The new issue of the David Report is called “Closed Wallets, Closed Minds”.
We are increasingly suffering from consumption fatigue, but brands and designers have yet to acknowledge the fact, reckons David Carlson.
-’Brands must either get used to the idea of a world in which we buy less, which will at least test theories that endless economic growth is a social necessity, or they need to speak to consumers with new resonance. ’
One route to success will be an ability to merge commerce with culture… in other words, a sense of meaning is paramount. When so many big businesses seem to have taken on the mantle of The Tyrell Corporation in ‘Blade Runner’, it may not be so strange that consumer demands are higher too. Indeed, producer wants and consumer wants seem to be increasingly drifting apart along this fault line.
-’Only the future will tell if the climate of anti-consumerism is genuine or if we are only on a pause between mad bouts of bag-filling…’ ends David Carlson.
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6 comments
trendoffice says:
Jun 9, 2011
“it is time to come up with a new generation of relevant products based on a holistic standpoint – one that does not only look at sustainability from an environmental perspective. It is necessary to look further and include values such as authenticity, aesthetics, affectivity and compatibility. The ruling technological perspective should be set to instead view product development through the lens of humanity.” – if this happens, we are going to live in a much better world
Great article!
Justin says:
Jun 9, 2011
Very thought provoking. However, it’s “Your Money or Your LIFE”, not “Your Money or Your LOVE” by Vicki Robins.
Ric L. Tate says:
Jun 9, 2011
The “consumption fatigue” is more specifically in the mid- to lower-income American markets. Luxury markets and the rest of the world is another story…
The fatigue in mid-to-low America is the result of a widening income gap; not the result of people who don’t believe in brands. This is perhaps the first error of this report. People are too happy to believe in irrelevant, average and uninteresting brands, products and graphics.
And, people are too happy to blow their cash when they get paychecks, bonuses, you name it. The only different today, is that executive pay is astronomical. And for the rest, well, unemployment is high. Economist Martin Hart Landsberg covers the growing income gap in his blog: media.lclark.edu/content/hart-landsberg.
The second failure of this report is that: fatigue is not a failure of capitalist consumption; it is its perfection. The lie of capitalism was that it stood for freedom and democracy. But it only stood for freedom (free-markets, private ownership and executive-led decision-making) and not for democracy (shared markets, public ownership and consensus-driven decision-making). True, the infinite growth theory is dodgy, but we’ve known that for centuries.
As we’ve seen lately, in the Congo or China, free-market capitalism thrives in dictatorships and communist regimes. There’s a great moment in Reinier de Graf’s Picnic presentation (http://vimeo.com/16107033), where you see a map of how capitalism grows more in non-democratic countries.
Nor is sustainability the antidote to this “fatigue.” Greenwashing is so common, one cannot escape it. And besides, its the new mantra for higher costs and profits. Just ask any lobbyist or public relations personnel on capitol hill: they sing the sustainability song, not some 60s counter-cultural movement dragging its heels today.
So let’s stop coming up with “making the world a better place” mantras; they’re so depressing. I’m not advocating for pessimism; but optimism equally delusional. How about a little realism?
sac burberry says:
Jun 10, 2011
10-11 seasons, MBT schuhe the Prim era Lira,
Jennie So says:
Jun 13, 2011
Can I just say I couldn’t agree more?!
Having moved to HK recently, I thought it was already bad in London.
What a complete waste of resources this unthinking consumerism is causing the planet. Coincidentally, this is the reason why I started up my label (or cause) to produce well-designed small edition products with no specific boundaries – SO Editions. I’d like to invite you to check us out on Facebook.
Kudos to bringing this article out!
luis fernando ponce says:
Feb 4, 2012
Nowadays there are hundreds of platforms to encourage people to become entrepreneurs, you can sell thru ebay, ibookstore, amazon associates, saatchi online, yanko design and so on, you neither need a credit investment partner since paypal can do the job for a small charge. As you say, Ikea also is encouraging clients to become sellers. The world is changing to let anyone to jump into fame (although it could be for 20 miutes). So consumerism is here to stay until the wheel stop to run, eventually all these entrepreneurs will gather again in big conglomerates as it was in the beginning and the wheel again will begin to run. All that we can do in the meantime is think more our products, give better service, work for far sight goals, but always there will be ones that will place money first instead of quality.