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Life
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A Global Look at the Daily Grind A new study by BBDO Worldwide yields a treasure trove of data about how everyday routines vary across the world By Douglas MacMillan with Diane Brady
 You brush your teeth, take a shower, and have a cup of coffee each morning. But have you ever wondered if people in other parts of the world are locked in the same routines? New York-based advertiser BBDO Worldwide set out to answer questions like these in its 2007 survey, “The Ritual Builders.” The study gathered responses from 5,000 people in 25 countries to questions based on five categories of the daily routine: “preparing for battle” (the morning ritual), “feasting” (self-explanatory), “sexing up” (primping), “returning to camp” (going home), and “preparing for the future” (the ritual before bed).
There's loads of info for businesses. By understanding people's rituals, labeled in the survey as “a defined series of actions that helps us transform from one emotional state to another,” companies may better understand how to build their products or services into a consistent part of consumers' everyday life. Most everyone uses soap, for example, but a shower gel aimed at Polish consumers might emphasize relaxing qualities, since 84% of them shower at night. A more invigorating message might work better with the 92% of Mexicans who shower or bathe in the morning.
This BusinessWeek slideshow looks at the survey's most interesting findings, comparing global averages to U.S. averages, as well as the countries occupying the extremes.
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