eyes wide open wallet half shut

8/6/2019 Eyes Wide Open Wallet Half Shut

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EYESWIDEOPEWaEt haf Sht | gg p-


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aErIcaS arE IvIg thrOgh OE OfthE bIggESt EcOOIc crISES Of OrtIE. EvErYDaY IfE haS bEcOE harDErtO aagE aD aS a cOtrY, WE havEfacED PrEcEDEtED chaEgES.

his crisis has taken a toll on our emotional aswell as our fnancial well bein. onsumers aresittin riht in the middle o this disequilibriumand hae been orced to reect on, react, andchane to this new reality.

PrEcEDEtEDut

For the frst time since the great Deression

.S. unemploymen es eExcEEDED 20%

cial nemloyment = 10.0% Y , D, 20091

g nemloyment = 22.1%D., v, 20093

eal nemloyment = 17.5% Y , v, 20092

fOrEcOSrE

Free-f-A

1 4 (23%) borrowersare D

(i.e., they owe more thantheir home is worth)

J, v, 20094

D pY

I rEvErSEWe e ein

paid less, t iddle-class amilies earned less by theend o 2008 than they did in 1999 Y , JY, 2010 5

ShIftIg

savings

In ay 2009, realpersonal income

ell -2%, wile savingincrease more a+6% (year over year J, g

We e

ig mdesite smaller salaJobDiii

We e Ot lwys

appily employe

64%o workers ner 25 years o age

are nappy wi eir jobs an less

an al o all Americans are appy

wi eir jobs

D p, JY, 20106

DEPrESSIO rise

oe o us e mediin oom depession

prescritions or sleein ills ro

+7% and +15%or antideressantDg, 4, 2009

8

42% o those 25 and youner who are

unemloyed eel their lie A dItI

and o youn unemloyed, one-third

(32%) elt dd all or most o the timepDY., JY, 20109

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3/25

here is so much inormation

about how the recession

has hurt the consumer.

ut what haens now?

s we embark on a recoery,

we eel comelled to know

how the exerience has

shaed the lies o

eeryday mericans.

s thouht leaders and exerts in

understandin consumer behaior inthe context o our culture, ily and

ommunisace teamed u to make

sense o the eects the recession has,

and will hae, on mericans. n this

study, we attemted to answer some

imortant questions by sureyin

1,200 .. consumers and qualitatiely

exlorin key toics with 694 online

community members.

te end esul will poide liy nd dieion o syin elen wi e pos-eession onsu

g ow are consumers emerinrom the recession?

g hat chanes are they makinand will they make in theshort-term? on-term?

g hat will ost-recessionconsumers want, need, desire

g ow will they rioritize sendtheir time and money?

g ow can marketers and branstay releant as they naiatthis new landscae?

g re there any notable dierewhen lookin at enerations,ender, or eorahy?

WhErEDO WE gO

f h?

gOOD qutI.

4


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EYESWIDEOPE

F

u thESIS ur research shows this new consumeconsciousness is occurrin or allmericans to some deree or another

reardless o ae, ender, eorah

education, or income. o while this ne

awareness is somethin we all share

what eole do with this awareness is a

dierse as the indiiduals who make u

this country. he choices we are maki

are defnitely more deliberate, but th

exact decisions we make are erson

context-deendent, and relatie to t

day or the state o our lies and minds

at any ien moment.

I is n undenile :

he recession has creatednot only a uniersal sense

o anxiety and ear, but a

reater leel o consciousness

across all aes and enders.

e cant o back. e hae

heihtened our ercetion;

we are awake, alert, aware

whether we like it or not.

6


5/25

What ISth

uIu?

g =

grEatErPErSOa

carItYY

IcOSIStEcY

mericans are lookin at their world throuh a new lens.

his ost-recession consciousness has created a set oalues and riorities with which to build a dierent reality.

For many, the recession has brouht newound clarity

and has heled to alin choices with alues.

e beliee this new consciousness is not easy to defne

we cant lace eole in buckets. From the outside in, ost-

recession consumer behaior miht seem inconsistent.

ut the decision-makin that underlies eoles choices isborn o hard-won exerience; choices, whateer they may

be, are deliberate and intentional.

For marketers this is oin to mean consumers are oin

to look beore they lea into urchase decisions with mor

research beore they buy, more label readin, comarison

shoin, talkin to riends, etc. his was already haeninbeore the recession, with increased access to inormation an

the exlosion o social media; the recession will just roel thtrend orward as consumers look beore they lea.

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6/25

Dvg pg pDv F D

g

EqIIbrI

D

DIchOtOY

e exist in a new context with reater ambiuity, uncertainty,

and disequilibrium. we think o reality dynamically, as

a system, then consumers inconsistent behaiorurchasin a

at screen v on one day, but ackin ba lunches eery day

or workbeins to make sense. hen we are in disequilibrium

there are two ossible reactions: e can ush back on theexternal ressure to chane or re-balance the system on an

incremental leel (like makin coee at home s. stoin

at tarbucks on the way to work); or we can undamentally

reoranize our behaior to create a new balance (e.., otin

out o a hih octane job or imroed quality o lie).

e see mericans moin between two choices to manae

their lies. ometimes they chose to re-trenchshitinhabits, sendin atterns, rituals, and riorities to maintain the

status quo. t other times they hae been able to re-imaine

their lies, creatin whole new systems o alues and behaiors.

-thI -IAII

For examle, one o the thins we are seein, desite

an undeniable exlosion in the diital and social media

sace, is the return o oo d old-ashioned teleision

iewin. nce deemed the oiate o the masses,

it seems to be takin back its lace as the entertainmentdru o choicehelin us reain a sense o calm

and mindless relie in the midst o all this craziness.

hen we asked consumers to tell us how they were

coin with the recession and what they were mostlikely to bine on between alcohol, sex, or teleision,

media was the clear choice:

nd accordin to Deloittes tate o the edia

Democracy urey10:

g 26% more mericans chose v as their aorite

tye o media than they did last year.

g ore than 70% o resondents ranked v

amon their to-three aorite media actiities

and 34% laced it at the to o the list.

g onsumers watch nearly 18 hours o teleision in atyical weeku rom less than 16 hours last year.

illennials (aes 1426) had the larest increase,

to almost 15 hours rom 10.5 hours.

ale nd Se use medi s n espe, s onneion

o e wold, nd s eliely inepensie om

o eneinmen

reuse to ie u cable v because while m watchin

v rom home, m not out sendin more money!

, 33, g

atchin v and ideos online lets me catch u with

the world outside o my daily bubble, and is a reatway to escae as well. , 21,

e are also seein eole transormin old behaiors

and attitudes. s re-recession habits and choices

become untenable, eole are discoerin new ways to

exlore the world, areciate their lies, and to reconnect

with alues. Forin new career aths out o choice,necessity, or some combination o both is a rime

examle o re-imainin behaior.

heresa has re-focused on volunteern and her values

after losn her job

...hain lost my job as a result o the recession hae had the oortunity to olunteer with a coule

o oranizations to exlore uture career choices

iin on less money is a aluable lesson which may

hel me manae money better in the uture and

has heled me learn to be creatie in many ways

, 49,

Bruce has ratcheted don hs career for a better overall

ualty of lfe

retired rom my ull-time job that hated almost eery

day o the week and started a art-time job that is much

closer to home. n the rocess threw out my bosses

(lural) and threw out hundreds o commutin hours. am haier collectin ocial ecurity and slee much

better now. , 66, pYv

econdary research suests re-ann careers s a

natonal trend.

g s more adults are oin back to school in therecession, enrollment in health care and work orce

deeloment rorams at an Dieo tate niersity

are u more than 40% rom 2007.11

g 28% o community collees reorted enrollmentincreases o more than 10% rom January 2008 to

January 2009.12

g ph.D. alications hae increased by 16% at

orthwestern, 7% at ichian, 8% at Dartmouth,and 12% at Johns okins. erall alications or

raduate studymost o which are or ph.D.sare

u by 15% at Duke, 9% at Dartmouth, 5% at tanord,

9% at Yale, and 9.5% at princeton, accordin to deans

at those uniersities.13

-ig: i i wi m

-imgiig: pigw p

bne eatn35%

bne drnkn

bne eda consuton

13%

52%

0


7/25

DY DD

EWDIrEctIOS

t any ien time (within a month, week, or een a day) any on

erson could be re-trenchin or re-imainin some asect

their lie. hat brands and marketers need to know is that t

choices consumers are makin are deliberate ones. onsume

may choose to send, sae, or ostone a decision with the o either holdin on to the status quo or creatiely inentin n

ways to send their time and money. n this ost-recession rea

we hae moed rom choices that were relatiely assie, care

and simle, to ones that are more actie, deliberate, and coml

K has actvely shfted ho her faly uses eda forentertanent

s a amily, we cut back on oin to the moies and eenrentin moies. o make u or t his, hae been actiely

borrowin moies rom the library. ery mornin check

their eed o new DvDs added to the collection and

et on the waitin list. ometimes m lucky and m one

o the frst to et on the list., 38,

na has souht roduct otons that eet her ncreasnly

colex needshh-end exerence, sustanable, and (norelatvely nexensve as ell

used to enjoy hih-end bath and body oodies rom coman

that elt took enironmental and labor concerns seriously i

the makin and sellin o their roducts (rom start to fnish).

since looked or and ound the same hih-caliber o resonsib

comanies with reat end-roducts, but that are much more

scaled down and as such, aordable (like rader Joes)., 25, F

mara has taken stock of her stuaton and reconzes the neto ake ore delberate choces

hae tons o FF around my house to remind me o all th

stuid thins hae sent money on oer the years. h, how

wish had that $50 now instead o that ru shaed like a do

head, or examle... would take some hotos o my JQa reminder o the consicuous consumtion o my ast (wh

had a job). he erson am today is the same who used to u

couons and sho sales, only these days there are no slur, 42, F

th passie

areless

imle

ctie

Deliberate

omlex

2


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11/25

Bm i D wi

, mi Bm

p-igi B w

D .

i Big Bi, i

gm, D piig,

D w i mDi

mi.

Di BD

IIht #2:

OvE a,trSt a fEW,DO WrOgtO OE.

| hakeseare

lon with an erodin trust in other consumers and established institutions like banks, the oernment, and een the

media, merican consumers are reconnectin with what they can see and eel that is local and taniblethemseles,

their amily, and their community.

For examle, when we asked consumers what made them most uset about the recession, oenmen iin ilous o nk

(58%) nd e ilue o deuely suppo in See wee e mos euen nswes.nd while statements made by theoernment were iewed as the least trustworthy means or auin recoery (only 16 % said they relied on these), onsumes

indied lol usinessin Seews e mos impon indio o em o py enion o (49%).

th -hII I f tut

he merican ublics abstract distrust o institutions has been documented

and on marketers radar screensor a decade or more. oweer, the

current recession (and in articular the way it has been reorted in the

news) has widened the circle o distrust to include the media and also

other mericans (those who oer-consumed to the detriment oeeryone else).

ndeed, amily may be the last reliable institutionthe eole who willalways be there or you, not only but esecially in hard times. Deendence

on amily is seen as a strenth, not a weakness. nd while they reconize that

mericans all oer are suerin, eole are much more enaed with what

is oin on in their own backyards (e.., oreclosures, local businesses,

unemloyment) than what is bein reorted on the news or the state o

the stock market.

A t A

he stories merican consumers told us show that the recession has heled them re-imaine their connection to amily, riends,

and the local community.

EIzabEth (24, EW YOr) s edisoeed ndeonneed wi e lol ommuniy:

aSSaDra (38, tExaS) uses poluk dinnes s ninepensie wy o sy onneed wi iends nd neio

B , w Kw D

tut hIh tut

he ider orld

ocal ommunity

el +

Family

hen we listen to the stories consumers told

about their exeriences, it becomes clear that

the circle o trust has shrunk to include that

which is close, tanible, and ersonal.

ne theme that emeres rom this study is that,

alon with distrusted institutions (bi business,

the banks, and the oernment), mericans hae

heihtened their distrust o the media and, most

interestinly, other mericans.

th dIA At tutd

Ith A tut th AIA

i thnk eve been led further

nto our recesson by analysts

and edaa self fullln

rohecy., 33,

here s very lttle conseuencefor eole ho suse and

abuse ther nanceswhat

ets e s that soe eole

arent satsed th drvn a

onda or aturn, they

a exus or Bmw., 45, pYv

MEDIA

AMERICANS

also enjoy traelin to other neihborhoods in my city

because it satisfes my curiosity or new laces and eole,

it enriches my day-to-day lie and ies it more ariety and

un, it makes me eel more connected to the area lie in

and the eole ass on the street eery day, and all orlittle to no extra money.

o we hae seen a steady and undeniable shit to trustin those close to you and an

increased lack o trust in institutions and cororate entities that consumers cant always

understand, arent transarent, and defnitely dont hae their best interests in mind. rands

and marketers need to understand this and look or ways to be transarent and tanible

onsumers want to truly see brands seakin to them and bein art o their world and

community in order to build trust and anity.

0

ne amily hosts each month and they roide the

main entree then each amily brins a side dish. he kids

are inited and they all et toether and lay while the

adults enjoy some quality rown-u time toether

ts an inexensie way to send time with riendsand loed ones.


12/25


13/25

IIht #4:

EvErYthIgIS DEIbEratE.

D Big B pD wi .

D pm

Dw wK D w

w w iK i .

hat sober awareness has led to todays

consumer becomin uber-aware o how

their choices imact their lies and

community on a day-to-day basis.

ut oular oinion would lead usto beliee the recession has caused

all mericans to be more rual; that

is only hal the story. hile consumers

are more mindul o cost and alue,

they are also crain a reward or

their new-ound consciousness and

resonsibility. hat that means is

treats and slures still exist.

odays consumers can make deliberate choices on

dierent ends o the sectrum. n some days they may

choose to reuse clothes already in their closets, but theymay also selectiely ie themseles ermission to sho

mindlessly or two hours at a hih-end mall as a treat,

to reassert their identities, or as a temorary escae.

hen we asked mericans i they would rather haeewer, hiher quality thins or more, lower quality

thins, they clearly aored quality oer quantity.

ather than unilaterally eliminatin all riolous

exenses rom their budets, consumers are holdin

on to and keein u with those actiities, exeriences,

and roducts that allow them to ta into their assionsand joys:

reuse to sto buyin exensie linen or my bathand bed because loe the way they make me eel...

, 55,

y reducin the times we eat out and o to the moies,

we can still o out to one decent sit down a month but

are sain $50$100 er month. , 35, D

hile we see many brands and marketers jumin on the alue bandwaon, there is still

oortunity at the hiher-cost, hiher-quality end o the market. oweer, when cometin

or consumer dollars, the cometitie set is much broader and oten in dierent cateorie

nd while alue is always welcome, it cant seem like a comromise on quality or an

exercise in deriation.

Id

xtAAAt

u

tI ut

Idfu

fuA

AIfI

tAdI d

DiBg

qi i i i

e know consumers haent stoed sendin,

een on thins that are many o us see as unnecessary

extraaances.

For examle, le

osted 47% roft rowth

in Q4 2009.14

nd, on the luxury end

o the sectrum ermes

has aired ery well.he French-based coman

sales rose 3.2% to $603

million oer the frst thre

months o the year. uch

o that rowth is attribute

to sales o leather oodswhich rose 21.7% to

$287 million.16

nother uscale successin 2009 was p.F. hans,

a hih-end restaurant chain,

who saw rofts increase

38% rom Q1 o 2008.15

ig g

73%say feer, hher

ualty thns 27%say ore loerualty thns

oweer, when we asked secifcally about how theirshoin habits had chaned, the ast majority o

eole said they had turned to riate label, ued

their use o couons, and requented discount stores:

e been buyin more thins in bulk and storin them

in the basement. paer roducts and cleanin sulies

are my main ocus; with rozen oods and bakin sulies

comin in second. JY, 22, pYv

am tossin brand names that used to send money

on, such as downy abric sotener when can buy a muchcheaer no name bottle or much less, 48,

B qi (D )

i

10%o LL

T E

G E E I C

DOLLARSTORE

G E E I C

LL

T E

GENERIC

92%are usn couons

91%are shon at cheaer/dscount stores

90%are buyn ore store brand/enerc roducts

$ $$ $ $ $$ $ $ $$ $

$ $ $ $$ $

4


14/25

i ig m pig i p-i wD.

wi m i Big mD D,

p D iD g Di.

i mK pDi m i m

p i, i Dg Big wg.

IIht #5:

ItScOPIcatED.

mKig i wK: iB Bi

th ff udu

dIItA d-AdI

personal aths to a feel-ood buzz

tarbucks is my treat and kees me awake

when am driin or seeral hours. reuse to

ie it u!Y, 59,

hae started to ski coee rom tarbucks

durin the week so that can treat mysel on

Fridays.Y, 35,

hae started brewin coee at home instead

o oin to tarbucks at least 4 work days a

week. JY, 55, JY

w ii D i D mK

Kp m mig ?

w m i D

D?

trealnn the eda connecton

hae stoed usin the internet on my hone

so that can et a lower rate lan and utilize a

better deicemy lato. , 27,

switched my cell hone lan to a re-ay

and there is no way would eer o back! he

monthly lan was a total ri-o or someone

like me who doesnt use their hone a ton.

, 43, D

reuse to cancel cable subscrition; neednternet connection and down time with the v.

, 38,

ather than iin u aorite addictions eole are re-trenchin; learnin how to shit their behaior to kee their habits.

e asked consumers to identiy those behaiors, roducts, and serices they would ermanently throw into the arbae

can based on their exerience o the recession. e ound that daily coee habits and access to all orms o media roed to

be two areas that were articularly shit-abletoo imortant to relinquish comletely (they were iewed as much needed

treats or lielines), but moeable in that there were otions or consolidation or do-it-yoursel.

6


15/25

IIht #6:

vIcES aDvIrtES IvIgI harOY.

ig w w iD i pig w pig gi

mi w ggig i D D wi i.

w Di

DK iD DiD iD

m Kig

gD D ig?

mericans are workin both sides o the

irtue/ice continuum.

n the dark side, we see mericans ettin

anrier and lazier, KiKigp wrath and

sloth. oweer, ride and luttony are

ettin KiKD . pride is an obious

ice, ettin kicked out as many mericans

exress how the recession has been a truly

humblin exerience.

the stories consumers tell suest that mericans

are still striin to make a dierence in their immediate

communities.

e also ound that frst-hand exerience with economic

hardshi ositiely aects kind or charitable actions:

hat do to imroe other eoles

lies is that send a day or two inthe local stores layin couon airy.

take all my couons and make sure

distribute at least 25 a week to store

sheles, just sli them next to the

roduct they are or. hoe the

sains hels someone who is in

need. eel so ood the whole weeksometimes o out and do it an

extra day i hae enouh couons.

, 42,

e asked consumers which o the deadly sins they had

either kicked u or kicked out durin this recession. For

those that indicated they had chaned their habits ineither direction wrath, sloth, and lust were the sins most

requently KiKD p. he sins o reed, luttony, and

ride were KiKD the most.

he ood thin is that it looks like mericans are resondin

to the recession with an extra dose o kindness.

t is imortant or marketers to remember

that mindul liin sarked by the recession

isnt always about sendin money more wisely;

it is about makin conscious and deliberate

decisions about all we do.

indness, ood works, and charitymuch like trustare

most meaninul when they haen at a local leel and intanible ways.

For examle, althouh charity is the irtue eole say they

are kickin out the most

KiKig p KiKig KiD wD

miD wi m m

wrath

lust

gluttony

sloth

greed

pride

60%

54%

34%

55%

39%

27%

40%

46%

66%

45%

61%envy 42% 58%

73%

KiKD p KiKD

gluttony bein kicked out by many is an interestin

henomenon. hile there are lenty o mericans

drownin themseles in ood to comort them in this

time o crisis, many mericans wee talked to are usin this

recession as not only a fnancial wake-u call, but a eneralwake-u call to et their lies in order. For examle:

D (50, mD) cut back on meals out in aneort to be rual, and in doin so, heled encourae

a healthier liestyle or her entire amily:

beliee we are eatin healthier hae

lost 10 ounds and my husband 15 since

we started this eel am takin better

care o my amily by eatin healthier,

more nutritious meals at home.

For (35, mii), the recession sered as

catalyst or a comlete liestyle re-am, with anincreased ocus on exercise and healthy eatin:

een smoke ree or 10 months. lso, editched the red meat and one rimarily to

fsh, eies, and ruits. For a orm o chea

entertainment and to contribute to my

newound health kick, urchased some sics

runnin shoes...m really roud o the healthy

liestyle m now liin and just wished woulde started seeral years sooner!

gien that merica is more oerweiht than eer, this

drie to more conscious liin and deliberate choices

hihly correlates to choosin what oes into our mouths

more careully.

m/D mpi i

90%90% of eole that have chaned ther

habts have chosen to Ic P kindness.

Id

35%of eole that have chaned ther habtshave chosen to Ic Ot iy.

hAIt

indvduals ho have lost ther job, or kno

soeone close to the that has, have kcked u

every vrtue ore than those ho dont kno

anyone ho has lost ther job n the recesson.

$8


16/25

IIht #7:

OgIgfOr OStSPOtaEItY.

wi m pii g D w

ppii mg m i,

Dmi i ig mii B.

gig pmii pg D B p gi.

pig K -D i K B p

: Bmig mDiB pg p

mericans are seekin a break rom economic

exhaustion, and defnitely lon to be more indulent and

ree. ccordin toAdWeek, the ure to slure remains

desite hard economic times.17

ur fndins suort this conclusion; many consumerswe listened to said they are still slurin and doin what

they can to escae, they are just bein more thouhtul

about their carelessness.

We ll is n emeene o onsious

eklessness. two ins don

nomlly o oee, u we see

eidene is is new end.

o instead o an imromtu shoin sree, we see

mericans deliberately stayin home and not een oininto stores to aoid the all-too-common extra urchases

that end u in the cart. hey do this to sae u or a aturday

when they enture into the stores knowin and lannin or

the reckless and riolous imulse items.

W I miss...

hen we asked consumers about their exerience, theytold us they were wistul or an o switch. ein resourceul

and sel-reliant may hae its intrinsic and fnancial rewards,

but it is hard work. mericans are ooed! hey are

tired o analyzin eery urchase and weihin benefts

and drawbacks.

he one thin miss is worryin about sendin

a little extra on thins we want, but dont really need

think hain that exibility back will be like breathina sih o relie.

, 40, vg

hat miss is bein able to be more careree in myshoin, to slure on the occasional oodie (een

little thins, like smoked salmon at the rocery store,

or the extra ancy shamoo...) without this nain sense

o erilthe act o usin money carries much more

anxiety than it used to., 39, JY

60%of feales say that deste the recesson they have

bouht soethn on a h n the last year

39%of feales say they have ade at least one ulse

urchase n the ast onth

trEDp

ne way we see this loss o sontaneity maniested is in

the amount o research and time mericans are sendin

beore makin a urchase. gien the recession:

his could be a reat time to be a luxury brand/sericethe o-to slure consumers lan on; the escae they

seek in their conscious recklessness...

reuse to sto buyin hai tea or home,

it is my one luxury.

, 49, D D

hae stoed ersonal shoin so that

can slure on acation.

Yv, 45, D

hae started to cli more couons so

that can buy luxury oods on occasionJ, 35,

many consuers are delayn akn b urchases

cant wait to sto eelin anxious and stressed aboutfnances and the uture need a newer car to relace

mine that is 13 years old and on its last lewe hae also

nelected any maintenance on our house and it is lookinquite run-down. JDY, 50,

marketers ho are selln thns that often

coete for dscretonary dollars ay try

to et theselves on the sontaneoussendn lst. iulse and extravaant

urchases and exerences have not one

aay, but oney, calores, or te sent n

ths area ll be ore thouht throuh.

47%of ercans are sendn ore te researchn tes

before buyn18

10%o LLT E

G E E I C

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IIht #8:

rEIcaratIOOf thE aErIcaDrEa.

pi ppi gD.

, w wD m gD.

ur current resident ran a camain on the notion o

chane. e asked ourseles: hat are mericans still

striin or today?

ere is what we ound: he social ideal that, with hard

work and erseerance, eery merican can be rich, hay,

secure, and better o than their arents is no loner a

certainty. hile mericans still strie or these oals, theyare much more cynical about their ability to actually achiee

them. ith material wealth and uward mobility bein

uncertain oals, eole hae exanded their asirations

to intanibles. Family, health, saety as a country, and

a humble and areciatie attitude toward lie are oals

or today and the near uture.

e asked merican consumers what

they were currently striin or, and

what they had ien u on. hilemany still asire to achiee amiliar

asects o the merican Dream

(e.., comortable retirement), others

are bein relinquished (e.., urtherin

ones education, reular acations).

en more surrisinly, the somewhat

less secifc oals o ood healthand a sae country were the to

two choices.

Dal don your abtons

mericans are adotin a more

modest aroach to accumulatin

wealth. hen we asked consumers

what theyd rather hae, or examle:

Indeed, keepin miions smll

u elisimy e one wy o nd

seuiy nd siliy mids so mu

uneiny. Downdin n open

up new doos nd in (ininsilly)

ewdin oppouniies:

think its my salary that saed

my job. gien my education and

exerience, should be aid more,

but because o my lower salary, was sared layos.

, 32, D

hanin your fnancial ocus

allowed you to moe into a newsocial circle with new riends in

similar situations who understood

lie, not cometed or who

had more.

Y, 33, F

ur dreams o tradin u to a

nice three bedroom in a ood

neihborhood hae been sheled.

n the ositie side, we are bein

more realistic in our search and

our lans or the uture careullybudet or my amily so we are able

to do most o the thins we want

while not worryin that the

mortae wont et aid.

, 27, JY

djust your exectatons, but stay ost

esettin exectationsto be more

modest and circumsectis the

outlook or the uture and is a key

attitude we see emerin.

rue eace o mind is to be deriednot rom ossessions acquired or a

articular sum o money in sains

but rom a ositie attitude toward li

and the alues o rudence and hardwork (knowin you adhered to them

and did you best).

Wile e eession s

deesed my inome nd

esoues i s used me

o ous moe on wee I m

nd wee I wn o e,

o nnilly nd pesonlly.

I wn o e sue o minin

is ous oin owd s

imes impoe.v, 52, D

fe s not far

onfdence in the merican Dream

has been shaken, but the belie that

hard work will ay o does ersist,

albeit in a more cynical orm. necommunity member oers this

ersectie to uture enerations:

here are 4 thns that you need

to reeber. 1. Dont take anythn

for ranted. 2. fe s not far.

3. work hard for everythn.4. fe s not far. es, i kno i sad

lfe s not far tce, but that s

because that s the hardest fact to

learn and understand. ou ay ork

hard all of your lfe, do everythn

the rht ay, and atch othersaround you seenly take the

shortcuts and et rearded for

the...lays reeber that the

ost ortant thn n your lfe

s eolethns can be relaced,but eole cannot., 22,

mi Dm D: mD, pD, i, B i

tI tIIp 3

I u p 3

ae country

good health

omortable retirement

1

2

3

Furtherin my education

eular acations

tayin youthul

1

2

3

28%say that no aount of savnsould ever ve e true nancal

eace of nd

93%would rather hae resect fro

faly than status n the orld

93%would rather hae a saller house

thout a ortae than a b house

th a ortae

te amein Dem is no dedeole still asire to it, they just doubt they can actually achiee it.t has been reincarnated and exists now in a more cynical orm. arketers must be aware o the cometin

orces that shae consumer consciousness today. n the one hand eole are unsure about eer eelinfnancially sae and confdent aain. Yet they also seek and alue eace o mind, eelin sae, and a ositie

outlook on lie. essaes that seak to both the wish or saety and the doubt most eole eel will resonatemore than bold romises.

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wi D K B ii

pBm, w wD DD w

mi wD D ii

gi D w wD D i D

m p miD.

o our surrise, we heard rom mericans that as much as

theyd like more money they are drawin clear lines between

what they will and will not do in the ursuit o money. uch o

this disenchantment with the ursuit o money comes rom theincreasin belie that we must work until we die, hence causin

many mericans to all out o loe with the rat race. e are

reconsiderin and rerioritizin the alue o work in and o

itsel, and the work/lie balance is a reitalized asiration.

IIht #9:

DISEchatEDWIth thE PrSItOf OEY.

oday, there is no end ame and striin or the ehemeral oal o hain it all seemsunrealistic, ointless, or just not worth it. mericans are re-imainin the meanin o quality

o lie, re-ocusin on time with amily, the here-and-now, and eace o mind. y rioritizin

what really matters they eel more calm and satisfed. n act, many consumers are more

concerned with ersonal satisaction on their terms than keein u with the Joneses.

ig i i g w i

e asked eole across a broad rane o domains what they would rather do and ound that eole are tryin to ut

boundaries around or minimize work to make more sace or amily and security that stems rom ocusin on basic needs

and what really matters.

the climb is not sublime

quality time trumps money

nice guys/girls finish first

75%

76%

91%

75%

would e e

seue jo, u wiou

e oppouniy o isesthan hae a less secure job,

but hae consistent raises

would e

spend moe ime

wi you mily

than make more

money

would e my nie uy/il wos

poo than marry a

jerk/bitch whos rich

he aycheck s ut n ersectve:

hat would say is dont sweat the aycheck. you send your

day eelin lucky to do what you are doin youll fnd it easy to

make a dollar stretch. your work is drudery eery day, youll soon

fnd that no matter what size the aycheck, it isnt bi enouh., 39, JY

Find a job you actually enjoy, but i or some reason you cant rihtaway, just ick one that doesnt make you miserable, and stick to it,

because it can just as easily be taken away...

D, 23, D

rends and faly are hat really atter:

he recession has uncoered your true riorities: n the end amily

comes frst, money (or lack o it) can cause stress and anxiety. Youe

been haiest when youe been able to let o o the stress and worry

and lie in the moment. sin your extra time (due to reduced work

hours) to oranize your household records and closets and et rid o

clutter has added to eace o mind., 59, F

he recesson has heled any buld stroner artal relatonshs:

he recession has made my husband and want to strenthen ourrelationshi with each other and our children, as well as our riends.

t has also orced us to cut back on our sendin habits.

D, 38,

would e e

ou o e e

than climb the

cororate ladder

$

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D, , IIht #10:

SStaIabIItYIS thE EWhaPPIESS.

ppi i BD pp impii

g D i D;

w i wD Kig

i p miD i Kwig

w mKig i wi

BKp m, i

, , .

he old mantrareduce, reuse, recycleis now

a much more holistic alue; its a way o liin

that has broad imlications (much more than

the enironment alone).

n the end o 2008, ommunisace exlored what orces shaed consumers reen behaior.19

key fndin rom this study was that consumers were hihly aware and ocused on eylin.

ne year later, many o consumers stories ocus on eduin nd eusin. nd their eorts are not

eared toward the enironment, necessarily, but more toward deeloin sustainable liin in eeryasect o their lies. he traditional ursuit o hainesswhich is bound u with accumulation o

material wealthis bein relinquished in aor o the ursuit o eace o mind. onsumers are achiein

this oal by adotin sustainable liin habits or the lon-term.

arketers need to areciate, resect, and suort consumers in their eorts to lead more

sustainable lies. t is a more comlex alue roositionkeein me healthy and sain me

money; insirin my creatiity and conserin resourcesbut brands that can address these multile

needs will be in ste with what consumers are seekin and comlement the emerin mindset.

tey e doin i emseles

By learnn ne sklls, oseh andothers have becoe ore self-relant

and less deendent on exensve,

ass-roduced roducts.

hae learned how to make some o

the thins really like. dont worry

about the hih rice o beer, wine or

soda, make it. dont worry about

urniture; make my own and sell toothers. e hae the best aointed

kitchen around

Jp, 55, FD

e rew a bumer cro o tomatoes

and the ale trees are oerowin.

y wie has been tryin to can as

much as she can or the year. he

more that is ut u the less weneed to buy.

DvD, 42,

tey e semlinin

onya and others have found ane balance by reducn aste,

strealnn ateral ossessons,

and ben ore creatve th the

resources they do have:

o thru my thins eery coule o

months and i m not usin it, ie

it away: clothes, small aliances,

whateer really hae to ut on mycreatie thinkin canow really

think about how can reuse thins

and simliy my lie.

Y, 55,

used to send way too much on

exensie scrabookin sulies

when already had more than

needed. ow fnd ways to use thesulies already hae or reurose

thins that hae lyin around the

house. t orces me to be more

creatie, which is a reat thin.Y, 22,

tey e ein ely

for eace of nd and to saveoney. mchelle and others realzed

that there s a not only a uratve

but a lteral rce to ay for

unhealthy habts

gettin healthier as think about

medical costs in the uture and how

to aoid them. want a clean body

and mind or my amily and as wemanae lie with less et eace

o mind knowin am romotin

wellness in my amily.

, 34, Y

t is ood to be conseratie and

enjoy the simle thins in lie.

xercise is enerally quite

aordable. at riht andwork hard to stay healthy.

J, 35,

Peps y now, we will e less known s nion o onsumes nd moe nion o polem soles. to lie o meely

onsume is n empy lie kes you eenin om e ls es in o e ne es in endlessly. se you

money wisely. Se o omoow, ie wy s mu s you n od, uy epeienes nd eduion. find youpssion nd ulie you elionsips., 41, D

p mi

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IPIcatIOS

8


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22/25

7. brOaDE YOr cOPEtItIvE SEttODaY EvErYthIg IS gaE.

5. bEWarE Of thE PrIcE traP. PrIcEgaES Eqa ShOrt-tEr gaISqaItY EDrES I thE ED.

3. taE a StrO DOW aIStrEEtItS a SrE rOaD tOcOSErS hEartS.

9. Et thE Eat caExrY EvEr gOES Ot Of StYE.

2. tE athE braD WIththE bEttEr IfOratIO WIS.

8. rE-thI SStaIabIItY.

6. SrrEDEr tO thE cOPExItYaD StOP trYIg tO artIfIcIaYabE aD bcEt cOSErS.

4. taP ItO aErIcaS IErStrEgth; DOt ExPOItthEIr fEarS.

10. EEP EYES WIDE OPE. DOtafraID Of thE Dar SIDEIt hhEPED S a SEE thE Ight atO rE-IagIE WhatS POSSIb

onsumers are ealuatin how they send their time and

money on a ery macro leel. heir eyes are wide oen and

they are makin trade-os and choices across seeminly

unrelated thins. arketers need to et a better ras on

what they are really cometin with and to be aware that thecometition outside their cateory may be more o a threat

than those within it.

he worlds most admired brands turn to ommunisace

ororation, the leader in eneratin ame-chanin

insihts ia riate online customer communities.

Founded in 1999, the comany has created more than

350 customer communities or industry leaders suchas rat, ewlett-packard, harles chwab, allmark,

nileer, glaxomithline, and ilton otels ororation.

eadquartered in atertown, assachusetts, the

comany has oices in tlanta, hicao, ondon,

ew York, an Francisco, as well as an emo, taly

and ydney, ustralia. For more inormation, lease isit:

www.communisace.com.

endin money more wisely doesnt always equal sendin

ess money. here is an obious draw to talk about better

rices or reat deals. nd riht now this may work to et

consumers switchin. oweer, a reat low rice withoutmeasurable quality or alue may eel like a sacrifce or

deriation not worth makin in the lon run. Yet, alue

brands that can make an aarent trade down eel like

a trade u, can better ensure a ermanent shit.

onsumers are weary o thins distant and abstract and

eel anity and trust to thins they can touch, see, and eel

on a local leel. he closer you are literally to the consumer,

the closer theyll eel to you as a brand.

uxury brands can caitalize on the rowin need to escae

and indule, but need to reconize that this slurin may

oten be the result o a rational decision makin rocess.

arketers can hel consumers lan out their recklessness

to et on the list or this discretionary sendin.

en i the inormation is not always atterin. onsumers

are more intent than eer to do their homework beore theyoen their wallets and want easy, transarent inormation

to make a sound decision.

rands need to resect and suort the ecosystem

consumers are now creatin to achiee more sustaliestyles or the lon-term. s consumers try to re-ima

that are more fnancially secure, healthier and better ro

in their alues, brands can lay an interal role in me

multile needs. rands need to make sense within a b

ramework or how consumers want to construct the

his oten means lookin beyond a certain eature orto delierin on a more demandin set o criteria or

consumers choose brands.

Founded in 1976, ily hicao, which includes

& ather, ilyction and ilyne, is a one-o-a-k

sho that utilizes a 360 Deree rand tewardshi

aroach to clients, includin llstate, p, rat a

nileer. he aency was recently named diital ao record: or hicao 2016; and recently brouht ho

grand FF and a global FF or its reolutionary D

amain or eal eauty. Forrester recently ranke

liy interactie the #1 diital aency. ily hica

is a unity o he ily grou, which is art o pp

grou lc (DQ: ppgY), one o the worlds

larest communications serices rous.

ts more ecient or brands to work on bein understood

than or brands to strie to understand consumers in eery

context and with all their comlexities. tand or somethin

you beliee in and that will oen u many roads orconsumers to fnd you and eel your releance.

t is no loner roductie or new news to remind mericans

o how bad it is out there. mericans are eelin stroner

than we ie them credit or and are ready to rise to the

occasion, brands just need to alin with this can-do attitude

and be helul to eole in their quest or somethin better.

nd thouh we all know the dark side is there, its mroductie to seak to the liht. e need to remem

that our newound consumer consciousness has us

oen to hoe as to hard realities, to wonder as to wo

and to creatiity and re-imaination as to conserati

and reseration.

en thouh we are still in the midst o a recession,

t doesnt mean that eerythin needs to be contextualizedwithin this ramework or that all decisions we make now

are due to our economic situation.

1. WaE-P. ItS Ot thEEcOOY, StPID.

MAIN ST.


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D

1. Jobs eort is tronest ince tart o ecession,The New York Times, December 12, 2009.

2. roader easure o .. nemloyment tands at 17.5%,The New York Times, oember 6, 2009.

3. hadow goernment tatistics, www.shadowstats.com,oember, 2009.

4. ne in Four orrowers nder ater,The Wall Street Journal, oember 24, 2009.

5. n neasy Feelin, The New York Times, January 4, 2010.

6. mericans Job atisaction Falls to ecord ow,The Associated Press, January 5, 2010.

7.conomists rade econd-al gDp Forecasts,The Wall Street Journal, uust 5, 2009.

8. ntideressant, leein-pill ales get o est in ecession,AdAge, arch 4, 2009.

9. nemloyment Dries 10% o Youn peole to Drinkor Drus, personneloday.com, January 4, 2010.

10. Deloitte tate o the edia Democracy urey,December 15, 2009.

11. ecession endin dults ack to chool,San Diego Business Journal, arch 23, 2009.

12. ommunity ollees and the conomy,eaue or nnoation in the ommunity ollee,and he amus omutin project, arch, 2009.

13. ph.D. dmission ihter as lications ise, Fellowshistanate, The Harvard Crimson, January 21, 2009.

14. les proft limbs 47% as ales gain,The New York Times, ctober 19, 2009.

15. he ecrets o han, late, ay 16, 2009.

16. n he a: ow ermes eats the ecession, ews, June 10, 2009.

17.mulse uyin is lie and ell,AdWeek, oember 17, 2009.

18. uzzack arket esearch, ational ecession urey,February 2009.

19. olorblind, ommunisace and Desin ontinuum,www.communisace.com, January, 2009.

20. oms ecome readwinners as Job osses it en,ational public adio, ay 10, 2009.

e used a ariety o research methods to understand how

merican consumers were emerin rom the recession,

and how their exeriences were shain mindset and

behaior. Data or this study were collected in ctober,oember, and December o 2009.

lvy hcao conducted uanttatve and secondary resear

g robust online surey amon a nationally reresentatie

samle o 1,200 merican adults conducted throuh

arketools

g various secondary sources as noted

ounsace ororaton conducted ualtatve research

g series o interactie exlorations with online community

members (e.., imae alleries, discussions, brainstormin

sessions, oen-ended sureys; 10 online actiities

conducted oer a two-month eriod).

g 694 merican men and women articiated

(online community members that articiated in

interactie research were: 59% women, 41% men;

adults ranin in ae rom 1969, and were rom

eery reion o the nited tates).

genn benne, Oily

[email protected]

: 312.856.8218

nil ausin, P.D., communispe copoion

[email protected]

: 617.607.1472

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eyes wide open wallet half shut

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