Read this write-up in Brand Equity yesterday(14Mar) on the rising disposable culture. Nothing really new...It's just that the change has been dramatic and quite rapid...
As a child in a middle class house-hold, I remember we used to preserve everything - old newspapers, Amul Spray tins, plastic milk packets, old stationery, diaries, ball-point pens, old clothes(to be exchanged for new utencils) ...
Contrast this with today when relatively expensive cellphones are upgraded in 6 months to a years time!!
1. Its clearly been a move from a 'mindset of scarcity' to a 'mindset of consumerism'
2. As Santosh said in the article, as a nation we are going through a 'I am what I have' syndrome.
3. Perhaps the change is best captured by the middle class iconic brand Bajaj Auto's tagline. It changed from - 'Value for Money for years' to 'Inspiring Confidence'!
4. In under a decade, the replacement cycle for TVs and other consumer durables has come down from 8-10 years to 4-5 years!
5. However, we haven't lost our VFM mindset completely. Rarely would an Indian throw a durable. He would most likely upgrade to a newer durable/ gadget by exchanging the old one. The mindset still is 'Iska kuch toh mil hi jayega'!
6. Of course, the disposability index will vary widely within the same family. While the youngest members would believe in the use-and-throw religion, the grand-mother would still be using Amul Spray tins for keeping the pulses even while she might have upgraded to a new camera phone:-)
7. On a personal note, my new Nokia E-50 is my 6th phone in 7 years and yet when it comes to raddi(old newspapers), I hate to give it away free:-)
Ironic then how even with a new disposable mindset and with vastly shortened durable upgrade cycles, Gillette is still facing problems with its disposable razors in India!
India Ad Rant - A mash up of agency life, brands, culture, creativity, design and new media epicentred around India!
Popular Posts
-
When Flash Brands/ branding is here, would flash promos be far behind. Flash promos are single day promotional(invariably price-off) offers...
-
About six months back, at our small agency we started a learning program called SchoolOfDavid. We/I haven't been very regular but yeste...
-
My college friend Ram who runs a boutique travel agency - soulitudes , often helps me step out of my routine, regimented life/ comfort zone....
-
A while ago I had asked one of my star planners(virtual) to do a small research into the PDA(public display of affection) habits of the yout...
-
Meraj mailed me this link in the morning...My guess is by now everybody in the media/ advertising space might have seen this video/ TVC/ vir...
-
Of course I didn't watch the Hutch(oops Vodaphone) TVCs on now the much hyped Star TV block. There are more interesting things like the...
-
Guys, this post is an example of plagiarism in real time.Lol. Or maybe it's collaboration in real time across geographies:-) Must read t...
-
It's been a hell of a long time away from the blog. I feel guilty, anxious...and the fingers feel a bit rusty!! So where was I and what ...
-
Like most of us, I have been privy to the out-of-work Bollywood actor Shilpi Shetty's bizarre turn-around in fortunes through the Britis...
-
I have been trying to collect, glean, comb, forage, rummage, scan, scout:-) stuff on celebrity endorsements and the Future of Bollywood ! In...
No comments:
Post a Comment