Things are looking pretty grim. In all my 6 years of officially being a grown up, I have never seen anything like it. Tsunamis, nuclear meltdowns, earthquakes, famine in Africa, financial crisis in Europe, America being... America, floods, riots, massacres and now a hugemongas hurricane. Not to mention the price of my beloved bananas!
I find it increasingly difficult to watch the news which has now become a mixture of depressing (and sometimes fake) live crosses and celebrity arrests. I never thought I'd say this but I actually miss seeing a feel good story about water skiing squirrels or newly born pandas.
The wave of negativity that has swept across not only Australia but indeed the world in 2011 has had serious effects on consumer psyche and behaviour. People are afraid and it's been reflected in their spending habits as the retail industry will no doubt attest to.
While our nation slowly turns emo, 1 bottle of black hair dye at a time it presents a huge opportunity for brands to be a beacon of hope and optimism. Surely a brand that reminds people that we still live in "the lucky country" and still have a lot to celebrate would be welcomed in this time of negative haze.
We talk endlessly about "cutting through the clutter" and getting through to consumers, well I can tell you as a consumer myself a piece of content that puts a smile back on my face is something that I am thankful for and a welcome breath of fresh air in an otherwise melancholic media landscape.
Westpac have recognised the opportunity with their "Certainty in uncertain times" campaign but aside from this the window for a brand to quench our thirst for some bloody good news and positivity is still wide open.
It's been said that the sentiment of our nation's media reflects how society is feeling. However it seems to me to be a classic case of chicken and the egg. In my opinion, the sentiment of our media drives how society is feeling, rather than reflects it and I say it's about time we started using our influence to lighten people the hell up!
Two Cents: The end of the world
1 September 2011