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Too much of a good thing?

Posted in General, Marketing September 10th, 2007 by admin

Have we all had too much of a good thing? It would appear so. There’s a new zeitgeist sweeping Britain and it seems to be shaping the way we shop and think. Marketers would be well advised to sit up and take note says Olly Raeburn (pictured), managing partner, Liquid Communications

The new mood seems to be one of austerity instead of prosperity or to put it more mildly, ‘conscious’ consumerism versus conspicuous consumerism.

We are seeing a move away from the ‘buy it all’ Beckham-style approach to life, which has inspired a nation of shopaholics (and bankrupts), to a move towards ethical living, restraint and reasoned shopping. Stars such as Sienna Miller, who has publicly raised her hand as an advocate of green, considered consumption, are carving out a position for themselves as the new role models.

New buying habits are, of course, being fuelled by the green agenda - gas-guzzling four wheel drives are starting to lose their appeal for instance, while smart cars and eco-motors are racing up the popularity stakes.

But our consumer values are being shaped by other factors too. Maybe we are feeling a little sick as a nation after an era of acting like kids in the sweetshop. Maybe we are waking up to the evidence of that excess – the freak weather; the melting polar caps, the ‘eat now-pay later’ burger-babies, the drunken, drug-demented teenagers, the out-of-control celebs, the obscene profiteering of global business, (and that’s just one news bulletin!) – perhaps the fall-out of an age of consumerism is starting to jangle nerves and sound alarm bells.

Some say the new mood is due to the Gordon Brown effect. David Kynaston, author of this year’s surprise best seller Austerity Britain, is one of them. The book, based on the diaries of Churchill’s Cabinet Secretary, details the minutiae of 1950s living and paints a picture of a nation struggling with scarcity but happy none-the-less. Kynaston believes that Brown, the canny, honest Scot with the serious politics, is proving a popular antidote to ‘Big me up’ Blair, and we are actively embracing this new ‘Toned’-down style of leadership.

Talking recently on Radio 4, Kynaston says he believes the book’s popularity is the result of Britain’s desire for a lack of show and ostentation and ‘a repudiation of consumerism and consumption’.

He has a point.

Consider the recent backlash against Sir Philip Green accused of using slave labour in his Kate Moss range for Topshop. It’s this and similar issues which are guaranteed to get Middle England up in arms. Think back to the 80s, the era of glitz and gold, bimbos and baubles when Gerald Ratner famously brought his eponymous company to its knees by describing his jewelry as crap and some of the earrings as “cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but unlikely to last as long.” Back then status and image were what counted most to consumers as Ratner found to his cost when he stuck the knife in.

Now, we’re happy to flaunt our cheap fashion, but are uncomfortable about the unpalatable realities that might lie behind. Shopping with a conscience still has a way to go before it gets its house in order; the believability factor remains an issue.

Like social networks, businesses have to be careful how they enter the green arena and avoid band-wagoning at all costs. The ethical agenda is another space that can’t be owned by business or used for purely commercial reasons.

Consumers are not daft. They will buy authentic green gestures – such as Waitrose selling hail-damaged apples to help British farmers hit by the ‘summer’ weather - but they’ll see through anything that is staged. Be warned!