Читать книгу Next: A Vision of Our Lives in the Future - Marian Salzman - Страница 10

Throughout our global village, residents are being asked to accommodate change at an unprecedented pace. As the new world order demands that we adapt to a broad array of new cultural, political, economic and technological influences, we can’t fail to recognize the truth in the adage, ‘Change is life’s only constant.’

In the West, anxiety about change is exacerbated by premillennial tension. As observed by John Naisbitt, the millennium is a metaphor for the future; wrapped up in it are our greatest hopes – and our greatest fears. We’re uncertain how the changes to come will affect us personally. The result has been oscillation between optimism and anxiety. Indeed, the two of us have been struck by how much of society’s ‘future view’ is caught up in such paradoxes. Today’s trends include a push towards risk and safety, indulgence and cost-consciousness. But no paradox is as interesting, nor as marketable, as that of nostalgia and futurism. As put by marketing consultant James Rosenfield, ‘People seem to be trying on both the past and the future for size.’¹

These co-existing tendencies toward nostalgia and futurism are not unexpected – when confronted with accelerated change, people gravitate to that which is most familiar and most comfortable, whether it be a particular brand of food, an old TV show or a retro fashion. But because swearing off the future and change is simply not an option, we alleviate our anxieties by finding a balance between what has been, what is and what is to come. The exact ‘comfort’ equation is as unique to each individual as his or her fingerprints, but most involve creating a sturdy bridge that spans past, present, and future. Marketers and product developers must take this consumer duality into account in order to strike a balance that’s appropriate for their target. Chanel’s fall ’98 ready-to-wear collection rose to the challenge by featuring both very, very long skirts (a nod to the attire of Coco’s youth) and a new bag designed for the millennium called ‘2005’.

When we consider brands for the future (a.k.a. millennium brands), it’s clear to us that, whether classic or newly minted, these brands will share a capacity to be reinvented, reinterpreted and reoriented at an extraordinary rate. Rather than be motivated by a chameleon-like hypocrisy, such change will be an extension of the brand’s guiding force. Authenticity is also all-important. Worn down by an endless barrage of questionable product claims and an unrelenting need to ‘read the fine print’, consumers gravitate towards – and actively seek out – people and products that deliver honesty and integrity.

The fact that Citibank sponsored Elton John’s 1998 world tour speaks worlds about that brand’s commitment to being what its customers need it to be: honest, human, humane and spirited. What more could a brand ask for than a celebrity endorser who has aired all and been lauded for his integrity, for his passion for his art and for the causes he’s supported and moved the world to support? When we consider Sir Elton John, we are really considering the quintessential millennium brand, an individual who has risen above his blemishes and warts, has been transported by his ambition, commitment and talent, and who remains firmly rooted in the real world while he lives a life far beyond anything a working-class kid from England could have ever imagined. Elton John is a millennial brand because he is trusted, because he is genuine – and because he is familiar. We know him, and we draw comfort from that.

Smart marketers have been quick to take advantage of consumers’ nostalgic leanings. Microsoft launched Windows 95 with help from the Rolling Stones; Nissan reconnected to its history with the aid of Van Halen and G.I. Joe. Around the world, we’re most definitely seeing a rise in ‘stake claiming’ to the past, as companies work to ensure that tomorrow is familiar because of its linkage to yesterday. Going forwards, we’ll see that the most effective marketing strategies meld the essence of nostalgia (reliability, quality, beauty, familiarity) with the positive elements of futurism (functionality, convenience, versatility).