Consumers in a downturn: a new spending habit? (part 1)

The business channel of The Atlantic Online published this weekend the first of two articles by Grant McCracken on the implications of the recession on consumer habits. This article just deals with three variations of a mere quantitative change. The qualitative change — where consumption patterns might change in kind and not just in quantity — will be addressed in a second piece. What will the current downturn might mean to consumers? Will their habits change in lasting ways? Could we return from the downturn to discover that consumers are a very different animal, that our economy runs on new principles. David Brooks wondered recently whether we might someday look like abstemious Amsterdam. There is a scarier prospect: that we might go the way of Japan. [...] Consumers scales back existing consumption habits. They buy the same things, roughly speaking, but they shift from expensive to cheaper versions, from big quantities to small quantities. This suggests a shift from European luxury cars to Japanese sedans, from luxury goods to something more generic, from national brands to store brands, from eating out to eating in, from steak to hamburger. The logic is a simple diminution, a quantitative change that produces no qualitative change. The world of consumer demand remains what it always was, scaled back for the moment in a managed retreat. When trust, job confidence, credit and prosperity are restored, the consumer will come charging back. All is forgiven. All is forgotten. We will party like it’s 1999. Read full story (alternate link) via Putting People First

Reading list for this week

• A lot has been written recently about Design Thinking, innovation and branding. This article by Todd Wasserman in Branweek looks at successful example of design thinking in marketing campaign. The future of branding is in design.

• As seen in NYT, Vogue Teen shop is landing in the Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey, the pop up store aptly name Haute Spot will not be selling anything but allow girls to relax, have a smoothie and try on clothes. “We’re not actually selling products, because our goal is to encourage people to shop in the mall,” Ms. McEwen said. More than 20 Teen Vogue advertisers are participating, including Clinique, Armani Exchange and Aldo.
  

• The Department of Anthropology at the University of California at Irvine recently organised a workshop on innovation in digital money, entitled Everyday Digital Money.(Putting people First) and I am rather excited by the dection on Mobile Payments and Transfers that looks at digital mony in emerging economies.
• Last but not list an A-Z guide to social interaction via Johnny Holland and written by Adrian Chan
  

Heineken the City: Beer Concept Store

What do you do when Heineken asks you to design their first shop? Do you place furniture and displays into a given space? We thought it would be rather more appropriate to pour furniture into the six monumental buildings located in the heart of Amsterdam, as if we were filling a cold fresh glass of X-tra cold Heineken. This concept translates into displays that evolve seamlessly from the floors to the walls and ceilings in abstract dynamic wave movements. The idea of coldness is consequently applied through the whole shop design including the lighting which is 100% LED based (the first in Europe). You will also find a three story high fridge (possibly another record) containing all the Heineken bottles from different markets around the world. Alongside the fridge an ice crystal evolves along the wall containing over 600 Heineken bottles. When you enter the shop you feel a cool breeze coming from the logo written in real ice on a metal wall (yet another a novelty). The central space features a monumental glass staircase, the material choice throughout the shop constantly supporting a sense of coolness. The floors are made of a new product developed by Senso which features an abstract graphic representation of ice cracks and a large watermark. The cashing desks are sculptural crystal shapes.

The shop is devised in four sections:
The fashion department featuring specially designed clothing by cutting edge fashion designers, Daryl van Wouw being the first to create a collection.
The ultimate beer shop featuring 'The fridge'.
A fully equipped recording studio for young music artists: Refreshing Sounds Studio.
A tickets and travel section for trips and events sponsored by Heineken.

Information from Heineken:

Heineken is to add a new dimension to its marketing by opening a unique, ultramodern concept store: Heineken The City.
Launching July the 5th in the brewer's home city of Amsterdam, the store comprises of six buildings where special products and services will be sold in the sphere of music, fashion, travel & events and, obviously, beer.
The project aims to highlight Heineken's international network, and the brand's foreign and domestic sponsorship activities.
Marketing manager of Heineken Netherlands Herwin van den Berg, said, "Heineken The City is not a catering establishment but a concept store that stimulates all sense and where real Heineken 'wanna-haves' are for sale.
"We literally want to bring 'Heineken - Serving the planet' to life with this store. With beautiful products and exclusive services the Heineken brand makes life just that little bit more pleasant."
The design of Heineken The City claims to be "revolutionary", full of the latest technical devices, including speaking mirrors, 3D TV screens, an ice wall and interactive pillars. This store is the first in Europe to be 100% LED-lit.
Products and services available in Heineken The City are divided into four cornerstones: Refreshing Sounds Studio (music), Fashion, Tickets & Travel (for trips and events) and a Beer Shop (selling beer-related products).
Highlights include limited edition sneakers (pictured), special beer bottles from Asia, the opportunity to create self-designed Heineken bottles, or book a fashion tour of Amsterdam.
Heineken The City targets Dutch consumer and will be open seven days a week.

Additional information:

Size: 250 m2


Project team
Frank Tjepkema, Janneke Hooymans, Tina Stieger, Leonie Janssen

Production

Hypsos












via Tjep

Fish or Foul? and other stories

Interesting reads of the week

Deconstructing consumer confidence

Why are Americans so gloomy? It may be all about the yoked dog and ‘learned helplessness.’ By Dan Ariely

Fish or Foul?

When it comes to food, we all think of ourselves as experts. But we taste with both our tongues and our minds, and it’s easy to lead minds astray. By EDWARD DOLNICK

Content Marketing=Brand New Marketing

Content Marketing = Brand New Marketing?

view presentationtags: media interactive trends new

There is also a great post about it by Paul Isakon (straight from his site and pasted here)

Helge was kind enough to contact me a couple weeks back to get some thoughts on this presentation. I meant to share it then but was traveling and let it fall down the Gmail inbox rabbit hole a bit. Thankfully, Damiano reminded me today.

Some things I especially liked were:

Slide 3: The thought of not focusing on one idea, but creating a range of ideas that engage people and bring them closer to the brand - something that the research of Duncan Watts is leading people to and something that Faris and Noah have been on to for quite a while, as have a few others.

Slide 33: If you're producing applications for brands/clients, always remember that the application is a means to an end, not the end itself.

Slides 47-59 on Emotional Research - it's time to start looking at things differently, don't you think?

Anyway, give it a read and be sure to let Helge know what you think over on his post of it or on Slideshare.