Consumer durables and vice versa

BRIT-THINK:Because the British feel guilty when life is too easy, Brit-consumers like – and buy – things which present a challenge. Manufacturers cater for this quirk in the national character by producing a range of products which don’t entirely work. Or, sort of work. Sometimes.

Specially popular are expensive, domestically-made toasters which miraculously burn bread on one side, while leaving the other side raw. This is a master-stroke of mechanical and marketing genius. Brits, it seems, do not like automatic and uniformly good results. They hate being outclassed by machines, preferring to feel involved, and necessary. Technical perfection worries them. Given the chance, they purchase ‘friendly’ items, which have shortcomings, and need human intervention: frying-pans with hard-to-reach corners which trap food; twin-tub washing machines, which require users to do half the work by hand. These give consumers a sense of purpose.

Many Brits are not at one with science. They are sceptical about modern technology, and feel gratified when doubts are confirmed by experience. Mechanical fallibility restores their faith in human beings, their love for nature, and gives them a chance to laugh at those who over-reach themselves by inventing smart gadgets. Brits are so relieved and have such a chuckle when things go wrong.

Ad agencies take careful note of such reactions, and time after time produce brilliant campaigns, admirably tailored to Brit-psyches. In brief, it’s the classic British under-sell; and products must be portrayed as short on technology, long on natural goodness (and/or connection with the countryside). Ads for a new cake-mix never claim ‘perfect results every time!’ this rules out the possibility of failure, and does not underscore the importance of the human contribution or the ‘naturalness’ of the product. Far better, ‘perfect country cakes, 9 times out of 10!’ Know thy customer. It’ll sell and sell.

In any case, Brits are perverse enough to shun goods which are the subject of extravagant claims. They pride themselves on being too smart to fall for hype. They do not rush as Yanks do – to buy ‘the best / the brightest / the softest’ item on the market, preferring a low-key approach.

‘Dazzle – not bad for a fabric whitener’ makes them love the product. It has so little to live up to. And consumer criticism is utterly defused by the clever ‘British Rail ... We’re Getting There’.

Conspicuous Ameri-consumption:

Americans are quite simply the best consumers in the world ... the most enthusiastic and experienced. They’ll consume carefully or conspicuously, but consume they must – and on a regular basis. No wonder a famous American T-shirt reads, ‘Whoever Has The Most Things When He Dies Wins’. Yanks – indisputably the best-equipped people in the world – hedge constantly against the possibility of shortage. They seem to need a lot of stuff. That’s why, when they find something they like, they buy ‘in multiples’ – i.e., several of the same thing in different colours. They do this with La Coste sports shirts featuring alligators on the pockets. They do it with cashmere sweaters and leather loafers. When in doubt, Yanks will always purchase, on the grounds that it never hurts to have another one of anything, but you may be sorry not to. They are the only people in the world overheard re-assuring each other in department stores, ‘Buy, buy. So you’ll have an extra raincoat.’

Yanks are also the most receptive consumers on earth. Brits may think them credulous and gullible, but the truth is that they believe in products. First of all, they are culturally pre-disposed to think that ‘new is good’, and newer is better’. Hooked on the idea of progress and growth, they’re convinced that the quality of life is susceptible to all kinds of improvement. Hence, they embrace technological (if not political) change. There’s an underlying assumption that research solves problems ... and you, too, can benefit from the latest developments.

It follows that Yanks love the word ‘now’. ‘Crunchie’s Cornflakes now fortified with iron’; ‘aspirin ... now coated for stomach protection’; ‘diet cola – now 97% caffeine-free’. Copywriters know that the word can boost sales by up to 25%. There’s public confidence that, if someone bothered to change it, they must’ve made it better.

Society, Americans believe, is only as good as the technology – and the solutions – it produces. Very often, they’re one and the same thing. Look at the Salk vaccine. Look at the silicon chip, or Star Wars. Furthermore (and this precept is fundamental to Ameri-think) ALL PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED. That’s why they do it at the end of each episode of The A-Team, or Cagney and Lacey or Hotel. They are just as optimistic about the energy crisis, a cure for the heart disease, and the Irish problem. All it takes, they are convinced, is determination … and, if one method fails, a new approach. People who resist change are perceived as lazy, rigid, or – even worse – elderly. This is the country of ‘can do’, and Yanks are self-congratulatory about their attitude. They like to begin sentences with the catch-phrase, ‘only in America’. ‘Only in America would scientists spend $14 million developing a special aerosol container, so astronauts can swig Pepsi in outer space’.