I am hoping, though, that many of them have kids, who, when they have a moment to take a break from their iPods, Internet, or Google, will explain to their parents running the country just how the world is being flattened.
Anyone who has graduated with some sort of business degree in the past decade or even further back beyond that, can testify to having had at least a brief introductory education in Globalization. Whether or not you remember the specifics of what you learned, the effects of globalization impact you in some way everyday. As technology advances the gaps between our wants, needs, desires, our emotions are shortened. These gaps, voids, spaces are becoming exceedingly short-lived and are causing us to stimulate our senses more regularly. These itches that we never used to be able to scratch have now presented themselves just within our reach. How did this come to be? How is it that our three wishes from a genie have been substituted by a random unsecured wireless connection? People have adapted to suit their lifestyles by using technology to give themselves the things they desire. Where there wasn’t desire before, there is now. A seemingly endless amount of new mediums being made available for advertisements has made reaching new consumers easier, but persuading them to buy into a product or service has become adversely difficult.
Dawn the age of the Internet Cosmopolitan. The Internet Cosmopolitan is someone who is internet savvy, consumer wise, trend intelligent, hard to persuade, and easy to convince. The combination of characteristics that make up the Internet Cosmopolitan are making the jobs of admen and adwomen more difficult. Selling anything to this crowd isn’t easy if your product is flawed. The Internet Cosmopolitan is a researcher that does his/her homework and does it diligently. Their needs are specific and are satisfied to an expected level of utility or enjoyment. So long are the days of the unconscious consumer. A large amount of disposable incomes left around the same time pre-iPod mp3 players became obsolete. Internet Cosmopolitans are Tom’s wearing, organic eating, BP protesting, Mac using, politically opinionated, uncertified experts out-of-the-field and have every right to be (in some cases). They want to know everything about anything and why. If it doesn’t meet their standards it instantly gets a bad review on Google and or at least a plea for a “dislike button” on Facebook.
Internet Cosmopolitans are children of advanced information technology and economic belt-tightening. As mentioned before, the Internet Cosmopolitan is Internet savvy and consumer wise. Their use of the Internet is profound and the skills they possess far exceed those of the Baby Boomers. They know how to use any mobile device to get to Internet and can order concert tickets off a cell phone. They are consumer wise in the sense that they won’t buy anything that isn’t produced justly (i.e. Wal-Mart products, sweat-shop goods, toys that might have cadmium in it). They like to support local business when possible, support companies that give back to a community or organization they like, and prefer to purchase products that best suit their lifestyle rather than buying something that simply fulfills only one need. For ad people this means extensive corporate responsibility campaigns that expose how their client’s companies are having a positive impact on quality of life, whether it be for workers, the environment, or community.
Internet Cosmopolitans are also trend intelligent, which makes expecting the next big fad more difficult. The Internet has made available a wide freedom of choice when it comes to consumerism now. My personal favorite trends to watch now are in the food and drink industries because people have very distinct preferences when it comes to their palette. A rapidly growing trend in the US has been extensive beer lists in bars and restaurants and the growing popularity of microbrews has caused people to ditch their Bud Lights for some real flavor. Microbrews are the perfect Internet Cosmopolitan delight because they are good, they’re a cheap indulgence, made by small (local) breweries, and often give back to their communities in some way. Also since there are so many of these breweries now there has been an individual connection to people’s local beers, almost like a preferred sports teams. When an Internet Cosmopolitan sees something like microbrews growing in popularity they’ll go home and Google the crap out of it until they’re convinced that they’ll like the product. In many respects I feel “try before you buy” has been replaced by “research and read consumer ratings before you buy.”
What do I mean by hard to persuade and easy to convince? What I mean is that ad people aren’t going to be able to say, “it’s toasted” for cigarettes anymore when RJ Reynolds comes under Surgeon General scrutiny again. Simple slogans aren’t going to make it all better. People are too conscientious now a day to buy into a jingle. Take for example the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee TV ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi0SbrrGaiw). It is a manifesto, a call to arms for Americans to restore our recently defunct automotive industry to its former glory. Chevrolet’s “Like a rock” no longer will construct our skyscrapers or farm our land. Jeep is a great example of convincing an audience because everything that it talks about in the commercial is relatable to an American demographic. The economic crisis in America was attributed to several key industries collapsing due to social and ethical inconsistencies.
The American public has become more aware about making right decisions now so much, so that it effects how we act as consumers and from where we choose to purchase our goods. People now know to dig deeper and not to just take things at face value. The Internet is an easy place for people to get educated quickly on almost any topic. Unifying global information in one easy to access place has made the world flatter for consumers. This flat world makes for an easily obtainable education in poisonous Chinese goods, ethically sound alternative fuel sources, and issues that pertain to an individual personally.