According to Mr Armstrong, through this study - called `Eating Disorders' - Ogilvy will develop insightful understanding of food, culture and consumers in the Asia/ Pacific region. During Mr Armstrong's recent visit to Mumbai, The Financial Express caught up with him for an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:
Being a leading global advertising agency, why did Ogilvy & Mather undertake a study on "eating disorders"?
Ogilvy & Mather is basically a brand communication agency. We strongly believe that there's a vital need to understand consumers' psyche to build successful brands. Which is why we undertake extensive studies almost every year. And we use this knowledge to communicate our brand messages effectively.

Ogilvy already has a substantial amount of expertise in food, nutrition and dietary health due to our work in global markets. What was missing from our understanding was a wider contextual understanding of food and its related behaviour as seen from a regional perspective. As a 360-degree brand communication agency, Ogilvy is committed to brand development in every aspect from product initiation to advertising.

How long did it take for O&M to conduct this study on `Eating Disorders'? What are the other research studies Ogilvy has carried out in the recent past?
It took almost six months to complete the study on `Eating Disorders'. Ogilvy conducted 220 focus group discussion as well as 6,000 field interviews. In addition, Ogilvy planners accompanied 60 consumers on shopping trips and over 800 people completed a 14-day `food diary' recording shopping and eating habits.

Two years ago, we completed a study on Women in Asia called `Simmering Within'. This study offered opportunities for marketers to connect better with this important target group. Prior to that, we undertook an extensive study on Asia's youth called `Uncorking the Genie'.

What are your future plans? Who are your major clients in the food sector?
With the help of vital learning from our study on `Eating Disorders', we plan to host workshops for our clients. Also, we plan to host seminars to educate food manufacturers on the behavioural patterns of Asian consumers.

Currently, our major clients in the food sector are Unilever and Nestle. In India, O&M handles food brands like Annapurna (HLL) and Cadbury.

Can you share with us some principal implications of the study?
The study has signalled a clear message: Asia is far from being a single homogeneous entity. While on the surface, it's easy to point to the diversity of food cultures around the region what the study shows is that consumers in different markets are responding to change in different ways.

As a result of this study, Ogilvy has developed a number of tools based on the fundamental axes of consumer identity which were affected by food choices, outlook, self-esteem and behavior.

With the help of this study, we are now able to dig beneath the segmentation-based orthodoxy to uncover underlying tensions that cross gender, class and race. Our propriety - Brand Benefit Framework - will help our clients explore alternative strategic scenarios to create dynamic and better-connected brands .