Creative Leisure News - Thought Leader

Thought Leader

Insights and analysis on creative thinking.

The Concept of "Strategic Discontent"

The consumer's life is enhanced with our products.

by Kathy Lamancusa (November 6, 2006)

Note: This is the first entry in a new column, "Thought Leader," written by Kathy Lamancusa. Kathy has an enormous resume: retailer/distributor; designer; author of countless books, magazine articles, and CD's; made numerous television appearances and videos; consulted for numerous companies in and out of the industry; wrote a magazine column for many years, most recently Craftrends; and conducted the largest retailer workshop/seminars in industry trade show history.

She started as a designer, but quickly gained a reputation as an observer and predictor of emerging trends, usually much sooner than the rest of us saw them. Then she expanded her horizons yet again by exploring and writing about creative thinking.)

Being considered a thought leader in the creative industries for well over 20 years while working on special projects to enhance products, people and businesses, I am thrilled that Mike has asked me to join him once again as a columnist � this time for Creative Leisure News!

Mike Hartnett was the first editor who ever told me that an article I wrote was valuable enough to be published. More than 20 years ago, I wrote him a letter seeking to bring additional insight and a different perspective to an article he had written in PCM magazine. In other words, I disagreed, told Mike so, and he encouraged and congratulated me! Now, with many years, experiences, and memories behind us, he has asked me to join him in bringing insight to the creative industries as I have done all these years. I agreed and am excited to still have a voice in the industry I love.

So as the weeks and months unfold, my column with CLN, "Thought Leader," will bring you cutting-edge information in a variety of topic areas. Some articles will be long and in-depth, while others will contain several short paragraphs with nuggets of information including links for you to follow should you seek additional information.

What is "Thought Leadership"? It requires being recognized in your industry as one who truly understands current business, customer needs, and the expanded universe that impacts what you do and how you do it. The term can refer to an individual or a company. The skills of being on the cutting-edge, having the ability to read a crystal ball, and understanding a plethora of small differences in the demographics and psychographics of customer segments can be a learned skill. Through this column, you will be exposed to information that will help you and your company become a Thought Leader.

In this first column, let�s explore a concept known as �Strategic Discontent.� That is the strategy many marketers use when they create any marketing or advertising campaign designed to whet a customer�s appetite to buy something new.

Savvy marketers know that if we bombard potential customers with images of people enjoying what they are doing with trickier gadgets, prettier home furnishings, and the latest technological discoveries � it will have an emotional effect and encourage sales. Seeing those tantalizing items on slick pages or computer screens makes consumers immediately compare them with their old, nicked, and frayed possessions.

Ironically, a "newly aged" item is much more appealing than the item in our home that has aged gracefully (or not so gracefully) over time. Since we are coming out of a consumer culture that encouraged simplicity, many consumers have thrown away items that were old and tattered. Now, we miss those items and want to recreate them to look as though we had stored and treasured them all along.

It is the feeling of discontent with current possessions that is the goal. The discontent will encourage sales in an effort to transform the consumer's reality into the dream-like world that is depicted.

On one hand, that seems a bit dishonest to me, manipulative in a way that makes me want to rethink marketing and advertising strategies. But then as I consider the idea further, I realize the process of rethinking would just put me in a state of denial and encourage some grandiose illusion that what we are actually doing meets our customers vital, essential needs.

In considering other industries (e.g., food), that analogy might work. But in the creative industries, it doesn�t fly.

Unfortunately, we all know, no one really "needs" what we sell. Not like they need milk and bread from the grocery store to stay alive. It is our job to continually convince our customers that they want what we sell for a variety of reasons, from providing opportunities to interact with others, through family projects, and all the way to healing and renewal as we quilt and knit. They have choices on how to fill their leisure time, and we need to stay front and center to convince them we have the answers.

So I return to the concept of "strategic discontent" and find it a viable reason to do what we do: entice customers to enhance their lives with creative supplies and projects. What kind of strategic discontent have you encouraged lately?

Want to connect with Kathy Lamancusa? You can reach her at: Kathy@lamancusa.com or email your thoughts to CLN at mike@clnonline.com.

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