How Brands Can Take Consumers From The Raging '20S Into The Thirsty '30S

(MENAFN- PRovoke) One hundred years on from the decadence of the Roaring '20s, this decade of polarization couldn't be more different. In what we call the Raging '20s of today, we've gone from dancing the Charleston to rioting in Charleston after George Floyd's murder. From exuberance and Gatsby, to exasperated and“pangry” - anger around the pandemic - and now, anger over a cost-of-living crisis. In fact anger about almost everything.

Widespread raging at broken systems means communities, countries, continents and corporations are confronting urgent issues on every front. The looming question for brands has been how do you breakthrough to forge more meaningful connections when your customers, employees and communities are so angry.

The answer: Remember that anger is passion - a powerful and motivating emotion that can be used to bridge and build brand loyalty. And nothing gets people talking more than something they're outraged about.

Even as we're engaged in this age of rage, we can already spy a break in the clouds. We're getting ready for the Thirsty '30s, a decade where less will mean more sustainable living, consumers will wrest back control to decide the who, what, when, where and why of their engagement with brands, and being human will give marketers a unique selling point.

Whereas, when the bubble burst on the prosperous Roaring 1920s, humanity entered the Dirty '30s - a dark era marked by poverty, extremism, a gathering storm of world war (and in the U.S., the Dust Bowl decade) - this century, we've flipped the script on the decades. We're doing the darkness now before the dawn.

The Raging '20s we're living in will make way to a new period of sustainable prosperity, conscious consumption and considered connections where consumers will not just be ready for next, they'll be thirsty for it.

What will marketers and consumers have learned from the Raging '20s?

While harsh rhetoric is not new in American politics, the elections in this decade upped the ante in ways once thought not possible. From harsh, ugly and personal name calling to outright fist fighting. From an assassination attempt to angry politicians battling with their core bases. All on full display in our 24-hour news cycle. More level-headed voters are channeling their anger in the way of higher turnout at the polls. With record-breaking donations, and now high levels of mobilization and engagement in the Presidential race, it reinforces the power of turning anger into action.

These same consumers now have an expectation that brands have an opinion and speak out on social issues important to them. This is an increasingly important factor in decisions around who consumers want to buy from and align with, and importantly who they work for. Whether connecting over a shared cause or standout content, the brands customers will remember when the anger subsides and better times arrive, will be the ones that channeled the rage into positive action.

So, what will consumers be thirsty for in the next decade?

Next-level sustainability

Sustainable living where less is more will see consumers value conscious over conspicuous consumption, and the sharing economy will boom as they choose to rent rather than buy from across more categories.

Just as software-as-a-service models disrupted legacy technology, everything-as-a-service models could see brands marketing to community co-ops formed by consumers living in the same street or apartment block who jointly buy and share items they only use occasionally.

And a thirst for reuse will see the circular economy proliferate, with more retailers following the Ikea model of buying back their own products from consumers to re-sell at a discount to those who don't want to buy new.

An experience era

After spending the Raging 20s trapped in lockdown and then a cost-of-living crisis, consumers in the 2030s will have a thirst for experiences, with brands establishing new ways to engage as emerging technology goes mainstream.

As the Internet of Things evolves, marketers will use the Internet of Senses to offer digital food samples consumers can taste and smell, or serve ads and content as full sensory experiences, where you feel vibrations in your feet or the bass of the music in your chest.

Events will be merged interactive experiences, blurring boundaries across games, sport and e-sport, performance, exhibitions and education. Tele-presence, holograms and avatars blending physical and virtual worlds will bring new ways to engage in more places and new types of branding and sponsorship opportunities - from mass and mainstream to niche and personal, with personal virtual arena events for one.

Innovation, convenience and control

A backlash against a decade of misinformation and deep fakery will make consumers thirsty for greater control over their data and privacy - and communications targeting them. AI digital personal assistants could vet and manage the messages that reach consumers. The algorithm may still serve ads, content and news 'suggested for you' (privacy permitting), but it'll have to get past the virtual PA exclusion zone first.

Consumers will want authenticity and authentication in the Thirsty '30s, with news, images, products, product sustainability claims and communications fact checked, verified and guaranteed as real, human, true or unedited

Connection - Being human beats bots

Products and services that come with a human touch will be highly desirable among consumers thirsty for real connection. People could pay a premium for in-person experiences, services and interactions - or to enter physical stores instead of online shopping. Products labeled human-made, not just hand-made, will be sought after (as long as they're sustainable).

In a Thirsty '30s world where tech and AI are omnipresent, being human will be a compelling selling point for marketers who can do what the bots can't - connect through emotion. Showing empathy and alignment in values to build emotional connections and loyalty will be as important in the next decade as it is today.

We're halfway through the Raging '20s. By identifying and building emotional connections for long-term loyalty with those who will matter most to your brand in the 2030s now, you will be able to fill their cup when they are thirsty for more in the new decade. Let's be ready.

James Wright is the global CEO of Havas Red.

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