Marketers look to small for good
Bigging small. The world is backing off ‘big’, and marketers are picking up on the trend, according to a report, Work in Progress: The Small Movement, published by JWT.
“The Small Movement is working hand in hand with the environmental movement – more is no longer more,” the report says. “Big-ticket gas guzzlers are sitting on lots as fashionable drivers zip by in small – and getting smaller – cars. Homes are getting smaller too. While some builders, especially those in the developing world, are motivated by space constrictions, small-house proponents tout the tiny footprints of these homes, both physical and environmental.”
JWT notes that some marketers are tapping into this shift, making simplicity and do-gooding core themes.
“Trident has tagged its chewing gum A Little Piece of Happy, suggesting a short, simple path to happiness,” says the report. “Likewise, Target’s Brand New Day campaign has incorporated a bubbly low-prices message that not only combats the recession blues, but focuses on simple, low-cost pleasures like commuting on a $60 bike, watching a $13 DVD at home, or clipping your kids’ hair with a $15 electric trimmer. Hamburger Helper taps into consumers’ desires to do good – its Show Your Helping Hand campaign, in concert with Beyoncé Knowles and Feeding America, gives consumers a way to feed families hit hard by the economy.”
But what does all this mean?
Tapping into a new culture of restraint is no doubt tricky for marketers that have relied on selling bigger, shinier doodads,” says JWT. “The trick now is to show how those products can help relieve stress, streamline decision-making and better consumers’ worlds. … Small may not be new, but it’s now and it’s beautiful.”
