THERITUALMASTERS

BBDO

6.57am. Beep. “Cloudy skies, sunny intervals”. Snooze. 7.10 roll out of bed, feethit floor, left then right. Greying Hilton robe. Power shower. Pantene shampoo andconditioner, Gillette Venus, body wash. Select dress and heels. Sip Illy coffee fromwhite china mug. Cast eye over urgent emails. Blow-dry hair drowning out sportsreport. Round-up keys, travel pass, mobile and BlackBerry into bag de jour. Gentlekiss goodbye. Out of door. Buy cappuccino and paper to read on the 8.02.

Think about what you did this morning. And ask yourself how much it variesfrom what you did every morning last week. Not much right?

Read on and discover how understanding rituals and evolving new ones is at the heart of selling.

6-7 8-9 10-11

24-2712-23

28-29

It is a transforming series of actions that help us enjoy passing from

one state to another. A ritual is a means of getting stuff done in the way

that we prefer. Rituals are important because our preferences define us.

Our rituals tell others who we are and make us easier people to be with.

But, most importantly, our rituals are an emotional journey. They

transform us from one emotional state to another. Our morning rituals

move us from neutral and cocooned to ready to take on the day and

our evening rituals move us from being tense to relaxed and at ease.

As you’ll see in a moment, all rituals involve physical things - very

often brands - and that’s why we are interested in them.

Rituals are created in the conscious, but pass quickly into the

subconscious and so get repeated without much questioning. Basically

we do something once, find that we kind of like it and then stick with

that way of doing things until something better comes along.

Rituals may evolve over time. But unless something changes in our

lives (we move house, have a child, change jobs) they pretty much

stay the same.

Like all things, we like them the way we like them. Our rituals make us

feel better, engage with others more easily, feel in control, express who

we are and who we’d like to be.

6-7

We’ve obviously been trying this idea out with a few people and this is

one of the questions everybody asks early on:

What’s the difference between a habit and a ritual?

We are not interested in the simple dictionary definition. This whole

rituals thing is about defining a BBDO way of thinking and using

language that sets us apart from other agencies.

So, in our book, habits are simply single function tasks governed by

the low brain, the spinal cord almost. The bit that some people call

the reptilian mind or snake brain because it governs the fundamental

basics of survival (food, sleep, sex and protection). Habits involve no

transformation and, most importantly, no emotional benefit, no emotional

involvement (though of course habits are often a component of a ritual).

Rituals are a series of actions that make up a pleasurable transition.

And that’s why all this is important to us as marketeers.

If our client’s brand is inside the ritual, great. Our job is to keep it there.

If our client’s brand is outside the ritual, life is hard.

Our rituals become fortresses that protect our favoured brands and keep

strangers out. And Fortress Ritual has one very important role to play

in the quality of our work.

Our job is to create and evolve new rituals on behalf of our clients.

We need to gently persuade our customers to abandon their old rituals

and take up a new one that includes our brand.

8-9

Rituals started off as an idea. But we needed to take it somewhere

a little more objective to check it out properly.

So we commissioned a global quantitative and ethnographic study.

We talked to 6086 people in 28 countries. We learnt a lot.

We found huge cross-cultural consistencies in the rhythm of rituals.

Rituals are universal. And they have certain patterns that we can learn

from and save our client’s time and money.

We observed five core rituals that everyone follows.

We’ll be exploring all five in this book.

10-11

Rich or poor, young or old, east or west, black, white, all shades in between…

we love our rituals. And, interestingly, we share many of the same rituals

all over the world. There are regional differences, of course, but we are

overwhelmingly more similar than we are different.

When we read through the interviews and crunched the numbers from

28 countries we found five core rituals.

More to the point we found five emotional journeys that most of us take

most days in most countries around the world.

We believe they have a huge impact on how we should sell our clients’ brands.

So what are they?

12-13

Audr

ey,

31Pa

ris,

PA

8.00am Sony alarm clock goes and is switched off.

8.02am Alarm goes off again and Europe 1 comes on, Audreygets out of bed quickly, turns on light and starts up her Dell. She doesn’t open the curtains.

8.03am As the computer boots she pads to the kitchen andselects a Taillefine cereal bar from a choice of threeboxes (Balesto, Grany). She puts it in her Gérard Darelbag and drinks a glass one third filled with Tropicanaorange juice and two thirds full of Evian mineral water.

8.05am She showers with Ushuaia shower gel and cleans her teeth (Signal and Oral B).

8.15am Checks her hotmail and gets dressed (Zara, H&M),she chooses clothes that are structured, fashionablebut a little bit sexy. She likes to present a strongimage. She admits that this is the moment when shecould still be on time for work but is too interested inher email not to read and respond to it.

8.25am She leaves her flat and eats her cereal bar and putson Gemey mascara and Chanel, Morning Rose lipstick in the lift. Her makeup is very important to her.She says it is a barrier between her and the world.

IS THERE A SEQUENCE OR ORDERTHAT YOU FOLLOW WHEN GETTINGREADY IN THE MORNING?

SEQUENCE DISRUPTION SAME BRAND USAGE

START TIME OF THE DAY

77%

23%

YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

ARE YOU IRRITATED WHEN YOUR GETTING READY ROUTINE IS DISRUPTED?

68%

32%

DO YOU TEND TO USE THE SAME PRODUCTSWHEN GETTING READY FOR THE DAY?

79%

21%

78%

22%

MALE FEMALE

ON A TYPICAL DAY, WHAT TIME DO YOU BEGIN TO GET STARTED FOR YOUR DAY?

%

5am - 5:59am 12

6am - 6:59am 29

7am - 7:59am 28

8am - 8:59am 12

9am - 9:59am 5

10am - 10:59am 2

ONCE YOU ARE READY FOR THE DAY, HOW DOESIT MAKE YOU FEEL?

PREPARED

CALM

SATISTIED

IN CONTROL

NICHOLAS, 44, PARIS

Preparing for Battle is the ritual that we enact from the moment we wake to the

moment we get to work or the place we spend our day. It includes washing,

eating/drinking, putting on clothes and makeup, gathering information and

clearing our heads.

It’s a physical journey of course but, more importantly, it’s an emotional journey.

From cocooned and neutral in our private worlds, to ready to take on the day in

the public world. Every step we take prepares us for this transition.

There are many steps in preparing for battle ritual. People do an average of

seven things in less than an hour before they even leave home. Women

do more than men but pretty much everyone feels the pressure of time.

The order of these seven things is very important. People like fixed sequences.

They like to use the same stuff - especially brands - every day.

Some parts of the morning ritual are more emotionally meaningful than others.

All over the world people describe the details of their coffee/tea ritual fondly.

They like to use the same brands, equipment and mugs in the same way every time.

This is also seen as an important moment to take in the nutrients required to

set us up for the day: fruit, fibre, calcium, multivitamins.

People are irritated if their ritual is disrupted or goes wrong. They also become

anxious if the day encroaches on this time. Urgent calls and emails from work

cause anxiety because the emotional transition important to this ritual has not

yet been achieved.

The tone of this ritual is fast-paced, efficient and goal orientated. Time is at a

premium, no step is wasted and brands that can help get more from this time

are welcomed. Starbucks is packed daily with commuters who have moved their

morning coffee ritual into their commute. A Spanish mum told us she uses

teeth whitening strips while doing the school run. Audrey from France eats her

Taillefine cereal bar and starts putting on her makeup in the lift from her flat

to the ground floor.

14-15NEUTRAL AND COCOONED

EMOTIONAL TRANSITION

READY TO TAKE ON THE DAY

8.30amHaving decided the menu and wine for my dinner party a few days before, I set off to the shops beforework with my detailed shopping list. My dishes are a mix of my favorites from a family member or recipes I have collected. I build the menu so that all the ingredients will work together. I buy the freshest produce, the most expensive ingredients and myfavourite brands because I want to be sure of the quality of the end result.

9.30amArrive at work and put produce in fridge.

7.00pmArrive home from work and unpack the shopping.

7.15pmI start to cook so that everything will be ready for themeal. I carefully display the correct quantity of all theingredients I need for each recipe in separate bowls, so that everything is at hand. If I do not know the recipe by heart, I check it at every step. I tend to do one dish at a time because I need to concentrate on what I am preparing.

8.40pmThe table setting: my favourite part of the preparation. I choose the colour of the tablecloth, napkins and table decorations depending on the occasion, the invitees and the meal. I have three different styles of crockery and glassses, ranging from the more traditional to design orientated. I love candles and chandeliers: colours and styles should match. I always use two glasses, one for water and one forwine, depending on the wine (three when there is a dessert wine) and as many forks as courses. I change dish with every course.

8.55pmI get out the dishes I will use to serve the food. Eachcourse has a different shape dish and I always arrangethe food with decorations, so that it appeals to the eye.

9.00pmEverything is ready. My guests start to arrive. Let the feast begin.

12.15amEveryone has eaten, drunk and talked to happy exhaustion.

RAINER, 39, BERLIN

Bea

tric

e, 3

1M

ilan,

Eve

nts

Man

ager

Feasting refers to the rituals that surround sharing food and meals with others.

It is a ritual that transforms us from feeling alone to being connected with our

group. It includes preparing, inviting, meeting and contributing.

Feasting has a beginning, middle and end. Feasting rituals establish our

role in a group. Provider, entertainer, nurturer, child. The symbols of this

bond are often food.

The Chinese mother who takes her family out for dinner to a local restaurant

every night to reconnect. The German students who define their group by

meeting weekly at McDonald’s for lunch. The American guys who gather for

pizza, beer and the game on a Friday night. The Polish mother who replicates

the meals cooked by her mother for her own family.

Weekday evenings are often characterised by fast, easy meals eaten with

regularity. In the USA, Canada and UK particularly, more and more of these

meals are eaten out or at least constructed out of the home. Think of the career

woman who buys high-end component pieces of her meal and assembles the

contents at home, creating something halfway between cooked and prepared.

At weekends and on special occasions though, people are more adventurous

with their feasts. There is more preparation, more experimentation with new

or unusual things and a higher level of indulgence. It is also a time of more

conscious connection with each other.

So, feasting changes over the course of the week. Earlier in the day and week,

people are more likely to eat efficient healthy meals. The later in the day or

week, the more likely they are to indulge in treats – puddings, alcohol, crisps.

16-17FEELING ALONE

EMOTIONAL TRANSITION

BEING CONNECTED TO A GROUP

Sexing up is the ritual that transforms us from our ordinary selves to our

extraordinary or most special selves. It is the ritual that prepares us for an

evening out.

It includes cleansing, preparing, grooming, indulging, preening and connecting

with others.

This is a ritual that is full of emotion, anticipation, excitement, optimism and

vibrancy. It is fundamentally about giving us confidence.

Yet, ironically, it is also a ritual filled with anxiety - especially for women.

Sexing up has a competitive edge. We want not just to fit in (important enough)

we want to look as good as we possibly can. And getting this right can be highly

pressured. An attractive young woman in France told us she tries on everything

she owns and then wears the same outfit she wore the last time. Japanese

girls send photos of themselves in their proposed outfits for the approval

of their friends.

This is a special ritual. People use their best things. A German mother uses

the moisturiser she bought travelling because it reminds her of holidays; the rest

of the time she uses Nivea. Bruce in Australia puts on his Chanel Allure

aftershave to attract the ladies.

The young are the most likely to share this ritual with their friends. As they

do so they indulge in treats; alcohol, cigarettes, favoured food.

In this ritual sequence matters little but the details matter very much.

18-19

Yoko

, 32

Toky

o, O

ffice

Lad

y

NATACHA, 26, OSLO

NORMAL

EMOTIONAL TRANSITION

MOST CONFIDENT SELVES

3.00pmSaturday - a quick shower to get clean before anAroma Broom candle-lit half-bath (you start with thebath half full and fill it to the top for the last few minutes), with bath salts, while using a microwavedSK facial wipe.

3.25pm Another quick shower to clean off.

3.30pmTexts boyfriend to confirm their dateat 5pm at a shrine, followed by dinner. He asks her towear her yukata (traditional Japanese dress). VisitsYahoo to explore date location and some shops shewould like to visit while in the area.

3.50pmHer mum helps her tie her obie. She does her hairand her nails with Anna Sui nail varnish and sprays onL’Occitane perfume and scentless mosquito spray.

4.30pmPacks handbag that matches her yukata with facialwipes, Coach wallet, cell phone and treatment for bug bites.

4.45pm Says goodbye to parents and goes out to get the traininto town.

WHICH, IF ANY, OF THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOU WHEN YOU UNWIND AND END YOUR DAY?

WATCH TV/ LISTEN TO RADIO 66.6721

EAT/DRINK SOMETHING 56.8234

TALKING TO FAMILY/PARTNER 55.6232

BRUSHING YOUR TEETH 51.6935

HAVE A SHOWER/BATH 47.7310

GETTING CHANGED 45.4456

This is the ritual that returns us to our private worlds. The exhalation at the end of the day

as we transform from being on alert to being at ease.

It is the happy return to the people we dare to be when there are no bosses or colleagues

or otherwise threatening characters around. Back in the safety of our homes we return to

being our true selves.

We undo many of the things we did in the morning. Getting undressed. Almost everyone

changes some item of clothing when they get home, be it taking off shoes, putting on joggers

or a dressing gown. Taking off the makeup we put on 15 hours earlier. We eat. Perhaps as

a group; perhaps in phases. We escape the pressure of the day through television, internet

surfing, conversation or prayer.

We treasure this time. Reconnecting with our loved ones. Reading to our children.

Calling our parents or friends. Transforming the functional bathroom of the morning into

a spa complete with wine or chocolate or even crisps.

We let go of the day and prepare for the night.

20-21

Mic

hael

, 41

Fran

kfur

t, C

onsu

ltant

COCO, 37, BEIJING

IS THERE A SEQUENCE OR ORDERTHAT YOU ALWAYS FOLLOW WHEN YOUHAVE FINISHED ALL THE TASKS INYOUR NORMAL (WORKING) DAY?

SEQUENCE DISRUPTION

41%

59%

YES NO YES NO

DID YOU FEEL IRRITATEDTHE LAST TIME YOUR FINISHING THE (WORKING) DAY ROUTINE WAS DISRUPTED?

66%

34%

UNWINDING ESSENTIALS

MOST PEOPLE UNWIND FROM THEIR DAYBETWEEN 7 AND 10 PM

ONCE YOU ARE READY FOR THE END OF THEDAY, HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?

TIRED CALM SATISFIED

RELAXED RELIEVED

TENSE

EMOTIONAL TRANSITION

RELAXED AND AT EASE

7.30pmWalk through door of apartment in Frankfurt. Kissthe girlfriend.

7.35pmStation wheelie suitcase and laptop bag in the corner and empty stuff out of pockets onto thenearest surface: wallet, mobile phone, keys,favourite pen (Montblanc), BlackBerry, receipts and spare change in two currencies.

7.37pmHead straight to the bedroom to change out of suitand into Seven jeans, T-Shirt and Pirelli shoes whilechatting to my girlfriend about the day.

7.45pmDrift back to kitchen for a Danone yoghurt andCampari and soda on ice, as well as a glass ofSelters water. Switch on radio (SWR3) for thenews. Flick through the post and messages lying on the kitchen table.

8.15pmHead out for casual dinner at a local Italianrestaurant (one of our regulars).

10.30pmGet home, switch on flat screen Panasonic, watchthe news over Lavazza Espresso and cheese andnuts. Think about getting ready for bed.

The chapter that closes the day. This is the ritual we do in the ten

minutes before bed.

Locking up doors and windows, shutting down everything with a plug,

preparing for the night (brushing teeth, putting on night cream, taking

medication, pouring a glass of water), checking on kids and dogs and

preparing bags, breakfast tables or outfits for the next day.

It is most often talked about by husbands and fathers who see this

last ritual as the moment when they secure their families.

This ritual transforms us from relaxed to reassured.

We return to the cocoon until we are ready to prepare for battle

once more.

22-23

Bra

dley

, 41

New

Yor

k, F

inan

ce D

irect

or

I switch off all lights (I hate wasting electricityovernight on external lights).

I check on the dog and pat her goodnight. I checkthe back door is locked.

I check the front door is locked using my wife’skeys on her Marc Jacobs key ring. I make sure the shades are closed in our lounge.

I make sure my bag is ready to go for the morn-ing. I move my shoes to a place where puttingthem on won’t make lots of noise on hard floorsthat might wake people as I leave.

So, I guess I do have a ritual.A ten minute one.

XELL, 32, BARCELONA

TENSE

EMOTIONAL TRANSITION

RELAXED AND AT EASE

Put simply, if you approach any project with rituals in mind here is what werecommend you do… Observe. Interpret. Invent. Let us explain a little more.So what now?

We believe in ethnographics. Which is really just a fancy word for watchingwhat people do.

As we said at the beginning, great communication begins with an intenselook at behaviour. Wherever possible we like to observe people’s current ritual in it’s natural form.

We look at the way people currently use our clients’ product, we look at thepeople who get through a particular ritual without our clients products. And we look for new and unexpectedplaces where we could feature in our consumers’ rituals.

We look for weak points in fortressritual (from simple things like when a product runs out and needs replacing tomore complex life events, like movinghouse or foreign travel.) Then we searchfor brand strengths that might encouragepeople to build a new ritual with ourproduct inside it.

01

Our job is to interpret what we see. We’re searching for the emotionalpurpose of the practical acts that are bound up in a particular ritual.

Correct interpretation of ritualistic behaviour leads to better, clearer, more targeted work.

The power of rituals means that we have no choice but to create outstanding work if we want to change them so they include our client’s brand.

And that’s great for our brand. Great for our rituals.

02

Which makes this section pretty obvious. We need to create killer work. Or, as we refer to it, compelling commercial content. But compelling commercial content with a clear ritualchanging purpose. Creative ideas that are designed to embed a new ritual in ourconsumer’s minds have a great deal morechance of success than a cool ad that’sjust sponsored entertainment.

And we need to be inventive about product development, media placement, packaging and digital communication.Reaching people inside their rituals hasnever been more demanding.

Finally, once we have great rituals and wehave begun to get inside Fortress Ritual,our job is to pull up the drawbridge andkeep rival brands out of our fortress.

03

26-27

We’ve learnt a lot about rituals, both from our research and our early

attempts to explain what we have found to clients and colleagues alike.

The more we learn, the more we want to learn. Beyond these daily rituals

we know there are weekly, monthly, seasonal and annual rituals that have

an equally compelling impact on the way people buy brands.

Let’s keep filling up the BBDO library of learning. Try this on the

people you work with and see how they react, how they contribute from

their own experience.

Make a habit of it.

No, strike that, make a ritual of it.

28-29

If anything you’ve read here interests you please come to BBDO and talk to us.

Maybe even work with us for a couple of days. But be warned. Once a client gets

into the ritual of working with us, they tend to stick with it for a very long time.

For more information:

Christine Hannis

Director of Communications and Talent

BBDO EMEA

151 Marylebone Road

London

NW 1 5QE

hannisc@bbdoeurope.com

+44 20 7616 3474

THERITUALMASTERS

BBDO

Ferdinando SciannaPaola sleeping in Corso, Venezia