At no time since the First Amendment has the cult of self-expression been so venerated. Individuality reigns and the evidence is everywhere: blogs are the new black, unripe 20-somethings write autobiographies (presumably the first of many) and fame-obsessed parlimentarians allow duties to their constituents to play second fiddle in order to parade themselves on national reality TV programmes.‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, both fascinated and appalled with the notion of suppressing the real self behind a full-time mask of perfection, leading us to speculate that it’s not who you are, but how you express yourself that counts and wonder what that could mean for brands?
As consumers dig deeper for a sense of self, vintage is a fashion failsafe: overcome product parity with product rarity and individual status is assured. In other categories and services the solution is less clear-cut but all boils down to customisation. Lifestyle and mindsets have replaced ‘target groups’. Only those brands that authentically relate to how we live and think as individuals will have the future credibility needed to engage the 21st century consumer.
