Brazen Babble

No one needs reminding just how tough it is on the high street at the moment. It’s the cleverest brands, the ones that evolve and engage most effectively with its consumers that will survive and come out stronger on the other side when the system eventually turns full circle.

In the short term consolidation is the key word. Consumers are consolidating and perhaps buying one quality item of clothing per season that will last rather than multiple cheaper products that won’t go the distance. Retailers are also consolidating and stocking fewer brands but stocking more of the chosen few. This period of Darwinism will be good news for the lucky ones and range reviews for 2009 will be more fiercely contested than ever before. Expect to see the strong grow stronger and the weakest fall by the way.

So how do brands convince the buyers to carryon stocking a product? The answer comes from story telling. Many people are feeling uncomfortable about showing off their shiny new purchases at the moment, as they feel guilty spending during a recession. They shouldn’t! Don’t feel bad, if you can afford it spend it please – the more money we get circulating the more we all play our little part in turning things around.

This excerpt from trendwatching is very telling and defines exactly what a status story means for a brand:

“As more brands (have to) go niche and therefore tell stories that aren’t known to the masses, and as experiences and non-consumption-related expenditures take over from physical (and more visible) status symbols, consumers will increasingly have to tell each other stories to achieve a status dividend from their purchases. Expect a shift from brands telling a story, to brands helping consumers tell status-yielding stories to their peers.”

So 2009 will see bigger and more pertinent stories from our leading brands than ever before. Eco will continue to grow and well run and long established CSR initiatives will now start to pay dividends. Vileda has launched a new Eco range of recycled cloths, The North Face has already given consumers a great story with its recent involvement in the Comic Relief Mount Kilimanjaro climb and is set to unveil its most compelling story yet this year. Watch this space.

Watch Chris Moyles at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro

What status stories have you seen emerge so far this year?

By Rick Guttridge, Associate Group Director