Simplicity, simple products and formats
reduced as values \u200b\u200bare strengthened in times of crisis - a 'revolution
sizes' comes to the industry and looks at our lives
Shakespeare said through Polonius, the chamberlain of the kingdom
Denmark Hamlet: "The
brevity is the soul of wit
." Barack Obama
electoralused as an argument in a speech
during the presidential campaign last year.
resorted to the concept of "small" and "simple" at least six times and was trying to touch a chord with millions of people concerned first of all by their daily lives. "You can make a big decision from little things," Obama said at the time and "America, now is the time for small plans."
In a speech Obama turned to the idea of \u200b\u200b"single" at least six times
Thinking while small-and large-scale Twitter
born"The phrase 'more is better' is no longer convincing," according to Kaplan and Koval
The financial crisis causes "an intense desire for change
Obama had the same time, as detailed in his address to the projects of young entrepreneurs, the importance of the social commitments of the citizens or reduction of some taxes. In any case, he used an idea how small, which in the opinion of some sociologists and advertisers, is once again booming. In recent months it has established itself as a value in diverse areas such as automotive or information formats, to a certain food culture, commercial arrangements or Internet communications. He also pointed
few weeks ago, The New York Times . Cars very small utilities like the Tata Nano, social networks like Twitter, which lets you send and receive messages up to 140 characters, or individual serving on the shelves of supermarkets as part of our lives. Is this a kind of evolution r sizes? Perhaps it all depends on another concept, according to U.S. consulting firm said Linda Kaplan. Perhaps it all depends on another word: "Change." In times of financial crisis, "the desire for change is intense, but sometimes the feeling is that our problems are still too big. In relation to our particular situations, national or global, it seems, then, that twist is impossible" . Why? "Because if we tried to change the world as a whole we feel frustrated," he says. "In difficult times like this, the answer may be surprisingly simple." At work, on a personal level, in relation to objects around us ... In everyday life can be useful "start value lo pequeño". Lo que no significa necesariamente inhibir nuestras ambiciones, sino reducirlas a otra escala.
No parece casualidad, en este orden de cosas, que entre las marcas que vendieron más vehículos el pasado julio que el de 2008 se cuenten Lada (con un 20% más de ventas), Mitsubishi (un 19,1%) o Tata, (27,1%), las tres fabricantes de coches compactos. Simple cuestión de precios, pero también de una filosofía comercial. Porque los mecanismos del mercado y las necesidades de los consumidores se alimentan mutuamente. Y si junto a los tamaños de los objetos empiezan a menguar también las nóminas, no extraña por ejemplo que el grupo indio Tata Motors haya apostado por el Nano, its low-cost model, which runs through the streets of China and can be purchased for around € 1,500. Reach the European market within two years priced between 3,000 and 4,000 euros. According to a report by German consultancy Roland Berger, this release is something revolutionary. "China, India and Russia, with their signatures Chery, Tata and Dacia, respectively, are changing the automotive market."
The consolidation of a new consumer profile has led some European food chains and Americans to consider a model different from the traditional supermarket. It is attracting customers who do not have much time to get lost in a mall or a hypermarket or overwhelmed with thousands of products placed in long hallways. And, as confirmed to The New York Times Phil Lempert, one of the foremost experts on food and marketing director page Supermarketgruru.com retail, every person engaged in their media buys about 20 minutes. "At that time you can not see 30,000 or 40,000 products," he explains. So, especially in cities, companies like Tesco or Lidl Germany are experimenting with smaller stores targeted to such consumers.
Because the routine, the daily rate or even the crisis of some classical values \u200b\u200bof consumerism, the concepts of big, expensive or extensive start sinking. Clearly explains Linda Kaplan, author, together with the publicist Robin Koval, the book The power of small: why little things make all the difference ( The power of small: why small things make a whole, the difference) selling in the U.S..
"American culture has been hooked to the big idea for a long time. We wanted big cars, big houses or large portions of food," explained from New York. What happened then? Since we have had many headlines last year, this culture has brought us a big problem, "referring to the point crisis. Clinical psychologist Elena Borges suggests that the connection that this situation can help you discover "that our way of life was not natural." And, in reference to privacy, said that "the simplicity and ease open a range of possibilities and opportunities."
In any case, the damage that the financial crisis has not mitigated, of course, only to reduce the sizes of certain products and learning to appreciate the simple. Although perhaps the obsession with big, especially in the commercial sector, is beginning to wane. You only need to look at some details, such as reducing some food packages or cartons of milk and drastic cuts in packaging technology devices.
mobile phone maker Nokia says, for example, that "the packing size influences not only materials but also on the energy required to transport and store the products, thus leading to lower environmental impact. The firm claims to have saved energy "to reduce the amount of printed material inside the package." Already in 2007, using smaller packages saved 15,000 tons of material and 100,000 cubic meters of water, "enough to fill a small lake." This is a clearly positive aspect of this trend with a new sense the words of Kaplan and Koval. "The phrase that 'more is better' is no longer convincing. In fact, today's problems can not be solved on a large scale, which is a noble purpose, but thinking small." Because "it is possible to extend the views reducing horizons."
may seem a paradox, but it was, thinking while small-and large-scale, Jack Dorsey founded free microblogging service Twitter . The tool was created in 2006 as internal communication system of a company he worked for the computer engineer. Then he realized its potential and decided to make it available to the Internet, who use it to send and receive short messages through the website or SMS. Today, Twitter is the third most popular social network in cyberspace, according to comScore agency, and has about 45 million U.S. users.
In a Twitter message could, for example, the phrase "Small pleasures act as natural antidotes." Elena Borges says, referring to leisure activities that help to secrete endorphins. And that, says the psychologist, a philosophy of simplicity and simplicity has much to do with happiness. "Because there is only happiness in day to day." Very close to those small everyday pleasures that can be chat, shared a laugh or playing sports.
more materialistic, success-oriented professional and personal life, is the vision of Linda Kaplan and Robin Koval. In his opinion, "the little things are the simple actions of our lives, the decisions we take or the words we speak every day."
And is that elections or seemingly insignificant forgetfulness could become really important, according to many experts. Have agreed to address that important email before sending? Have you opened the car door to a stranger? Are simple events that might become something more and that "convey to others our talent, personality and motivations. "In this hyper-competitive job market, small things can help us withstand stress and even help you get a complicated job ... The smallest gestures can to the best opportunities, "Kaplan continues.
Beyond the rhetoric of success that permeates the discourse of some analysts, the experts agree that when you look back on a life or career to On balance, most people are often left with seemingly trivial memories. In this sense, it seems certain that the little things make a difference and can even take a twist on life. The concept most revolutionary about how easy, however, appears to be the mass media. "This is a power that we all ... And when you learn to refocus attention on the little things are usually accomplish any challenge," concluded Gartner.
In this case, was looking at the local, or rather in hyperlocal that those responsible for some online media , especially in the Anglo world are trying to overcome the crisis in the sector. It is precisely this idea of \u200b\u200bcloseness and achievable territory that seems to please readers who also are witnessing the closure of several local newspapers.
web pages or MyStreet EveryBlock as published information from various U.S. cities, neighborhoods or even streets. It is actually made very little news, in most cases offered by the press offices of police and firefighters or refer to newspaper sites for real. In any case, of interest to hundreds of thousands of residents, from Dallas to LA, via Manchester or Brisbane. Users who simply want to know if the thief has been arrested to break the bank on the corner.
According to Dan Gillmor, director of the U.S. Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, the media will not get replace the traditional local newspaper. However, as recently recognized, are "useful and great." And, despite everything, the value of the local in this case does not seem to be the ultimate solution.
Like the rest of the press worldwide, these pages suffer the advertising crisis facing the sector. Among them there are some lucky, EveryBlock, a Chicago-based company that offers information on neighborhoods of this and 14 other U.S. urban areas, received almost one million euros of the Knight Center. Outside.in, which promises to deliver reports, debates and hear the events of the neighborhoods of dozens of cities and even smaller towns, has managed Recently more than five million different investors.
News taken from El País digital
