New Media Buzz

Several economic bubbles ago (or economic downturns, for the glass-half-empty set) there was a huge “no-frills” movement in grocery stores. It featured products called “generics” that were often packaged in plain yellow cans with black lettering or white cans with blue lettering for staples like beer, soda, detergent, rice, etc. The biggest differentiator for all of these products was, of course, price. Packaging was stripped down and stark. There was no expectation that the products inside were any better than the comparable branded goods. They were just cheaper, often a lot cheaper.

Since then, we’ve entered (passed through?) what Daniel Pink in A Whole New Mind calls an era of abundance. The vast availability of goods has made the concept of scarcity unheard of and created a middle-class obsessed with design. It’s why we see Todd Oldham trash cans at Target, Martha Stewart linen sets at K-Mart, and Norma Kamali fashions at Walmart? (Okay, we didn’t know who she was either, 76.5% of us anyway, here’s her bio.) The question now is, will this obsession hold up as the economy continues to contract?

As consumers, we’re cutting back on nonessential spending (sorry Starbucks, we’re brewing our own now). Many of us are also switching from name brand foods to comparable store brands. FYI: store brands are not the same as generics, which you can still find out there (if not, check out the cult classic “Repo Man” and you’ll see tons of them). The quality of store brands is comparable to that of name brands, the big difference being price point. This indicates consumers’ reluctance to retreat from the design-infused lifestyle and self-image they have come to embrace over the past decades. But, as the job cuts come, the choice may no longer be there.

So where does that leave businesses? In a word: jittery. And, no, that’s not the best way to lead a commercial operation. The organizations and brands that will thrive in this economy will be the ones that are bold and creative, the ones that present themselves as invaluable to their audience.

Want to take the bold approach? Consider Cessna, the private/corporate plane company. Their current campaign touts the line “Timidity didn’t get you this far. Why put it in your business plan now?” It’s a great take-the-bull-by-the-horns pitch for executives, Cessna’s target audience. What it doesn’t take into account is the perceptions of the target audience of the executives’ businesses. Conspicuous consumption does not play very well right now, because businesses don’t want to seem insensitive to the many people out there who are hurting.

(Quick note: Please, please, cancel that luxury corporate junket, especially if you’re asking the Feds for a handout.)

However, cutting out the extravagance doesn’t mean you can’t put an emphasis on creativity and style in your brand message. When times get hard, you cut back where you can, but you don’t change who you are. The era of abundance has led consumers to learn to appreciate design to a much greater extent (it’s one of the big allures of Apple: sleek, simple, stylish), and people are not ready to give that up. As a business/brand, you’ve got to ask yourself what your audience is looking for. It may not be all about the bottom line, and even if it is, creativity and design may need to be a part of that bottom line. As your competitors drop their emphasis on creativity, they become ever more generic. The creativity in your campaign will help you stand out from the rest and remain top of mind once the economy turns around. Because it will turn around.

How you emphasize creativity? Check out some of these projects to see how we work design into the mix to enhance client message: Smart Carton (educational and kid friendly), Amerigas (Clean, green and easy to use), Luxor (sexy, exotic, in reach), University of Illinois Chicago Athletics (collegiate, exciting, fun). It’s not plain-wrap, but then most businesses aren’t either.

Disclosure: We are a creative agency, with the emphasis on creative. So what we’re saying here also serves our corporate interests. But it’s something we believe in, deeply.