consumption. it is the center of our world. it drives all industries. tv networks, sports games, retail stores, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, etc. we are consistently "fed" an influx of information everyday in a world where transmittance of knowledge and data is getting faster and faster. i work at a job that fuels the world of the consumer. i work with local businesses, hungry for the audience they hope to capture. i started thinking about the concept of consumerism this week and not just in the conventional way. let me explain. when i think of consumerism, i traditionally think of spending money on goods and services that are of value to me. i am the target consumer of America. i constantly spend money in places because it makes me feel a certain way when i purchase whatever is appealing to me at that moment. to explore a bit further, i want to talk about what i am learning in the marketing class i am taking at UCLA.
the class is called "the power of brand management." we are focused primarily on why certain brands develop successfully while others do not. from what i have learned so far, brands succeed because they understand how to speak to their audience in such a way that allows them to connect to the brand. conversely, the audience is able to identify with that brand in which the consumer becomes hooked and loyal to that particular company. it is no longer about purchasing a pair of NIKE shoes to run every so often, it is about the consumer needing the brand to identify who they are to the world. the consumer broadcasts the voice of that brand by emitting certain attitudes, lifestyle choices, etc. for instance, when you think of NIKE, what comes to mind? i think of running, active lifestyle, competition, sharpness, etc. the brand becomes more than just a logo, or a sales gimmick, but a way of life.
going beyond the world of brand and consumerism in terms of buy/sell, i got to thinking even more about everything we consume in our lifetime. there is a quote by L.N Smith saying "every dollar you spend, or don't spend is a vote you cast for the world you want." i thought, could the same be true for everything that comes in our road of experience along the way? the food we eat, the people we choose to spend our time with, the books we read, music we listen to, jobs we take or don't take, the places we travel. all of these unique experiences each of us have, is something we consume just like the brands we identify with and products and services we buy.
it is very easy to become complacent and non-intentional about the way we live our lives. the comfortable pulls us into its spell, keeping us bound to the pre-conceived ideas we have about who we think we are supposed to be. to step into our full potential, and full power, takes some real elbow grease and potentially extremely uncomfortable situations in which we are completely vulnerable. i sense that if we really take a good look at all it is we are consuming, and make some sometimes very difficult decisions about what/who to block out and what/who to take in, we can create a profound existence transcending into each of our full and unique purpose on earth.
