• by Meg Asaro , Columnist, December 14, 2017

Let’s face it, the world is changing rapidly. We are going through a mass cultural disruption where we feel numb one minute, elated the next and downright overwhelmed most of the time. While many of these growing pains are brought on by the new world order fighting for control within the existing framework, consumerism seems to be the stabilizing force. Or is it? 

Looking up and down the aisles at Costco, Walmart or the local grocery store, it seems painfully obvious that we are reaching a pinnacle of consumerism. Looking back to the relationship people once had with their possessions, Billy Ray Valentine from Trading Places comes to mind. “We're losing all our damn money, and Christmas is around the corner, I ain't gonna have no money to buy my son the G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip!” 

Eddie Murphy’s character knew how important it was to deliver the goods on Christmas. Our desires were finite, they matched what was marketed to us through a handful of TV channels or magazines. I remember begging my parents to buy me a pair of stonewashed Guess jeans that cost a whopping $50. Those jeans meant the world to me. I wore them religiously and constructed a multitude of outfits around them. 

Today, my 8-year-old son has a Lego addiction that can’t seem to be squashed. His Lego love isn’t satisfied, as mine once was, with that one awesome set. He needs Lego Star Wars, Ninjago, Minecraft etc. The American mantra of ‘too much is never enough’ is alive and well.

So, while I praise the Lego mothership for cracking the code of marketing to kids, my heart breaks when I see Legos tossed aside like Woody in Toy Story. This is not a right of passage but instead a reaction to being raised in a disposable culture. When you have thousands of anything, those things will naturally have less value. 

Yes, the bombardment of choice has resulted in better programming but it has also resulted in lower-quality merchandise like fast fashion and technology that mysteriously lives a shorter life than its older counterparts. (Is mine the only phone that can’t make it more than two years??)

This has upended the generally accepted value equations of consumerism: money + dream purchase = deep meaning. 

This equation came complete with values that reflected who we were. My Guess jeans meant I was cool or maybe even hawt, at least for a pudgy teen in the 1980s.

Today’s equation is mucky and results in a new and alarming answer: money + overwhelming choice = a loss of meaning.

With a long-term view on consumerist culture, what is a brand to do? If we stay on this trajectory, the world in Wall-E might very well be in the cards. After all, a loss of meaning will make it difficult for any brand to create a deep relationship in the future. Consider the following options to change trajectory:

Drive choice

While having options is lovely, it can be dizzying. Help people choose your brand, give them a reason that matters to them. People need to feel in control; making choices is a great way to do just that.

Innovate with purpose

Just because you can make Oreos with Swedish Fish Stuf doesn’t mean it is a good idea. According to Teen Vogue, there are 55 different Oreo flavors on the market, excluding Thins, Double Stuf, etc. Brands must strive to provide something deeper than product in order to create and build meaning. 

Don’t just take, give

The nature of consumerism is about selling. But, today, it is clear that selling goes deeper than the transaction itself. People, especially Millennials and Generation Z, actively participate with brands that give as well as they take. 

Show emotion

Ultimately, meaning is uncovered in our most personal and fragile relationships. This happens through an organic emotional connection that helps us remember our human-ness, an imperative to counter-balancing digital living. 

Deliver meaning, not products

According to Strategy&, “the changes roiling the CPG industry are significant enough that companies will have to re-examine fundamental tenets that have in the past served them well.” Fertility rates are down, the potential for individual economic success is at a low point. Brands will have to find new ways to connect with people beyond more choice. Yes, AR and VR offer new tools for engagement; just remember that the end-goal is to deliver meaning, not more stuff.