Editor’s note: Bryan Urbick is founder and chairman of Consumer Knowledge Centre, a London research firm.

It is an accepted belief that we can look at others - their lives and experiences - to shine a spotlight onto our own existence. This is also true in research. Working with consumer groups in a wide variety of cultures across the world has significantly fueled the understanding of many other cultures beyond the one being researched, often our own.

It was during a research project in a South African township that this concept really struck home - the intense cultural differences we have been encountering over the years of working on global qualitative projects can often converge. There are patterns that emerge and macrotrends that start to be more clearly recognized, and they can develop and spread. It is a fascinating phenomenon and one which is worth studying more in depth.

On this particular day in South Africa we had just finished a project on developing new, affordable food and drink products for the emerging mass market. We were winding up and ready to say our goodbyes when the young people who had taken part explained they wanted to give us a gift of gratitude. A chicken was sacrificed in our honor and the chicken’s blood was poured over some of their ancestors’ graves before preparing and sharing the meal in our team’s honor.

Stark contrast to work we undertook later that same month researching in a secondary school in the affluent village of Eton, near Windsor (home of the famous Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s residences). Here we worked with young people roughly the same age yet they expected far more and gave far less. In fact, we had equipment stolen from us - the first and only time we have ever had equipment stolen.

Though a strange comparison, the two experiences highlighted a common insight. We learned from the South African students how to position and drive interest in the future and the importance of connecting at a deeper level, building ritual and how to gain and keep interest to earn trust. Who would have thought that such a disparate set of circumstances could focus us in a direction to find the answer? But it did.

Seemingly very different instances can provide invaluable insight into cross-cultural habits. Key of course is defining which drivers are prevalent across all cultures and how these diverse cultures respond to different stimuli.

So while in Shanghai, a classroom session in learning how to make nutrition and healthful products more relevant was dynamic, with all kids vying for attention. Every question asked over the six-hour session with the kids had all kids raising their hand to provide the answer. In the Netherlands, on a similar subject, we had a much different response to our questions. Dutch children tend to be taught not to overachieve and are encouraged to hold back. The subject was virtually the same, the “way in” was clearly different. The Chinese culture allowed us to see how to address the problems with the Dutch client’s approach to their product marketing. We gave the example of the difference between Chinese and Dutch experiences, and that resonated with the European client - the resulting “aha” was the first step to amazing success.

In Australia, during a project about food and snacking, we were struck by how different these kids’ relationship with food is. Unlike their U.K. and U.S. counterparts, the Australian child deals with food choices in a broadly wholesome way. They appear to have a clear understanding of the role of treats, perceiving them to be emotionally healthy rather than nutritionally good for them. The difference in relationship with food was more highlighted because we had a cultural comparison and this began the process of unlocking the answers to our research brief.

Yet while these types of learnings can be very distinct and different from each other, when analyzed there are common themes and threads which begin to emerge. One such theme which is becoming a global macrotrend is the desire for “real food” values to be brought back to processed food. This is demonstrated cross-culturally in many ways: the desire for organic, bio-dynamic, all-natural and even locally produced foods. There is a globally growing wish to return to the feeling of more wholesome, less contrived. Interestingly, this macrotrend is reflected not only in foods but also in other product categories. Key is the drive toward unedited, raw, unadulterated, genuine, natural - and this often goes hand-in-hand with “more ethical,” “more trustworthy.” These sentiments, of course, are propagated via rapid communications channels.

Most creative

There is also an interesting theme emerging in contrast to the intense consumer frenzy of the last decade. This is the behavior and aspirations of lower socioeconomic societies. Be they in Brazil, India or the U.S., the children that come from a low-income society, those that can’t afford to surround themselves with gizmos and “stuff,” are by far the most spontaneous and often creative children we have worked with. Their attention span is greater and their curiosity and inquisitiveness are more honed. Often they appear to have better problem-solving skills too. Whether it be lack of external distractions or merely that they don’t have a lot of expensive toys and so need to be more creative, these kids are frequently less grasping and more contented. They project a genuine aura of confidence too. Obviously this is not suggesting that lower-income should be our goal, though there is a lesson to be learned in terms of appreciating the value of simpler things in life.

The drive for parents to get kids involved in activities is another recurrent, cross-cultural theme. This spans all socioeconomic boundaries too. Similarly there is a drive around the world to have more unstructured time, to reduce intense schedules. This is something which is prevalent in the more affluent societies where parents aspire for their kids to be involved in numerous activities. What we are starting to see is more of a desire for young people to have and enjoy free, unstructured time where they can enjoy a break from the busy-ness and routine.

The cross-cultural picture would not be complete without talking about the effect technology has had on today’s youth. This too is (of course) a global trend - you can see it evident everywhere. Our children are the very first generation to have grown up with connectivity at their fingertips. They expect it. In fact in our research we have found kids from all backgrounds and numerous countries claiming that they would feel quite paralyzed and disconnected if they could not keep in touch with their myriad of virtual friends. The flip side to this however is that this sense of connectivity which technology offers them has left them craving for genuine connections - the real thing. Technology can’t replace a proper, face-to-face, human relationship. There is in effect a sense of void emerging. Kids are looking for bigger thrills, more exciting experiences and new ways of connecting

Unexpected insight

So what does this tell us? Certainly it is at least interesting to see what goes on elsewhere, but I propose that it can bring new, renewed or even completely unexpected insight. When my partner and I formed our research company, we were advised to focus on one market. I am glad that we didn’t listen to that advice. The global experiences have allowed us to see what is human truth and indeed what is a cultural truth. Knowing the difference has helped immensely in delivering successful projects and uncovering fascinating, enriching findings.