"I have come to not like the suffix “er”. Happier, Smarter, Better, Neater, Thinner...no matter how much we have achieved, we can always throw on an “er” and the quest to take it to the next level continues. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not opposed to self-improvement, skill enhancement, or excellence. But the problem is, that all this “er-ing” can make us forget that we might already be happy enough, smart enough, good enough, neat enough, and thin enough. I think of this as the battle between improvement and contentment.
Contentment – appreciating who you are, what you have, and what is enough—is as important for children as it is for parents. Naming what we are content with and have enough of teaches our children that despite the “er” culture in which we live, it is important and healthy to relish things with which we are satisfied. We don't always need to strive for more. Focusing on what is enough teaches children to feel grateful for what they have received and to be proud of who they are. It reminds us to savor and celebrate what is good, right and satisfying. It reminds us that the quest for better and more is good, but that better and more shouldn't trump contentment." --Fishful Thinking Newsletter, February 24, 2009
I love the point of this little newsletter--our society breeds us to be discontented. It is a wonderful reminder to sit back and think about what we have that is good and enough.
From a PR standpoint, this seemingly insignificant newsletter has upped my social opinion of Goldfish crackers--not because from this one note I think they are going to save the world. But it shows me that they are interested in more than just selling more fishy crackers. (And, yes, I know that they are interested in selling more fishy crackers.) But I think this little campaign fits in with a trend some other companies are following--the Dove Real Beauty campaign and all the entities jumping on the 'green' bandwagon.
Yes, these are all cleverly disguised marketing techniques, but at least they have a good side effect--possibly getting us all to give a little more thought to why we buy things instead of just following the rest of the lemmings over a cliff.
Great post. I love reading these types of articles.
ReplyDeleteI agree, we do live in a society that always wants bigger and better. That's why we work so hard - to have more! But, we need to be reminded to sit back and enjoy what we actually have.
I know when I start thinking about wanting a bigger home, I go right to what my grandma told me. She was a widowed mother of 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl. She raised all four kids in a small three bedroom/one bathroom home and they survived just fine. I have three bedrooms/one bathroom upstairs and one bedroom/one bathroom downstairs and only two kids! I really don't need more - just makes more to clean anyway.
I always think back to how I was raised and what we did or didn't have. None of the have or have nots really matter. It's my relationship with my family and the memories we have made together that make me who I am and that are important.
So I totally agree, bigger is not better. We are blessed to just have a family to love, a job, food, and a home!
I also have noticed many companies approaching advertising in a whole new way. It is a way that makes people realize that what they have or who they are is enough. The products those companies sell are not aimed at making people’s lives better; they are only aimed at maintaining the status quo. As you said, it is a whole new approach to marketing, and one that I hope sticks around!
ReplyDeleteAs with most things, however, there is always an upside for the company. They try this new marketing approach and bring in hoards of new customers that are enthralled with the message relayed via the new commercials. Sales go up and word spreads, and before you know it, those commercials have paid for themselves in triplicate! Definitely a good example of well thought out PR.
How wonderful that a major corporation take an opportunity to promote positive thinking. I am sure that this is probably a marketing campaign but how terrific to run advertising that puts the company and the person enjoying the product in a positive light.
ReplyDeleteJay and I spend a lot of time being thankful for what we have and staying positive. We have eliminated friends who constantly wine about their circumstances and don’t want to recognize all they good they have in their life.
I also believe that people, who are positive, motivated and philanthropic, achieve more in their lives. I cant say enough how wonderful that we have these people who concentrate on making their dreams a reality yet stop to be thankful for what they have an give back to the community.
I like this post of yours. It is very interesting to read about that, and to bring things to our attention. I think this news letter is a lot like the movie "you, me and dupree", one of the guys in the movie says "ness, its your ness, your name with ness attached at the end."
ReplyDelete