September 12, 2004
fragmentation of fashion
Britton Monasco writes about “The Fragmentation of Fashion” over at Corante. It’s a good read.
My two cents: It’s not just consumers have too much choice; it’s that they’ve gotten too smart.
They know that $100 t-shirt cost $2 to make in The Phillipines. They know the supermodel is just as screwy, tedious and flawed as the rest of us.
They know there’s a short, bald guy behind the curtain.
Dazzling them with your brand isn’t as easy as it used to be. The bullshit detectors are a lot more powerful than when you were back getting your MBA.
And they’re getting more powerful every day. You know that, I know that, to pretend otherwise is just stupid and wrong.
You no longer control the conversation, they do. All you can do is make products that enhance the conversation. That make the conversation interesting and wonderful.
It’s what I said in The Hughtrain: “It’s not just the product. People have to love the process as well.”
i.e. It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it.
Markets are now faster and smarter than you are. Without belief and purpose, you have nothing.
One of the things you now have to believe in is the importance of actually having conversations with your customers…if the transponder is always on “send” and never on “receive,” you’re screwed.
Supermodels are flakey. Damn. I just assumed that beauty and brains were theirs. Like a tree being struck by lightning twice, more or less guaranteed.
Damn their skinny bony asses for being so, uhhmmm, hungry looking…
Well, having conversations with your customers is tricky, once your customer base exceeds a couple of dozen. Hard enough for me to keep up with everybody who sends me an e-mail. Imagine if I had a product with millions of cutomers.
I guess the central issue is; once you have “the conversation” started, how do you scale it up so the many can join in, not just the few?
I have some ideas. You?
What is that “process” that persuades, I wonder? For an example, the fact that third world factory workers are making big brand garments — Do you believe this fact will deter people from buying their favorite brand? Or is it that people are simply looking out for number 1 and refusing to pay what they used to pay. I suppose it’s a bit of both, the benevolent consumer and the demystified, cynical consumer.
Hugh,
Your question prompted me to jot down some of my ideas about conversations with customers…too much to include here. Not sure if this is proper etiquette, but , If you’re interested, they’re posted at:
http://truetalk.typepad.com/truetalk/2004/09/one_of_the_thin.html
Hey Tom, took a look at your list. Good one =)
Aleah, well, people are a lot more self-interested than is polite to mention in polite society.
Good example: people like to talk about Wal Mart putting Mom n’ Pop stores out of business. I disagree. I think the actual customers put Mom n’ Pop stores out of business by choosing to shop at Wal Mart instead.
But that is a contentious issue…
Exactly why i’ve fired the last 3 ad agencies i’ve worked with — because the lies stop working.
“My two cents: It’s not just consumers have too much choice; it’s that they’ve gotten too smart.”
Then try honesty! I know its hard for the industry to grasp, but honest marketing IS possible.
Amen, Vanselus.