Happy Christmas?

10th Dec 2009 A passion and truth by Jacqui

Last week I spent an enjoyable few hours with my head buried in the latest Trendwatching report, gaining a detailed insight on this period of exponential change we are living through.

With so much flux in our lifestyles - how we work, rest and play, I was intrigued to discover there’s one thing that hasn’t changed in the last fifty years: how happy we are. Despite incomes trebling, and our living standards, life expectancy and material wealth soaring beyond recognition, we are no happier.

This has been termed ‘status anxiety’; the eternal pursuit of happiness through material gain and the quest to be comparatively better off. The very fact we judge ourselves according to what others have, means happiness is often temporary and elusive. By constantly craving the next best thing, we’re leaving ourselves perpetually unfulfilled and therefore less happy.

But there is a counter to this status trap, and it’s a movement gathering quite serious momentum amongst UK consumers. It works on the principle that happiness and optimism are skills that can be taught and learned. The positive psychology movement focuses on what makes people feel good, and comprises three key factors: deriving more pleasure from sensory life experiences; becoming more engaged and deeply involved in work, hobbies and relationships; and finding ways of making your life more meaningful.

For brand owners, this ‘happynomics’ trend poses some compelling opportunities. With the knowledge that happiness can’t be ‘sold’, the challenge is on to become the facilitator instead, by enriching consumer experiences in all interactions. Thus, supporting self-fulfillment so people can make their own happiness.

It might sound like pretentious marketing piffle, but think about it. As a consumer, do you believe it when a brand promises it will make you happy? Of course not, and what happens when it doesn’t meet expectations? Your trust is eroded.

So the brand that engages in the fabric of your life by being useful, generous, exciting or more meaningful will become a brand you happily endorse. And in this new consumer ‘owned’ economy of today this is the new definition of success.

This article was published in the Birmingham Post on 10 December 2009.

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