This could come as a surprise. In a world besieged with sales, special promotions and further reductions, there are quite a few brands across the world that are taking a stand far further from convention….a stand hitherto non existent….no more consumer holidays. Only people’s holidays. Brands increasingly are restraining consumers from buying them today. It’s asking people to reimagine a world where disposable goods are well indispensable. Brands are asking for your pledge. Recycle, reuse, and replenish the world! The time for now is always.
An ever growing number of brands are actually rewarding their customers for not buying them. Yes, not buying them. They are aware that potential consumers remain just that – potential. Smart brands know that one-time monumental purchases are less valuable than passive awareness of the brand 24/7, and that the real goal is to keep consumers continually in the brand flow. Aggressively avoiding sales was once a tactic reserved for the likes of Hermès or LVMH, but now every brand can afford the luxury of unavailability. Scarcity drives exclusivity and builds up brand desire.The clock keeps ticking favourably for the brand, all through.
Leading US based trend forecasting firm KHOLE calls these strategies proLASTination. What it does is it dissolves temporal delineation by establishing checkpoints that move with the consumer through time. These fluid strategies de-emphasize consumption and instead seek perpetual consumer engagement. An antidote to modern day rampant consumerism.
More and more brands that confidently suspend customer purchases will only increase in the future. That’s what the forecast is. They know that by the time ready-to-wear clothes are ready to wear, they’re already out of style. Rushing to the horizon line won’t get you there any faster. So, proLASTination is here to last and more and more brands are sure to come under it’s ambit. Let the good times for brands….last…well proLAST!