PUSH blogs | How Do Brands Engage in Difficult Times?

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	How Do Brands Engage in Difficult Times?
Blog	By Trevor Colom Director of Account Planning With the state of our economy, our charge-it culture is getting completely shocked. So as consumers, where do we go from here? We are constantly driven by wanting luxe for less, so where does that put us? Does it bring back the rawness of DIY before it was cool? Does it make us start sewing dresses and making our own clothes like in the 60's and 70's? And while "hipsters" may currently rule the world, what does it do to the other 98%? According to PSFK, hipsters (very broadly defined) might not make a lot of money right now, but they are a huge, powerful consumer group, and the marketing dollars spent to capture them now will likely pay off in the future. Not to mention the fact that, even today, retailers that cater to the “creative class” are thriving while the rest of the retail industry struggles. For example, retailers geared toward consumers under 45: Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and Express, have struggled in the past year to increase sales, while hipster-centric clothing outlet Urban Outfitters has reported record results. This whole movement started a couple of years ago with etsy and treadless at the forefront, along with influential individuals such as my brand pimp Josh Spear of Undercurrent and the famed joshspear.com. But there is no more Big Brand to speak of. “The Brand” is now this huge elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. Marketers are worried and looking for answers to questions such as, "where does my brand go now" and “how do we rival the competition?" The answers are simple: "nowhere” and “you can’t.” You don't own your brand anymore. The consumer owns the brand, so let them decide who you are, without telling them who you are. Speak WITH them, not AT them. I could go off on a rant about cognition and emotion, and the roles each play in the consumer’s mind, but that could go forever. “Brand Love,” contrary to Kevin Robert’s belief, may not be simply about love and respect, but more about what you can do with a brand. And that doesn't always relate to love and respect, but may in fact lay somewhere in the “friend zone” of like and respect for an initial brand, but high respect for its collaborations and usability. Time to start writing a new book because the consumer is no longer looking for what you can do for them. They are looking for what they can do WITH you. And for some people, that's pretty scary territory.




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