Upper-Income Clutter, Clothes That Last, Etc.

Latest reason for saying the rich are different from the unrich: They have more clutter. That's one lesson, anyhow, of a poll by Euro RSCG Worldwide. Among Americans earning less than $50,000 per year, 45 percent said they have "too much stuff"; among those making $100,000 or more, 56 percent said the same. The survey also tracked the variance in opinions between traditional consumers and "prosumers"—the latter being consumers who are "proactive in seeking out information and opinions; active in sharing their views and experiences with others; and ahead-of-the-curve in their attitudes and behaviors." Fifty-six percent of prosumers, vs. 36 percent of mere consumers, agreed with the statement, "I'd rather own a few expensive items than a lot of inexpensive items." Thirty-two percent of prosumers, vs. 18 percent of ordinary consumers, agreed that "It makes me feel good to own a new technology before anybody else, no matter what the cost." One surprise, given their cosmopolitan tendencies, is that prosumers are more likely than non-prosumers to prefer buying goods made in their own country (61 percent vs. 54 percent). Thanks for the memories, but I'll skip the drug. In an Ipsos PharmTrends survey released last month (and fielded in August), 58 percent of consumers said they recalled seeing direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs during the previous year. That's up from 50 percent in an August 2002 poll. But the number of people saying an ad has prompted them to contact their doctor about a specific drug has dropped slightly during that same timespan (from 20 percent to 19 percent), and the number who've been moved to request a specific prescription has remained flat (at 12 percent). The report predicts that the recent recall of Vioxx will drag down the rate of consumer response to ads for other prescription drugs. Men are subjected to female criticism for sticking with well-worn items of clothing for years on end. Don't these women understand: Their menfolk bought those clothes precisely because they're durable! Otherwise, men would be even cheaper than they are about clothes. In a survey by WSL Strategic Retail, 64 percent of men endorsed the statement, "I buy more expensive clothes that last longer." The other 36 percent said, "I buy less expensive clothes because I want to change my wardrobe often." Women split their votes the opposite way, with 44 percent opting for pricey-but-durable and 56 percent favoring less-expensive clothes they can replace more often. Neither sex cares to pay extra for good service: Just 28 percent of men and 19 percent of women will pay more for clothes "where salespeople are available to help me." Even in households with income of $100,000-plus, 54 percent of men and 76 percent of women said, "I pay less for clothes by shopping where I don't expect to have sales assistance."Dating back to the heyday of the "creative revolution," some folks in the ad game have cultivated an outlaw sensibility. Has that tendency vanished, though, amid the pressures of the past few years? No, it's just been scaled back to the level of a traffic violation, judging by the ticket shown at right. On close inspection, the summons turns out to be an invitation to a party at The Miller Group, a Los Angeles-based agency that was celebrating its move to new quarters. One section of the ticket commands the recipient to sign next to a sentence that says, "Without admitting guilt, I promise to appear at the time and place indicated below." You can admit guilt once the party is over, evidently. Pity the poor manager—and I mean poor. A report by the Department of Labor offers a glimpse at the working poor, correlating their numbers with occupational categories. The poverty rate is highest among workers in service jobs, among whom 10.3 percent are classified as poor (based on data collected in 2002). The surprise is that 2 percent of people working in "management and professional" jobs were poor. Maybe your boss needs a raise after all.Why does beer score well when people are asked to recall their favorite TV commercials? Perhaps because viewers who like beer have better memory skills than those who don't. Focusing exclusively on older women, a University of Texas study tested its subjects' ability to remember various things: "a story, route, hidden objects, future intentions and connecting random numbers and letters." Those who regularly drink moderate amounts of alcohol scored better than the non-drinkers. Instead of drinking to forget, apparently people should abstain to forget.

Brand Marketing

Upper-Income Clutter, Clothes That Last, Etc.

Mark Dolliver

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Mark Dolliver