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The rich share similar tastes with the masa
(Business World (Philippines) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Rich consumers may be the "most elusive and hardest to reach" but they also share the general public's interests, Nielsen Media Research Philippines yesterday said.
Their tastes, Nielsen Media Research Philippines executive director Jay G. Bautista told a briefing, extends to reading magazines such as FHM, Cosmopolitan Philippines, and Yes, listening to Love Radio, and watching the shows of GMA Network, Inc. and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.
"That is an enigma that we discovered ... they have hidden taste for Filipino culture," Mr. Bautista said as the research firm presented surveys on consumption patterns of the affluent, beneficiaries of OFWs, and Filipino teenagers.
"They don't watch [Filipino] movies in [the malls of] Rockwell, Gateway or Podium. Once the DVDs are out, they sneak that in and watch it.
"Some of them may be influenced by the people who work with them in the house ...
"As it is, we limited ourselves in getting indications of their habits and general touchpoints. But it is a pretty good reason to go back to them and ask about reasons and motivations for their behavior," Mr. Bautista added.
Nielsen surveyed those living in guarded and exclusive subdivisions such as Acropolis, Green Meadows, Valle Verde, Bel-Air, Rockwell, Greenhills, Wack-Wack, and Ayala Alabang, among others.
Asked about the narrowing difference in the preferences and tastes of the affluent and the general public, Mr. Bautista said the masses mimic the upper class they get enough purchasing power.
"The rich are always the trendsetter. The lower income groups are the ones emulating and aspiring. If they see people wearing Crocs [footwear], they buy something from Divisoria that looks like it," he said.
The survey of the affluent showed respondents to be 78% Filipino, 11% Chinese and 3% Spanish.
Nielsen associate director Eric V. Barrera said media consumption among the upper class was relatively high. More than a fourth reads newspapers daily, with the source largely a newsboy or purchased from a newsstand. Twenty eight percent read newspapers online, he added.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer came out on top with a 37% readership among the upper class.
More than half, meanwhile, read monthly magazines regularly sourced from a magazine stand. FHM captured 27.8%, followed by Cosmopolitan Philippines at 23.5%.
Roughly 90% had cable TV, with Skycable remaining "a dominant player among upper class," Mr. Bautista said.
The top local TV channels were ABS-CBN at 79.4%, and GMA at 64.1%.
"Local channels are slightly favored ... ABS-CBN 2 generates the largest audience followed by GMA 7. Movies and documentary channels, however, emerged as favorites in cable with HBO, National Geographic, Discovery and Star Movies leading the top five list," Mr. Barrera said.
He said FM stations were more popular among the upper class, with Magic 89.9 having the highest listenership. For AM, DZMM Radyo Patrol garnered the largest following.
A majority goes to the cinema at least once a month, with foreign movies favored. A majority also uses the internet daily.
Prepaid mobile subscriptions were the norm, with Globe emerging as the favorite. By cell phone, Nokia had a significant following.
Filipino teenager, meanwhile, were said to have an unlimited amount of media choices than ever before, Nielsen said.
Reading, however, has dropped, and Mr. Bautista said those aged 15 and below were at risk of not developing the habit.
"We see competency levels declining that is why the call centers are having are hard time recruiting people who have English proficiency. It is rooted in the educational system, unfortunately," he said.
Copyright 2007 Business World Publishing Corporation, Source: The Financial Times Limited
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