Lifestyle vs. Functionality
It was just a matter of time before tech-oriented retailers and marketers caught up with the rest of the selling world. For a century or more retailers instinctively knew that women represented the household buying power. “Instinctively”, well maybe more like empirically since anyone who has ever visited a mall or grocery store could see for themselves. But often when we think of stores that sell software and hardware, we imagine hordes of men milling around the isles drooling over the latest gizmos and gadgets. However, this stereotype is quickly changing as retailers and marketers catch on in regards to who actually carries the purse in the family.
From cell phones to computers, the repackaging has begun. The days of the grey dinosaur boxes that once held the internal organs of the PC are giving way to a time of more stylish, fashionable exteriors. One may argue that Apple led the way. But the truth is they were just catching up to other industries that had long ago realized that branding was more about lifestyle than functionality. Even Coca-Cola, that started its life in 1886 as a medical product (nerve tonic), by the early 20th century had moved away from claims of functionality to lifestyle. During wartime, it was associated with patriotism and an idealized American lifestyle. As attitudes changed during the post-Vietnam era, the brand was reinvented once again to reflect a gentler, more peaceful image with the successful “I’d like to teach the world to sing” campaign.
So why was tech industry pushing functionality over lifestyle? Who really ever understood what a gigabyte was and why we needed it? The truth is that the tech industry was started by people who did know and had a passion for every kilobyte ever shoved into a box. And the buying audience tried their best to keep up with the conversation: that is until someone decided to change the subject. Enter Steve jobs whose company made computing fashionable with their innovative designs. Now a new wave of marketers and retailers has joined the fray. There designs are sleek, fashionable and could care less about what’s inside. Once again, lifestyle trumps functionality.
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