2. Foreword
It‟s hard to go more than a few minutes in a day without touching technology. It‟s now so ubiquitous that
it‟s replacing fundamental items we have carried with us for generations – like pens, watches and money.
This ubiquity is not necessarily a bad thing. Technology makes it possible to offer mobile banking to the
masses in developing countries. It‟s enabling patients with chronic disease to be monitored remotely.
Online education is disrupting traditional models. And on a more personal front, people are using
technology to connect with friends and relatives, share ideas, solve problems and sometimes just get a
much-needed laugh.
But consumers are asking „when is it too much‟? Does technology bring us closer together – or drive us
further apart? What underlying values drive the constant dance of technology adoption/rejection?
At Ketchum, these questions fascinate us. Based on the work we do in our Global Technology Practice
helping consumer technology manufacturers and service providers differentiate themselves and resonate
with their target audiences, we‟ve formed our own opinions about what it takes to break through today‟s
“wall of technology.”
We decided to examine this question systematically by creating the Ketchum Digital Living Index. At the
heart of its design is our belief that technology must connect with the values of the human experience.
This led us to adopt a uniquely anthropological approach.
It also led to surprising results. They call into question several of the dominant narratives widely believed
and repeated about technology.
One is that people are motivated by features and functions, that “technology sells itself.” Instead, the
Ketchum Digital Living Index shows that people yearn for simplification. That doesn‟t mean they want less
functionality – just less perceived mental clutter and so-called “jargon monoxide” about the products.
Another dominant narrative is that location no longer matters. But the Ketchum Digital Living Index
reveals provocative differences by country. Cultural DNA exerts a strong effect over aspects such as how
people feel about technology, what is important to them, what trade-offs they will make, and which of the
study‟s four types of Digital Living natives they are likely to be.
Looking at all of this from an ethnographic perspective has significant implications for communications
and marketing professionals. To shift behaviors and drive greater adoption of new technology products,
the Ketchum Digital Living Index points to a major opportunity for companies to integrate an ethnographic
approach, communicating more around the human experience.
Ketchum is pleased to share our insights from this study. We‟re very passionate about the power of
consumer technology – and we look forward to continuing the conversation with companies about the
best way to communicate its power in helping people achieve their desired experiences.
Esty Pujadas
Partner, Director, Global Technology Practice
esty.pujadas@ketchum.com

3. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 1
Key Finding No. 1
What People Really Want – Simplicity
The most surprising finding in the study is the satisfied with technology‟s ability to make their life
overwhelming desire for simplicity. simpler. In addition, a comparison between what
consumers expect and what they feel they are
Despite how major a role technology plays in getting in the area of simplification shows a 25-
everyday life, the 2012 Ketchum Digital Living percentage point gap – one of the biggest in the
Index shows that fully three quarters of the 6,000 study.
people surveyed by Ipsos state they are not very
satisfied with its ability to simplify their lives. “That’s been one of my
The Digital Living Index groups a set of 17
mantras — focus and
attributes into three overall Experience categories simplicity. Simple can be
– simplification, empowerment and enrichment –
and one Values category. harder than complex: You
Across the six countries in the study, more people have to work hard to get your
(50 percent) value technology that provides thinking clean to make it
simplification than empowerment (40 percent) or
enrichment (23 percent) and prioritize all three of simple. But it’s worth it in the
these over personal values (15 percent). A closer
look at a few of the attributes of simplification end because, once you get
shows that a greater number of people find it
important for personal technology to be easy to
there, you can move
use (54 percent) and simplify their life (46 percent) mountains.”
than entertain them (35 percent) or signal who they
- Steve Jobs
are to the world (11 percent).
Simplification is not just important – it is also
lacking. The Index shows that more than three in The notion of simplification is not simply
four people (76 percent) say they are not very technology that is easy to use, it also reflects the

4. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 2
broader concept of making life simpler – i.e., In terms of geography, Americans were most likely
streamlining the technology experience in order to to find simplification very important (61 percent of
get to the desired outcome, whether that is looking U.S. survey respondents), followed by Spain (56
up recipe ingredients from your phone at the percent), Germany (50 percent), France (48
grocery store, tracking your daily health and fitness percent), U.K. (44 percent) and China (42 percent).
statistics, or using Skype to connect with
grandchildren thousands of miles away.
Key Finding No. 2
Location, location, location
The dominant narrative in the technology industry • In Spain, empowerment is more important
is that “technology sells itself”. In addition, notion than enrichment or personal values. There
that mobile technology removes barriers of place were fewer big gaps between importance
and time suggests that a user‟s physical location and satisfaction on most attributes –
no longer matters. However, the Ketchum Digital meaning that people in Spain are generally
Living Index shows that human experiences with more satisfied with technology‟s ability to
technology differ profoundly by country and by meet their expectations
cultural DNA. These variances emerged in many
• The Chinese value the role of consumer
ways, but were particularly striking in such areas
technology in helping them manage
as the importance of simplification and the
relationships and health and wellness more
likelihood to express “love” for specific types of
than other countries do. They also are more
products.
likely to appreciate brands that share their
values and signal who they are to the
Examples of differences by country:
outside world
• Consumers in the U.S., more so than in
other western countries, value technology • In the UK, the product category most liked is
that understands and shares their values. the TV, which is more than any other
Most enrichment factors, including country. British people also strongly value
entertainment and staying on top of news technology‟s ability to keep them informed
and trends, are also much more important to about the latest trends and news and are the
Americans than to their global counterparts second highest country to prioritize getting
the information they want when they want it
• The French view technology as more of a
tool that empowers than as a way of relating
Love/Hate Relationship
to others. For example, few French people
When asked to rate their overall feelings about
think it important that technology help them
personal technology and choose between love,
be a better parent, spouse/partner or friend
like, dislike and hate, fully 96 percent of people are
• Germans are more likely to love mobile and positive, although the “likes” (53 percent) outweigh
home entertainment technology than their the “loves” (43 percent). Passion varies widely by
global counterparts and come second only to country. Germans are more likely to express love
China in being more likely to love household for personal technology; the French least likely.
technology, such as appliances

5. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 3
Sentiment also varies by product category, with opportunities for companies in this sector to
tablets/computers (42 percent) inching out increase the emotional appeal through the human
TV/video product (38 percent) and smartphones experience.
(35 percent) for types of products that people love.
Consumers feel far less strong emotion for
household technology (e.g., household appliances
or security systems), providing greater
Key Finding No. 3
Four Kinds of Digital Living Natives
A cluster analysis shows that consumers can be Infomaniacs
divided into four groups, based on their importance The next largest are Infomaniacs (25 percent).
rankings and their place on the technology Infomaniacs feel only an average amount of “love”
love/hate continuum: for consumer technology. For this group, the ability
to get the information they want, when they want it,
Enthusiasts is above average in being rated very important,
The largest group is the Enthusiasts (37 percent of and it spans a number of product categories.
the study‟s population). Their love of personal
technology is 10-15 points above the average, Technology‟s value as a way to help them discover
regardless of category, and they place more new information and experiences is vastly more
importance on personal values (such as “the brand important to this group than to Pragmatists and
shares my values” and “signals who I am”). Disconnects (29 percent vs. 16 percent and 3
percent, respectively). Simplification is very
They are much more likely to rate attributes as important, and the dissatisfaction gap is large (25
“very important” than the other segments and they points). Infomaniacs attach little importance to
are hard to please, with an average gap of 14 personal values and less than 5 percent rated
points between an attribute‟s importance and their technology‟s ability to help them be better friend,
satisfaction with it. Enthusiasts are more willing to partner or parent as very important.
sacrifice simplification in order to have a product
give them what they want. Percentage of Infomaniacs by Region
Percentage of Enthusiasts by Region France 23
China 29 Spain 19
US 18 UK 19
Spain 18 US 16
UK 14 Germany 16
Germany 13 China 6
France 9
0 10 20 30
0 20 40

6. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 4
Pragmatists Disconnects
Pragmatists, who constitute just less than one in Disconnects (16 percent) feel far less positively
four Digital Living natives (22 percent), value than other segments (20 percent say they love
technology as a helper. They love technology mobile and home entertainment technology vs. an
slightly less than the average, but ease of use is overall global average of 43 percent). The
more important to this group than any other. importance of all aspects of technology is much
lower than the average, ranging from 0 percent to
Technology‟s ability to help simplify life comes 38 percent for Disconnects, while the average
second (47 percent), although the percentage that ranges from 11 percent to 54 percent. To them,
finds this very important is about the same as technology isn‟t about making them a better
Enthusiasts and Infomaniacs. person or allowing them to customize or be
creative – „easy to use‟ is the top-rated attribute,
Pragmatists appreciate and value how technology with 38 percent rating it very important.
can help them live a more enriched life – they are
above average in valuing technology‟s ability to Like the overall population, simplification is found
help them be a better friend, parent, partner, to wanting. There is a 29 percentage point gap
manage their health and wellness, and to help between importance and satisfaction for “ease of
them find time. Overall, they‟re a satisfied group – use” and a 13-point gap for “helps simplify life”
personal technology is doing a good job of meeting among this least emotionally invested segment of
Pragmatists‟ expectations. the survey population.
Percentage of Pragmatists by Region Percentage of Disconnects by Region
Germany 21 France 26
US 17 Germany 20
UK 17 UK 19
France 17 Spain 15
China 15 US 14
Spain 14 China 6
0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30
s

7. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 5
Why Cultural Anthropology?
Understanding why consumers embrace some technology products and reject
others is a tricky proposition. Unlike basic necessities like food or a bar of soap,
consumer technology can be viewed as optional and is not always easy to use
right out of the box. What‟s even more challenging for technology marketers and
communicators is that the same feature seen as a benefit by one person is
perceived as a negative by someone else. For example, opinions can be sharply
divided on the value of being reachable any time from one‟s mobile
phones or the many buttons and features on the
TV remote control.
Talking about technology’s
By necessity, the consumer technology industry
value proposition – faster,
needs to talk about features and functions more
than companies who sell food or detergent. bigger, smaller, cheaper – is
Consumer electronics, mobile devices and home not enough. It is the context
appliances are not typically single-use products
that don‟t require a manual. However, consumer
surrounding the value
technology manufacturers are more likely to proposition that cultural
uncover relevant information about their target anthropology provides.
audience if they look at how technology is used,
what attracts people to it and what aspirations they have for it, all through the
values of the human experience.
Talking about technology‟s value proposition – faster, bigger, smaller, cheaper –
is not enough. It is the context surrounding the value proposition that cultural
anthropology provides, ultimately leading to more relevant audience targeting. As
cultural anthropologist Emma Gilding, who collaborated with Ketchum on
designing the study and interpreting the data, notes, it is not enough to know that
people look to their consumer technology products to drive human experiences.
Companies need to know how those human experiences look in the analog world
in order to understand the technology-based behavior.
For example, knowing that people in China value technology to manage human
relationships more highly than other countries do is only part of the insight. Using
cultural anthropology, companies can understand the role of human relationships
as part of the Chinese cultural DNA. This approach is what will yield the deeper
insights needed to communicate in ways that connect a company‟s products with
the target audience‟s desired experiences.

8. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 6
Implications for Communicators and Marketers
The findings of this study highlight five critical implications for communications and marketing
professionals in consumer technology manufacturing or services.
1. Focus on the experience, not just the object
Technology manufacturers can communicate more meaningfully with consumers and break through the
mental clutter consumers perceive when they think about today‟s wall of technology by talking about the
human experience, not just the object. By linking product features and capabilities with the experience
each type of consumer wants, companies will show that they understand the consumer‟s real needs and
drive greater product adoption.
2. Take a page from consumer packaged goods companies
Consumer brands have been integrated into the human conversation far longer than technology brands –
Ivory soap was first sold over a hundred years ago, for example. As a result, successful companies in that
sector have become very creative in order to sell themselves. Technology brands, on the other hand,
tend to emphasize the comparison of one micro-innovation to another. Consumers want to hear more
about how these products are integrated into everyday life.
3. Don’t ignore the elephant in the room – simplification
All signs in this study point to simplification as an unmet need. It may seem counter-intuitive that people
seem to want to hear “less” at a time when each generation of new technology promises more. But life
today is complicated, and the study data says that personal technology is falling short of expectations as
a helpmate in navigating all this complexity. Communicating the „what‟ – getting easily to the desired end-
experience – instead of only the features-focused „how‟ – will forge a stronger emotional connection and
brand loyalty.
4. Understand the cultural DNA
Study findings indicate that a group or region‟s cultural DNA overrides many of the existing assumptions
about consumer technology. Communications and marketing professionals that make the effort to
understand the prevailing cultural framework for the audiences they are targeting and then develop
culturally relevant communications will have greater success. This approach, used successfully by
leading consumer brands, can be applied equally to consumer technology brands.
5. Segment by experiences
Viewing the context that surrounds technology‟s value propositions leads to a richer way of segmenting
than conventional approaches such as demographics or frequently used product features. Segmenting by
the values of human experience (for example, Ketchum‟s four types of Digital Living natives) and layering
in cultural frameworks enables companies to develop more relevant and compelling communications and
creative programming. For example, communicators can make Infomaniacs (who are almost equally as
likely to be women as men) heroes to their tribes by letting them release information ahead of others.

9. Ketchum Digital Living Index | 7
About the Ketchum
Digital Living Index
The Ketchum Digital Living Index views technology
adoption through a cultural anthropology lens, looking
at the intersection – and disconnects – between the
human experience and people‟s expectations and
aspirations for consumer technology. The Index is
based on online interviews conducted by Ipsos with
6,000 participants in total in the U.S., U.K., France,
Germany, Spain and China, as well as online
qualitative discussions conducted by Communispace
with approximately 400 men, women and young adults
in the U.S.
Learn more at:
www.ketchum.com/digital-living
About Ketchum
Digital Living
As part of the Global Technology Practice, Ketchum‟s
Digital Living capabilities address the increasingly
pervasive role that personal technology plays in our
everyday lives, and the way it‟s changing how we
communicate, interact and organize ourselves.
Combining proprietary research, measurement tools
and expertise, Ketchum works with some of the
industry‟s best known brands to help them
communicate in ways that reach and motivate their
target audiences.
Copyright © Ketchum 2012
All rights reserved.