UNDERSTANDING

THE CONTEXT OF
CONSUMPTION
MOMENTS
A path to brand success
December 2023

AUTHORS
Moneesha Banerjee
Ahu Sendilmen

IPSOS
VIEWS
 EVERY MOMENT COUNTS
Brand research surveys traditionally take a Instead, we need to understand the context of
bird’s eye view of consumption by asking consumer consumption moments. For example,
consumers overall about the products they know, when conducting a traditional survey about
or prefer most, and when, where, and how the snacks, we may learn that people most likely
products are usually consumed. However, these consume snacks at home in the evening to share
approaches often lack granularity and bypass the the moment with families during screen time.
nuances of the moment. But what is the size of a different moment for
a snack as a meal replacement when someone
INTRODUCTION Marketers require a greater level of specificity to is working from home and has a craving in the
identify growth opportunities and optimise their afternoon? Does the same person make the
As marketers strive to grow their brands in a R&D on brand success, which indicates the product portfolio. Targeting general consumption same product choice during family screen time?
rapidly changing world, we know that successful key drivers of brand choice are expectations, is no longer sufficient. (see Figure 1).
brands are those that shape consumer context and empathy. Our research also
2

expectations so that only they can meet them. reveals that context can be the most important
This is only possible by understanding the factor, accounting for over 50% of brand choice
context in which people live, and then acting drivers, depending on the category. 3
with empathy.1 This is highlighted in our recent Figure 1: Understanding consumption moments

CONTEXT
UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT Where When Why With whom While doing what
AND ITS ROLE IN BRAND CHOICE At home Evening Share moments w/ Family Watching TV
Context is what’s happening in people’s lives a brand is consumed, with whom, and while
and the world around them and is comprised of doing what – and the functional, emotional,
two essential components: macro-context and and societal needs in that specific moment. At work Noon Energise Alone Working/studying
micro-context. For example, a person in a hurry to go
to work during the week might use an

MOMENTS
1. Macro-context includes dimensions such instant coffee brand to drink alone. On the On premise Afternoon Take a break w/ Friends Doing nothing
as societal and cultural values, climate weekend, however, when they are not in
change, political conflicts, and inflation. a rush in the morning, they might brew a
These factors have an increasing influence premium coffee brand to enjoy with their On-the-go Morning Suppress craving w/ Colleagues Housework/cooking
on consumer choices. For example, growing partner.
awareness of sustainability can influence
a consumer to choose a brand with more One person can have different needs and
Other Night Treat myself Other Other
environmentally-friendly packaging. preferences at different moments. We may be
missing half of the story if we do not understand
2. Micro-context is about what is going on at the context of the moment.
a moment of consumption: when and where Source: Ipsos

2 IPSOS VIEWS | UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMPTION MOMENTS UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMPTION MOMENTS | IPSOS VIEWS 3
 Figure 2: Ipsos approach to defining consumer moments WAYS OF DISSECTING THE MOMENT
Family, Friends
Alone At Ipsos, we take a systematic approach to Each of these factors can influence brand choice
defining consumer moments. We define a and there are countless combinations of these
With
Age whom Relieve boredom moment first by who the person is in terms of components. The use of diary-based surveys is
Gender Suppress hunger
Socio-economic Have fun
their age, life stage, lifestyle, and attitudes. instrumental in achieving the level of specificity
classification Who Why Then, we analyse the specifics of the occasion: and layout of all combinations of contextual
Consumers what is consumed, where, who else is there, elements (see Figure 3).
report their
details of every what the person is doing, and what the
occasion
Doing functional, emotional, and societal needs are
What
Category what Relaxing within that context (see Figure 2).
Brand Watching TV
Stock-keeping unit Studying
When

Weekend/Weekday
HOW TO APPROACH MOMENT-BASED RESEARCH
Time of day
There are numerous ways to approach The table below (Figure 4) shows the share of
understanding moments. We can begin by inquiring categories in snacking occasions derived from a two-
Source: Ipsos about the most recent occasion or past 24 hours. week diary. When we select a random day from the
On the other end of the spectrum, we can collect survey and do the same calculation, we can see that
Figure 3: Top 10 snacking moments continuous, uninterrupted data – utilising cutting- the ranking and the share values are well aligned.
edge tools of data collection, image recognition,
Top 10 occasions make Top 5 happen Top 3 happen and passive measurement methods. However, when we drill down into the details
up 40% of the total in the evenings while watching TV of products and specific moments, across a
Where With who When While doing what In most cases, both ends of the spectrum variety of demographic cohorts, a single-day
broadly align in terms of the topline outputs. observation may not be sufficient. The research
01 At home Family (kids) Evening Watching TV/Netflix etc.
design should be tailored to balance business
02 At home Alone Evening Watching TV/Netflix etc. needs with available resources.

03 At home Spouse Evening Watching TV/Netflix etc. Figure 4: Snackng occasions

04 At home Family (kids) Evening Resting/nothing Two-week diary Randomly selected one day
(% occasions) (% occasions)
05 At home Alone Evening Resting/nothing
Category A 14.4 12.9
06 At home Alone Between meals Resting/nothing
Category B 14.2 12.6
07 At home Family (kids) Between meals Resting/nothing
Category C 10.9 11.5
08 At home Family (adults) Evening Watching TV/Netflix etc.
Category D 8.8 8.8
09 At home Alone Between meals Watching TV/Netflix etc.
Category E 8.8 8.9
10 At home Alone Evening Internet/social media
Category F 7.1 8

Source: Ipsos Source: Ipsos

4 IPSOS VIEWS | UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMPTION MOMENTS UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMPTION MOMENTS | IPSOS VIEWS 5
 MAKE THE MOST OF THE MOMENT TO INFORM
BRAND STRATEGIES
Diary-based surveys for understanding moments When these studies are repeated periodically, it
offer a highly satisfying journey, especially for allows marketers the opportunity to monitor the
data enthusiasts, with their granularity and outcomes of business activities and make timely
precision. They enable us to cut the data at adjustments. For example, we can assess the
various angles, discover gaps, test theories, increase in market share resulting from airing a
and predict the size of the prize for potential family snacking ad on YouTube.
business actions.

For example: How much growth would I achieve

These studies are pertinent not only to
consumer packaged goods but also to other
Diary-based surveys enable us to
if I convert one consumption occasion of a categories in which consumers regularly cut the data at various angles,
professional’s afternoon craving at work to my engage in their daily lives, such as streaming, discover gaps, test theories, and
brand? Does this support the decision to invest online shopping, dining, and transportation. predict the size of the prize for
in vending machines in offices? Understanding the context of consumption
moments plays a crucial role in many aspects
potential business actions.
of the marketing mix. (see Figure 5 ).

Figure 5: Potential business impact of understanding the context WHERE DO YOU STAND IN THIS JOURNEY?
Let’s start by asking some questions: A more accurate, granular, and timely
understanding of context is increasingly critical
• Are your usage & attitudes studies still to developing strategies that stand out. It will
Target different groups of Define competition and
helpful in driving growth? Do they reflect help you grow your brand and play a role in
consumers at the most address white spaces
appropriate times and channels to: for growth: changing consumer dynamics? consumers’ lives that competitors may be
• How detailed are your targets to grow your missing. If you haven’t already, now is the time
• increase user base • expand to new categories brand in different occasions? to introduce context-driven research into your
• boost frequency of existing users • develop new products
• How flexible is your organisation in business. The answers to these questions will
adapting to micro-trends? help you assess where you stand on this journey
and formulate the optimal solution for your
organisation.
Improve efficiency via React in time to
portfolio optimisation: constantly changing context:
REFERENCES
• remove inefficient products • identify new rituals
• optimise channel & stock-keeping • be alerted to unexpected 1. https://www.ipsos.com/en/brand-success
unit assortment competition
• revisit promotion and pricing strategies 2. https://www.ipsos.com/en/brand-success/3-keys-unlock-brand-success

Source: Ipsos 3. https://www.ipsos.com/en/brand-success/contextual-brand-choice

6 IPSOS VIEWS | UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMPTION MOMENTS UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMPTION MOMENTS | IPSOS VIEWS 7
UNDERSTANDING
THE CONTEXT OF
CONSUMPTION
MOMENTS
A path to brand success

AUTHORS
Moneesha Banerjee, Global Head of Offer, Market Strategy & Understanding, Ipsos
Ahu Sendilmen, Global Solutions Leader, Market Strategy & Understanding, Ipsos

This paper forms part of our three-part series on understanding the

impact of context on brand choice. The series focuses on the importance
of identifying the context in which consumers make brand choices and
using these insights to drive brand growth. Understanding context should
be a high priority for marketers – they need to find ways to capture context
in their research, interpret it, and leverage it to their advantage. This series
of papers aims to help marketers address these challenges and think about
brand research in new ways.

Discover Ipsos’ framework

to unlock brand success

The Ipsos Views white

papers are produced by the
Ipsos Knowledge Centre.

www.ipsos.com
@Ipsos