How ironic should the world get back on kilter simply because we can no longer afford the new shoes with which to make a significant footprint; that a shortage of real purchasing power rather than spending the illusionary stuff may be the safest banker of all.
If an economy based on debt is fundamentally barmy – and surely it has so proved to be – then a consumer culture that takes limitless choice for granted runs it a close second. There’s been too much of it and for far too long. The game’s up and were the post-Christmas prospect not quite so chilling, then good riddance to it.
Volumes aren’t necessarily driven by diversity. With regards to the latter: less isn’t more – it’s the be-all, or else the end-all. Apart from as a figment of some marketing man’s imagination, there’s no real need for umpteen variants of washing-powder or a relentless crop of genetically-mutated fruit and veg that would shame even Crufts.
“Choice has got to a point where it’s a joke. There’s so much of it that it’s not possible to make an informed one at all.” If that observation rings any bells to you, seasonal or otherwise, then maybe we need to talk about Kevin. Not the troubled teenager of fiction, but one called Vyse (ex-Brand Matters), whose Packlife market research unit is flushing out a stack of not always palatable consumer realities of a similar ilk rather than pre-conditioned messages that we might prefer to take as gospel.
Plus, not being afraid to counsel that research should inform rather than confirm a design strategy – even to the point that existing packaging should often be retained, contrary to the whim of a newly incumbent brand manager intent upon refreshment for its own sake. You know who you are, so don’t protest.
“While brands might cull poorly performing lines from their portfolios,” says Vyse, “it’s invariably in order to wheel in new contenders.” Retailers might like to take a braver view on what to de-list, but there’s only so much own-label to occupy ever-expanding shelf-space. In a congested marketplace, genuine insight is a commodity on which we should all be stocking up.
An increased future convergence between in-store and online could be one solution, he suggests; likewise, greater care taken over rapacious extension into complementary or else entirely non-sequitor lines that weaken rather than strengthen the core brand proposition.
Feedback that respects rather than directs the consumer viewpoint is all plum and no duff. Stick a £12,000 research rain check on your wish list, and present your customers and yourself with an altogether different choice that’s for life, not just for Christmas.
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