Today’s consumer buying less … and has been since 1947.
When it comes consumer demand for tangible goods, our Charlotte marketing agency works with a number of national retailers, including Food Lion, Lowe's Home Improvement, Rack Room Shoes, etc. Not surprisingly, our clients face increasing competition for the eyes, ears, and wallets of today's post-Great Recession consumer, and at birdsong gregory, we specialize in providing a high ROI for today's tight marketing budgets. What comes as a real surprise, though, is that many of the consumer spending trends we attribute to the ongoing marked global economic decline that began in December 2007 (and then took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008) actually began decades earlier.
Consider necessities like food and clothing, which gobbled up 42% of our spending in 1947. Six decades later – even in the face of exorbitant spending on frivolities like high-end coffee and designer clothes – food and clothing accounted for only 16% of spending. (Note: this chart uses 2007 as an end point because some economic relationships have been distorted by the current downturn.)
Some experts believe that when the recession is over, consumers will return to their profligate ways, but at our ad agency Charlotte, we believe a new age was born long before Bank of America started giving mortgages to anyone who could sign their name. And while a lot of marketers like to talk about the complexity of branding today, it’s not really that complex at all. If you focus on a clear concise message that resonates with the consumer and ensure that every brand touchpoint is a great experience you are going to succeed.