Supreme homage to value, redefined; every action an investment, whether time or money; the death of impulse / birth of comparative study; choice as a primary concept
There’s something fitting about my first week as a writing apprentice at Riggs falling just days away from April 20, 2013, the sixth anniversary of Record Store Day. While the event, which encourages music lovers to support their local, independently owned music stores, has become an international phenomenon, it has also garnered the beleaguered music industry’s attention by reviving a corner of the market once believed to be barely standing on its last leg. Vinyl record sales have gradually increased since 2008, and in 2012 they reached a 15-year high.
Columbia's Papa Jazz Records
While the numbers reflect only a small drop in the larger industry’s bucket, for me, this growing (and they are growing) niche of consumers says a lot about how consumer culture, in general, is changing. Instant gratification and tech-driven convenience isn’t the selling point it used to be. The Great Recession seems to have spawned a desire to have something to show for one’s hard earned dollar. A new generation is falling in love with their record collections.
From the careful removal of the disc from its cover and jacket, to the equally cautious placement of the needle and the satisfying hiss as it moves into the silent grooves between each song, a preference for vinyl is as much about the owner’s tangible experience as it is about the warm, robust tone only a record can produce. Vinyl seems to imprint its grooves upon our memories in a way digital music has yet to achieve. My dad has a story for every album he’s ever bought. Now I can say the same about many of my friends. More importantly, you can’t carry a record around in a pocket-sized device. We invite vinyl into our homes, allow it to take up space, and return to our favorite albums again and again. It’s a long-term, committed relationship.
A new generation is drawn to the tangible experience of vinyl.
And it’s this thought that brings me back to my first few days as an apprentice at Riggs. Earlier today, I enthusiastically updated the work section of my Facebook. Jokingly I listed my position as “Wannabe Peggy Olson,” in tribute to Mad Men’s plucky copywriter. But as I thought about Record Day, with its own hints of nostalgia filtered through a modern lens, I was reminded that we now live in a world where a snappy slogan touting the features of a well designed product isn’t enough to ensure market success. These days, with so many options and dollars stretched thin, brands that aspire to greatness must first inspire consumer engagement above anything else. Advertising tells people what they should buy. A strong brand strategy guarantees they will never forget why they made that decision. It paves the way for that tangible experience and ignites the initial spark for an enduring relationship. That’s why I wanted to apprentice with Riggs. Anyone can write “effective copy.” Here we strive to write love stories.
Enjoy the season's best from your local farmers — Image picked from Cottle Strawberry Farm
There’s something ultra delicious about picking fresh strawberries in the warm spring sun. They are redder, plumper and oh so very sweeter. My family visits the local farm almost every weekend they’re in season. My four year old, who takes such great care to find the best ones, sneaks a strawberry or two as we carefully pick our way through the rows. They are that irresistible.
As I wander through the field each year, I can’t help but think about this game — the one where mankind and all of his advanced technology cannot outsmart this beautiful recipe of nature, time and weather. Throughout the fall and winter, you can see and taste failure in hard, half-green strawberries forced to ripen as they are shipped across the country (or globe). Strawberries that don’t smell at all like sunshine and sweetness. Imposters.
There was once a time when strawberries could not be found in the off-season and it’s easy to see why. So, more and more, I find myself waiting for the real strawberries. For the next few months, I’ll eat, drink and blend local fresh strawberries into every meal and beverage I can think of.
There’s a short window for one of nature’s greatest gifts. It’s open now at Cottle Strawberry Farm.
The average house size has fallen for the first time since 1973. We’re consuming less, and consuming more meaningfully. Given the pace of recovery, this isn’t a new trend. It’s a new habit.
One hypothesis is that the Great Recession is an early symptom of economic maturity. Perhaps the US’s explosive growth during the 20th century was economic adolescence. Now, our more mature economy will grow at a permanently more modest rate, much like that of pre-unified modern Europe.
I see this as outstanding news. It offers Americans the opportunity for the upgrade of a lifetime. In the mature economy model, the thoughtless consumption of disposable stuff we don’t need will be replaced with two post recession types of spending:
Necessary consumption: buying basic things we need to live comfortably, such as food, heat and transportation
Rewarding consumption: buying things that signify, stimulate or emotionally satisfy. These are “milestone” purchases like a birthday dinner, an anniversary gift or a kitchen remodel
Increasingly, necessary consumption will be commoditized, and will thus be highly competitive and subject to discounting. Embracing the idea of rewarding consumption is the future.
This means marketers have to look for ways to reward your consumer, even when the purchase falls into the necessary category. What if an oil change was accompanied by a car wash?
Deep cuts necessary to survive the downturn have most businesses thinking like airlines. As our slow recovery persists, whatever your business, begin to think like a chocolatier or a jeweler. These experts in rewarding consumption surprise, delight and package well. Emulate them and you’ll turn an ever more discerning customer into a devotee.
I’m in planning mode for several clients now, and McKinsey’s much discussed “customer decision journey” is dominating my thoughts. This theory holds that consumers hold a portfolio of brands, evaluate other brands constantly based on peer influencers and decide periodically which brands to add, discard or replace.
The customer decision journey replaces the old purchase funnel, rightfully acknowledging that spouses, children and friends influence our decisions more than advertising, public relations or social media.
It is worth acknowledging that consumers have denied the influence of advertising on their decisions since the beginning of market research. Nevertheless, Gallop’s poll paints a clear picture.
Peer influence and referral have never been more influential than before.
This dynamic is made all the more powerful by technology’s ability to offer everyone a voice, a megaphone and an audience. So what’s a marketer to do?
Start a conversation. Be bold and give consumers something to discuss.
Amidst all the noise about cyber Monday, Patagonia did just that.
I love that the company has taken a stand against excess consumerism. Even better is the fact the company started a conversation about Patagonia. No doubt people are consuming less. So why not increase loyalty from current customers and attract new ones with likeminded values?
A recent Pew Research Center study found that 1 in 3 Americans doesn’t know his neighbors.
As suburbs sprawled, front porches disappeared and screened porches morphed into Florida rooms. Sidewalk parking — heck, sidewalks in general — disappeared, as carports became three-car garages. It’s today’s reality: In our communication-starved society, there’s little hope of neighborly dialogue between the garage and the kitchen’s granite topped island.
Enter the great reboot of the American dream. For the first time since 1950 (when the average size home was a mere 983 square feet), houses are getting smaller. Many people now prefer to rent rather than own. Security has replaced more as the American ideal. So how has this impacted marketing?
Facebook is the current decade’s front porch.
Put simply, people are starved for human connection. On Facebook, people can see you sitting right there, just watching the world go by and waiting for a friendly visit. Human connection via IM, but connection nonetheless.
You can see it playing out on TV as well. Lay’s potato chips wants us to “know the farmers.”
A far cry conceptually from “No one can eat just one.”
California Milk and Cheese is adopting a similar strategy.
Again, the shift is pronounced. “Got milk,” the dairy association’s legendary campaign, focused on the consumer. Now the focus is on the integrity of the product.
What’s key is realizing that relevance is no longer enough. Now there must be value and values – even for a potato chip. Sustainability, community investment and charity aren’t ancillary messages anymore. And the perfect place to parade them is right in front of today’s virtual front porch.
There is a rising consciousness that we are all connected, one to another - human beings, nonprofits, small businesses, corporate America. This blog is devoted to the study of the intersection between people and the thoughtful brands with which they identify.
