Report by TBWA\Zurich: personal needs more important than sustainability
Once again this year, TBWA\Zurich’s Zeitgeist Report highlights what’s driving Switzerland and the cultural shifts shaping society. This year’s report also features a number of new elements.
The Swiss Gen Z is increasingly concerned about mental well-being and is looking for unconventional ways to achieve financial independence, while millennials are longing for stability and a clear separation between work and private life. Whereas a year or so ago, broad social issues such as equal opportunities and sustainability were still at the top of the agenda, it seems as if their own immediate needs are currently taking center stage again.
The recently published Zeitgeist Report 2023 by TBWA\Zurich reveals these and other insights into changing priorities, attitudes and behaviors in Swiss society. In the second edition of the report, which was first published in 2022, the agency experts once again examined global cultural trends for their relevance and dynamics in Switzerland.
Central source for observations
"Cultural changes are highly interesting for us because they are a key source of observations and insights that we use as a basis for working with our clients on the brand and communication strategies of tomorrow," says Lukas Diem, Strategy Director and member of the Executive Board at TBWA\ Zurich.
The analyses are based on the so-called "edges", cultural trends that occur across the globe. These are identified at regular intervals by "Backslash", the Los Angeles-based cultural intelligence team of the TBWA\ Group. The trends are collected by over 300 "spotters" who are deployed worldwide and continuously observe and document cultural changes.
Edges as global trends
"Edges, as broad and global trends, are a valuable asset of TBWA\ and one of our most important tools. However, we are not yet satisfied with the resilience of these insights. After all, culture is anything but homogeneous, especially when you look at different countries, living conditions or population segments. We therefore began to take a closer look at these trends from a Swiss perspective some time ago."
"This year we have developed a new and improved research methodology that allows us to identify the most relevant trends for almost any target group in Switzerland and other markets, as well as the trends with the greatest momentum and impact on people's purchasing behavior. We are now in a position to carry out customized analyses. Another new feature is that we collect fresh data several times a year. This allows us to understand what changes are taking place even faster," says Clara Burki, strategist and expert for Cultural Intelligence at TBWA\ Zurich.
The report shows the trends for the general Swiss population and for generations Y and Z today. The European environment was also scrutinized. In addition, various analysis methods are presented and examples are given of the insights that can be gained.
The Zeitgeist Report 2023 is here available free of charge.
