need to travel to visit people anymore; I’m happy connecting with them via social media, Skype, etc.
Which comes closer to your point of view? (Respondents chose one.)
...by traveling around the world to discover new things and meet new people
...through books, online forums, and
conversations than I ever would by traveling
I can learn more...
Wherever they live, people’s dreams of global exploration are
supported by increased accessibility. Not only can we get around in
faster and bigger airplanes, we also have an ever-broadening array
of travel tiers from which to choose. From bare-bones hostels to
luxurious private islands, accommodations can be found to suit most
budgets. And our options will proliferate even further as the person-to-
person economy continues to grow. Consider that Airbnb was created
just seven years ago, but already is on track to book more rooms than
the world’s largest hotel chains, while offering accommodations that
include houseboats, tree houses, tepees, and castles. With more than
a million listings in some 200 countries, the sharing service provides a
unique experience hotel chains can’t begin to match.
Airbnb works not just because it may save money, but because
experiences and the conversational currency that comes with
them are what modern-day travel is all about. It used to be that
globetrotters would bore their dinner guests with a slide show of their
African safari or trip to Provence. Now, every moment of our trips can
be catalogued and displayed on social media, more often than not in
real time. Whether it’s a day trip to the nearest beach or a monthlong
Arctic expedition, we plaster whatever news and images we can wring
from it on our favorite social media sites. Where travel once was about
the accumulation of culture, now it’s as much about bragging rights
and one-upmanship. The good news for friends and neighbors is that
it’s far easier to ignore those Instagram and Facebook posts than it
ever was to graciously back out of slide shows.
People’s wanderlust is further being stoked by the increased
convenience of travel. Around three-quarters of our global respondents
say the Internet and digital apps have made travel easier, compared
with just 1 in 5 who say new technologies have made it more
complicated. Whereas trips to faraway places used to involve a visit
to a local travel agent, phone calls to the airline, cruise line, or rail
service, and lots of time spent standing in line, now we can
Where travel once was about culture, now it’s as much about bragging rights.
12%
21%
22%
17%
24%
17%
14%
TOTAL 20%
87%
71%
75%
73%
77%
74%
65%
TOTAL 74%
47%
33%
36%
34%
40%
34%
23%
TOTAL 35%
26 / 54
The Internet and digital apps have made travel easier
App-rehensive Travel(% agreeing strongly/somewhat)
The Internet and digital apps have made travel more complicated
I feel anxious when I travel and don’t have Internet access
do everything from researching destinations and accommodations to
booking tickets and prepaying for excursions via our smartphones.
With preprinted boarding passes and automated check-in and check-out
at many hotels, it’s possible to bypass a good many of the delay points
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS
34%
38%
40%
35%
39%
37%
34%
TOTAL 37%
Technology is making travel too impersonal I miss the human interaction with travel agents, airport personnel, etc.
that used to encumber our travels. Not everyone is happy about that,
however: For nearly 4 in 10 global respondents, technology is making
travel too impersonal. They miss the human interaction.
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
28 / 54
Emerging Importance of Emerging Markets
Tourism used to be a rich person’s game.
People in wealthy nations traveled, while those
in poor countries stayed put or migrated. With
more people around the world gaining access
to disposable income, that’s
changing as evidenced by the fact that more
than 7 in 10 of our respondents in emerging
markets deemed travel one of the “great joys
of life,” compared with 6 in 10 in the developed
markets surveyed. Leading the pack in their
enthusiasm for travel: Colombians, Mexicans,
and Malaysians.
Visitors from emerging economies represented
46 percent of international
arrivals in 2014, according to a report
from the World Travel & Tourism Council.
That’s up from 38 percent in 2000. Asia
continues to be a key industry driver, with
the number of outbound trips increasing
53 percent between 2009 and 2013,
compared with overall global growth
of 22 percent.
The emerging markets are also
becoming increasingly important as
destinations. The top five
destination cities for 2015 (by projected
visitor arrivals), according to CNN, include
Bangkok, Dubai, and Istanbul. With so many
current travel trends from ecotourism and
glampacking to medical tourism centered
in emerging markets, it seems certain that
less developed parts of the world will have an
increasingly strong impact on global travel.
Is Our Reality Becoming Too Virtual?
Until recently, there were very few things we could do without having
to physically get up and go someplace. If we wanted to make money,
we had to leave our homes and go to an office, factory, or other place
of work. If we wanted to research something in depth, we had to go to
the library. If we wanted to shop, we had to go to a store. If we wanted
to be entertained, we had to go to a theater or other venue. Now, more
often than not, whether we do something in person or virtually is a
choice rather than a necessity. Certainly, the virtual path can save a lot
of time. The question becomes, then, whether time and convenience
override all other factors, including socialization and intimacy.
We gave our respondents a list of basic activities and asked whether
they think people will be more apt to do these things in person or online
in 20 years. In every instance, the response was that people will be
In 20 years, which of these do you think people will be more likely to do? (Respondents chose one.)
32%Spend time socializing IN PERSON
68%Spend time socializing
ONLINE
46%Attend a concert, play, or sporting event IN PERSON
54%Watch a
concert, play, or sporting
event ONLINE
30 / 54
more likely to do these things online. For socialization, shopping, and
medical appointments, the choice was clear-cut: It’s simply easier and
faster to connect with people and retailers via our new technologies.
Attending concerts/plays/sporting events was more of a toss-up, with
46 percent saying people would be more apt to attend such events in
person in the future, while 54 percent said they’d watch them online.
Clearly, some of the allure of cultural and athletic events stems from
factors (e.g., a sense of community, the energy of the crowd, the
intimacy of a live performance) that can’t be replicated when sitting
in front of a screen at home.
21% Go to a PHYSICAL STORE to shop
35% Go to a DOCTOR’S OFFICE for a medical appointment
79%Shop
ONLINE
65%Connect
with a medical provider via a
DIGITAL DEVICE
84% 78%
73% 66%
71% 66%
78% 69%
75% 67%
74% 67%
77% 72%
TOTAL 75% TOTAL 68%
A big problem with society is that people no longer walk places
I worry that children growing up today feel more connected to virtual places online than to the physical places they live
The fact that most of us believe our interactions increasingly will be
virtual shouldn’t be taken to mean that we think that’s a good thing.
Three-quarters of the sample (and 84 percent of Prosumers) worry
that today’s children feel more connected to the virtual worlds in which
they spend time than to the physical world. And more than two-thirds
of respondents think it’s a real problem that people no longer walk
most places. As eagerly as many of us are embracing our ultra-mobile
lifestyles, we’re also aware there’s a price to be paid for the privilege.
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS% agreeing strongly/somewhat
32 / 54
A New Lifestyle of Mobility
Even though we have the option of doing most things in the virtual
realm, there’s a counterpressure pushing people toward actual human
contact. For some, the ease with which we can now sample other
countries and cultures online only serves to whet our appetites for
visiting new people and places in person. As we write this, Humans
of New York photoblogger Brandon Stanton is posting photos of his
travels in Pakistan, prompting tens of thousands of commenters to
gush over the unexpected beauty of that country and pledge to add
it to their travel itineraries or bucket lists. Digital becomes a bridge
enticing us into worlds previously unknown.
And then there are the people for whom travel, thanks to new
technologies, isn’t a once-in-a-while pastime but a way of life. Now
that we can stay connected to virtually anyone and anyplace
including our jobs from anywhere, it’s no longer just the
independently wealthy who can afford to globetrot for extended
periods. In a phenomenon known as the “new nomadism,” we see
the adventurous and rebellious leaving behind their usual environs
in favor of life on the road or in an exotic locale.
The growth of the so-called gig economy is certainly a factor in this
trend. It used to be that the best way to get ahead was to remain with
a single company for the entirety of one’s career. Now that a “job for
life” is no longer an expectation for most people, it’s not as much of a
risk to hop from job to job and place to place. And many companies
and countries are happy to have a steady influx of short-term
talent. One startup, Jobbatical, has created a business out of
connecting employers with skilled workers from around the globe.
It has proved a popular way for countries such as Singapore, Malaysia,
and Estonia to attract the (primarily tech) talent they need, while
giving skilled workers a chance to immerse themselves in a foreign
culture as they earn enough to live on.
It’s no longer just the independently wealthy who can afford to globetrot for extended periods.
Tomorrow’s Commute
Don’t believe the hype: Despite forecasts to the contrary, millennials
have not abandoned the automobile in favor of shared rides and public
transport. Looking at car owners across the age groups, we discovered
that our youngest respondents were the most likely to agree that
a) they feel a personal connection to their cars, b) their cars say a lot
about who they are, and c) their cars are one of their favorite places to be.
It’s also interesting to see that, despite their pronounced environmental
sensibilities, Prosumers are significantly more attached to their cars
than are their mainstream counterparts. They are also more apt to
associate their cars with positive terms such as freedom, comfort,
and pleasure. At the same time, Prosumers are more demanding of
their cars. For instance, 8 in 10 Prosumers (vs. just less than two-
thirds of mainstream consumers) say it’s important that their cars be
fun to drive, and more than half of Prosumers (vs. 38 percent of the
mainstream) think it’s important that their cars be “cool.”
They seem to be getting what they want. Even with all the other
transportation options out there, fully half of Prosumers say their
car is one of their favorite places to be.
Are Cars Going Anywhere?
34 / 54
Do you own a car?
72%28%
YES
NO
PROSUMER 76 · 24
MALE 75 · 25
MILLENNIALS 64 · 36
BOOMERS 80 · 20
TOTAL
MAINSTREAM 71 · 29
FEMALE 68 · 32
GEN XERS 78 · 22
41%
49%
2% 3% 3%
5% 5% 7% 8%
12% 12% 16% 29%
47%
50%
7%
Which of these words do you associate with driving YOUR car? (Car owners only)
There are some important distinctions by country. In general, we
see three broad profiles of car ownership. The first exemplified by
countries such as Australia, Germany, and the US is the traditional
model of people feeling deeply attached to their automobiles. These
were among the countries where respondents were most likely to
state that they love to drive and so have little interest in self-driving
vehicles. The second model particularly evident in emerging markets
such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is based on drivers
who consider their cars a status symbol and want them to be perceived
as cool. In these markets, drivers are eager to welcome self-driving
cars and other high-tech advances. The third model most prevalent
in Europe is where people still embrace driving but also recognize
the drawbacks. For instance, French drivers were among those most
likely to associate their cars with the word expensive and among the
least likely to associate them with pleasure.
36 / 54
Beep, Beep ’n’ Beep, Beep! Yeah! (Car owners only; % agreeing strongly/somewhat)
80%
65%
72%
67%
59%
35%
46%
43%
43%
51%
63%
54%
55%
56%
54%
56%
39%
49%
40%
26%
50%
38%
48%
38%
26%
37%
26%
36%
26%
12%
60%
47%
56%
48%
34%
54%
38%
49%
38%
24%
I feel no particular attachment to my car—it’s just a vehicle that gets me from Point A to Point B
My car says a lot about who I am
My car is one of my favorite places to be
It is important to me that my car is a status symbol
It is important to me that my car is fun to drive
It is important to me that my car is eco-friendly
I feel a personal connection to my car
It is important to me that my car is cool
PROSUMER MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM GEN XERS
iCar, Anyone? (% agreeing strongly/somewhat)
In the future, cars will compete much more on their entertainment and connectivity offerings than on looks/style
I would like my car to be connected to the Internet
By 2050, cars will be designed jointly by traditional automotive companies and technology companies
By 2050, the best-selling cars will be produced by technology companies rather than by traditional automotive companies
So, what’s next for cars? The consensus is that cars of the future will
compete less on style and more on technology. Already, nearly 6 in
10 Prosumers and 43 percent of mainstream consumers would like
their cars to be connected to the Internet. Most believe that by 2050,
cars will be jointly designed by car manufacturers and technology
companies. And a majority of Prosumers think the best-selling cars
will be sold by pure-play tech companies.
62% 59% 71% 54%
50% 43% 55% 41%
56% 50% 60% 47%
51% 46% 56% 42%
42% 29% 50% 35%
38 / 54
When we looked at the issue of cars getting greener, we found that
consumers expect their cars to change, not their driving behaviors.
So, while only around a third of respondents think most people will be
sharing cars or using public transportation by 2050, two-thirds think most
cars will run on electricity or another renewable energy by that point.
By 2050, most cars will be self-driving
By 2050, most cars will be electric or run on another type of renewable energy
By 2050, most people will share cars rather than own them
By 2050, most people will use public transportation rather than individual vehicles
Goodbye, Guzzlers (% agreeing strongly/somewhat)
PROSUMER MAINSTREAM MILLENNIALS BOOMERSGEN XERS
57% 81% 37% 37%
46% 66% 33% 35%
50% 69% 35% 36%
47% 68% 34% 34%
41% 69% 30% 33%
Do We Need Innovation in Transportation?
While inventors such as Elon Musk are
hatching grand schemes for the future of
mobility, today’s consumers appear largely
disinclined to embrace radical or even
moderate change. When we asked our
respondents which of four transportation
breakthroughs they look forward to using,
only around a quarter to a third of the
global sample raised their hands for each.
And we weren’t talking jetpacks or personal
rocket ships, but things that already exist
or are in the works: self-driving cars,
magnetic levitation trains, urban transport
pods, affordable electric bicycles. Granted,
Prosumers were more open to these new
technologies, as one would expect, but even
they failed to muster majority agreement
on any of the four.
The biggest distinctions within the
responses to these questions pertain to
market type. People in emerging markets,
especially in Asia, are significantly more
enthusiastic about impending mobility
breakthroughs. So while a majority or
near majority of respondents in Australia,
Canada, France, the UK, and the US
indicated that they’re not interested in any
of the four listed advances, only around
1 in 10 respondents in China and India
said the same. Looking at the individual
transportation options, we see majority or
near majority approval for self-driving cars
in China, India, and Malaysia; for affordable
electric bicycles in Colombia, India, and
Poland; for magnetic levitation trains
in Estonia and Mexico; and for personal
transport pods in Malaysia. While people
in developed markets may be satisfied
with their current transportation options,
emerging countries are champing at the
bit for what’s next.
“It is theoretically possible to warp spacetime itself, so you’re not actually moving faster than the speed of light, but it’s actually space that’s moving.” —ELON MUSK
34%
25%
31%
24%
36%
26%
21%
18%
28%
35%
MALE
51%
FEMALE
44%
4 0 / 54
Autonomous/self-driving cars
Magnetic levitation trains
*single-passenger vehicles that move
on their own to a designated destination
Urban transport pods*
Affordable electric bicycles
None of these
I enjoy driving, so I have no interest in self-driving cars
Which of these are you eager to start using?
EMERGING
DEVELOPED
What are the most important things transportation companies should be working on today? (Respondents chose up to three.)
*access to 3G/Wi-Fi,
battery charging, etc.
52% Making travel more affordable
49% Making travel safer
39% Making travel more comfortable
35% Reducing their carbon footprints
22% Increasing the speed of travel
18% Offering total connectivity*
13% Making it easier to sleep while traveling
8% Improving entertainment options
5% Something else
For the most part, today’s consumers are
looking for incremental improvements in
existing technologies. Presented with a list
of possible enhancements, a majority
of respondents said they want current
means of transportation to be made more
affordable and safer. More than a third also
want travel to become more comfortable and
eco-friendly. Each of the other options we
offered increased speed, total connectivity,
making it easier to sleep while traveling,
better entertainment options only made
the top-three choices of around a tenth
to a quarter of the sample.
There wasn’t much of a divide between
Prosumers and the mainstream on these
questions, except in the area of connectivity,
which made the top-three lists of 26 percent
of Prosumers compared with just 17 percent
of the mainstream. The higher headcount for
millennials on this option further indicates a
growing market for connected travel.
TOTAL 39% TOTAL 34% TOTAL 17% TOTAL 10%
4 2 / 54
When choosing between different types of transportation, which matters most to you?
40%
39%
38%
40%
34%
41%
49%
29%
35%
33%
35%
36%
32%
32%
21%
16%
18%
16%
19%
16%
11%
10%
10%
12%
9%
11%
11%
9%
Convenience Price Speed of travel Environmental impact
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSMAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS(Respondents chose one.)
38%38%
38%
40%
38%37%39%
36%
37%
45% 37% 24%
18% 25%
24%24%
24% 27%23%
36%40%
38%
39%36%
PROSUMER MALE MILLENNIALS BOOMERSTOTAL MAINSTREAM FEMALE GEN XERS
Which comes closest to your point of view? (Respondents chose one.)
In the future, people will move around LESS because they can do virtually everything from their homes
In the future, people will move around MORE because advances in technology will make it easier and faster to get around
In the future, people will move around THE SAME amount they do today
Our respondents were divided as to whether technological advances
will cause people to physically move around more or less in coming
years, but it seems certain that we’ll be experiencing and absorbing
more, whether in person or via digital devices.
4 4 / 54
Connecting Modern Nomads
The pursuit of ever greater speeds is deeply ingrained in modern
society. We are forever searching for ways to get to places faster,
seeking instantaneous solutions, and creating gadgets that eliminate
burdensome steps. And no matter how many time-savers
we incorporate into our routines, we’re never quite satisfied.
If only we had a few more minutes/hours/days…
Whereas time may have sat softly on the shoulders of our ancestors,
now it’s something of which we’re acutely conscious. At various
points in the day, time may seem to stand still or be moving far
too fast. And we have all sorts of technologies that allow us to
override Mother Nature: electric lights that give us longer days,
lighted screens that trick our brains into thinking it’s time to be
awake, engines that let us travel vast distances in hours rather than
days. This new relationship with time and space may make our
lives more convenient and productive, but it doesn’t necessarily
feel natural or right.
“I need this on my desk yesterday.”
“I’m doing a zillion things at once.”
“I’m always on the run.”
In a world moving as quickly as ours, it’s easy to feel left behind or
adrift. For many, the anchors that used to hold people in place community,
ancestry, culture, religion, entrenched customs are no more. We no
longer feel as much a part of some collective whole as much as we
feel apart from everything authentic and permanent.
Acclaimed sociologist Zygmunt Bauman coined the phrase “liquid
modernity” to describe the new world in which we live. He likens
modern people to nomads, always on the move and never quite
reaching a destination that satisfies them. In a discussion of
Bauman’s theories, Danish sociologist Michael Hviid Jacobsen writes,
“Nomadism becomes a general trait of the ‘liquid modern’ man as he
flows through his own life like a tourist, changing places, jobs, spouses,
values, and sometimes more such as political or sexual orientation
excluding himself from traditional networks of support.”
Our newly liquid world may be freeing and energizing fewer
boundaries and restraints, fewer taboos but it can also be deeply
unsettling and even scary. And so we look for supports to which we
can tether ourselves so as to feel more certain and secure (however
fleetingly). In this context, brands offer a steadying influence. It may
seem trite to say that what one drinks or drives or wears can offer
a sense of groundedness, but there’s a reason we derive a sense of
comfort from the brands of our childhoods. There’s a reason we like
to be associated with the brands we admire. And, as more businesses
take on responsibility for solving society’s problems, big and small,
we’re gaining even more reasons to regard brands as one of the few
things on which we can rely in our incredibly turbulent world.
Already, we’re seeing a number of ways in which brands are helping ease the tensions of our on-the-go world.
We look for supports to which we can tether ourselves so as to feel more certain and secure (however fleetingly). In this context, brands offer a steadying influence.
4 6 / 54
If you’re a resident of Boston or New York City, you can hire Alfred,
“an automatic, hands-off service that hums along quietly in the
background of your life so you can be free to live yours.” For less
than $25 a week, the virtual “butler” will tidy up your home, run
errands (groceries, dry cleaning, pharmacy, etc.), and take care of
other hassles such as coordinating home repairs.
Zirtual (“Get more done in a day than you ever thought possible.”)
takes care of administrative and organizational tasks that bog people
down, such as scheduling appointments, creating travel itineraries,
and conducting research. Monthly memberships start at around
$750 for up to 32 hours of virtual assistance.
IFTTT (IF This Then That) allows users to create “recipes” to
automate their digital activities. For instance, IF you upload a picture
to Instagram, THEN the program will automatically add the image to
Dropbox. IF you get kicked off your home Wi-Fi, THEN it will send you
an alert so you don’t inadvertently burn through your data plan. The
service goes some small way toward quieting the to-do lists racing
around in our heads.
Most of us want to squeeze more hours into our
days, but we haven’t quite figured out a way to
bend the rules of physics or go entirely without
sleep. Happily (for those who can afford it), there
are a growing number of services promising to
take care of a lot of the details and drudgery
that eat up our time.
Maximizing Time
Getting Us Up to Speed
A good place to start might be the Digital Nomad Academy a
network of entrepreneurs that promises to help members launch
their own web-based businesses in just three months. Be your own
boss in whatever locale you fancy.
For those looking to join the gig economy, Upwork connects web-
based freelancers with employers looking to hire individuals and
teams for short-term assignments. Whether you’re logging in from a
coworking space in SoHo or a café in Singapore makes no difference.
Designed by Dutch firm The Tipping Point Foundation, the
KantoorKaravaan is a solar-powered, self-contained micro-office
designed to let you break free of cities to get your work done in a
more natural setting.
Information has leaked regarding a Microsoft app that will let users
connect to Wi-Fi providers anywhere in the world through a pay-
as-you-go service. The service promises 10 million hotspots in 130
countries, so you’re down one excuse for not packing your bags.
Had a tough week at the office? Want to get
out and see the world? A growing number of
businesses have your back.
Supporting Modern Nomadism
48 / 54
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk unveiled plans for a high-speed ground
transport system called the Hyperloop back in 2013. Although Musk is
no longer involved with the project, a number of private companies
are working on fulfilling his vision of a tube track with pod-like cars
that transports people at speeds of around 800 mph. If it comes to
fruition, it would mean you could travel from L.A. to San Francisco
in just 30 minutes.
Though it’s not yet on the market, BMW has demonstrated a
modified version of its i3 electric car that can drop the driver off,
find a place to park, and then return to its owner when summoned.
Ford’s MoDe:Flex smartbike lets you ride hands-free and offers turn-
by-turn navigation. When connected to a smartwatch, there’s even a
“no sweat” feature that tracks the rider’s heart rate and increases
the electric pedal assist as necessary to avoid perspiration.
Not to be outdone, Lexus has revealed working plans for a flying
skateboard. The hoverboard uses liquid nitrogen—cooled super-
conductors and permanent magnets to achieve magnetic levitation.
Although the prototype is scheduled to be unveiled in October 2015,
there currently are no plans to make it available to the public.
We all know the self-driving car is heading
our way, but there are plenty of other new
technologies in the works as well.
Pimping Our Rides
Google has updated its mobile search results to include a graph that
shows foot traffic by hour. This means that when you’re looking up the
address or hours of a store, coffee shop, or other establishment, you
can identify which times to avoid in order to reduce your wait time.
Waze (“Outsmarting traffic, together.”) is a community-based traffic
and navigation app that lets drivers share real-time traffic and road
information in order to speed up commutes and save on gas.
Founded by two students from the University of Southern California,
LineAngel promotes itself as “the Uber for lines.” Want that concert
ticket/newest iPhone/Black Friday doorbuster, but don’t want to
wait for hours in line? This service lets you hire someone to do the
waiting for you, for a charge of $15 the first half hour and $5 for every
additional 15 minutes.
OpenTable now lets you pay for your meal through its app, so no need
to wait for the check.
Depending on which study you believe, the
average person spends either one or two years
of his or her life waiting in line. Businesses have
devised all sorts of ways to disguise wait times,
including serpentine queues (thanks, Disney!),
QR codes to scan for coupons, and visual
distractions. Now they’re finding ways to let
customers take the reins.
Cutting Back on the Wait
50 / 54
National Geographic Expeditions invests a portion of the profits
from its tours in nature research programs, and supports sustainability
schemes in every region it visits.
CarbonTRACK, a free tool from SAP, allows businesses to check the
environmental impact of a given work trip against various modes of
transportation.
Air France is among the airlines giving passengers the option of
adding voluntary carbon offsets to their ticket prices. Eco-conscious
passengers can use an online calculator to determine the amount
of carbon dioxide their flights will create and then pay to remove an
equivalent amount from the atmosphere.
And for ocean cruisers, Carnival Corporation has an environmental
officer aboard each ship to ensure it meets all company and regulatory
environmental requirements. The company is working toward a
20 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions.
In our study, only 4 in 10 global respondents
agreed that the social benefits of overseas travel
outweigh the environmental impact. And while
that may not be keeping too many people off
the tarmac, there’s certainly scope for brands
in the travel space to help ease their customers’
consciences.
Reducing Our Guilt
Named for the year Kodak cameras first hit the market, the 1888
Hotel in Sydney was designed with Instagrammers in mind. Prizes
are awarded for best photography, and guests with 30,000 or more
Instagram followers qualify for one free night.
When installing Jeff Koons’ Hanging Heart art piece, the Centre
Pompidou in Paris affixed stickers to the floor to direct visitors to the
best selfie angles. In Manila, the Art In Island museum has gone many
steps further: The museum was actually created with selfie-takers in
mind. Reproductions of famous works of art are altered with blank
spaces that museumgoers can sit in, climb on, or poke their heads and
torsos through as they record their images for their fans on Instagram
and other sites.
As part of its #TravelBrilliantly campaign, Marriott loaned guests
the newest GoPro action cameras, encouraging them to film their
holiday adventures and share the footage on social media.
Even as a growing number of tourist
destinations are banning selfie sticks, other
brands are going out of their way to make it
easy for visitors to chronicle (read: brag about)
every aspect of their travels.
Supporting Digital Diary Keeping
52 / 54
Prosumer Reports is a series of thought leadership publications by Havas Worldwide part of a global initiative to share information and insights,
including our own proprietary research, across the Havas Worldwide network of agencies and client companies. Havas Worldwide is a leading
integrated marketing communications agency and was the first to be named Global Agency of the Year by both Advertising Age and Campaign in
the same year. The Havas Worldwide network is made up of 11,000 employees in 316 offices in 120 cities and 75 countries, and provides advertising,
marketing, corporate communications, and digital and social media solutions to some of the largest global brands. Headquartered in New York,
Havas Worldwide is the largest unit of the Havas group, a world leader in communications (Euronext Paris SA: HAV.PA).
mag.havasww.com/prosumer-report/
Follow us on Twitter @prosumer_report.
Or contact Matt Weiss, global chief
marketing officer, Havas Worldwide,
Find out more about Prosumer Reports
VOLUME 22 | 2015
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