I recently decided to move to a new apartment to save money. It completely surprised me initially why I was so hesitant to move. I was oddly concerned about not having a view anymore. This was simple enough for most people, however my view of Denver is not great. I can only see the tops of a few small buildings and a couple other large buildings that most people can see from almost any point in Denver. So I was perplexed as to why I was so scared to lose my “semi-view”.
As I walked into my dark bedroom the other night about to go to sleep, out the window were the lights of other homes and businesses and I realized that my attachment isn't about the aesthetics of the view, it is about the feeling of connection to other people out there by being able to see that they exist. It was an affirmation that I am not alone in this big city. Perhaps that is why people enjoy views so much, or maybe I am one-of-a-kind?
After that I decided to think rationally and weigh the benefits of saving money against the benefits of having a semi-view. I quickly came to realize that I should move and remove my dependence of these strangers. I can be OK living in an apartment that overlooks a parking lot. Maybe I can figure out a way to feel connected with cars now? Haha. It can be done.
Either way, it feels really good to know how to step out of myself and examine why I feel attached to something that is so miniscule in my lifetime. I think that ability to understand and manipulate emotions comes with age and only sharpens with time. When you’re young and you feel something, you don’t stop and take the time to analyze your emotions. When you are young you let your emotions affect you and overthrow you. As you age you are able to control them more steadily and you can often choose whether or not to use them. Perhaps emotions are not needed as much as we think. We glorify emotions through dramas such as Desperate Housewives and stories such as Titanic; but really… are these emotions necessary for the human race?
Sure the sunsets were pretty sometimes, but that was only a fraction of why I was so attached to the view. Letting go of emotions will often lead to bigger and better things.
It came to my attention not too long ago that Marketing guru Seth Godin has a blog. I would like to comment on his November post "The inanity of the American Consumer". You can see it here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/11/index.html.
Seth takes the time to talk about the balderdash that Target is selling for the Holidays. It is a multi function toaster that also poaches an egg while you wait for the bread to pop. Seth sees this sort of product as "useless". He states,
"It seems as though we've marketed ourselves into a corner, where the only way to grow is to find increasingly narrow niches of decreasing utility. The consumer portion of our economy is now dependent on a four-week long debt-fueled race to buy the useless."
Even though I am aware of Seths supposed "genius" I can't help but wonder if he is really thinking about todays consumers. The one thing that people cannot buy or sell is time. Time is the most valuable thing that we can never fully obtain, but only manipulate. When a product is made that consolidates activities and "gives" extra time, it has value and it has use.
There is a certain niche for this product, however, that is not a negative thing. Niche advertising and products are clearly on the rise. Taking into account that mass advertising is starting to loose it's appeal, advertisers realize that there are alternatives and new frontiers to explore. On the large scale of things these niche products are generally the same as any other product, with a few tweeks here and there to fit a tighter demographic.
Example: a toaster with a little cup added on the side to cook an egg.
Average Toaster=mass product.
Toaster with egg cooker=niche product.
So what's the big deal?
Tweeking products is what we do now to give more and more people exactly what they want. We have come a long way from the one kind of bar soap and the single type of hair pomade. These kinds of niche products are finding their way into individuals homes who actually can use them. Perhaps you have time to kill Seth, but I certainly know a few people who could really use the extra help.
Posts
