• by Larissa Faw , October 11, 2017

With research groups and online surveys sometimes providing less-than-truthful insights, McCann Worldgroup is instructing its 20,000 employees worldwide to leave their desks for a day and head to the streets in their local markets to meet with and interview people face to face.

This "Truth About Street" study will encompass more than 100 countries for insights into shopping behaviors and cultural values.

"Understanding how to engage with the consumer today has never been more challenging, as we grapple with the complexities of both our own nation and the world beyond," says Mark Lund, CEO, McCann Worldgroup UK. He adds it is "essential for us to go beyond the news headlines to look at the deeper story and uncover the key tenets that will shape the relationships between brands and consumers in 2018.”

McCann first pioneered this type of research via its Latin America offices during a 2012 study that focused on the consumption of street-vendor food, followed by a study of shopping behaviors in 2013. The offices have conducted this type of research each year with a new topic, involving more than 2,000 McCann employees in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The first phase kicked off in APAC earlier this week, before extending to Europe, LATAM and North America.

The global findings will be incorporated in the next wave of the company’s "Truth About Global Brands" study that will be released in a few months.