{"id":812,"date":"2022-01-14T14:43:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T14:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/14\/its-a-lonely-planet-again\/"},"modified":"2022-01-14T14:43:26","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T14:43:26","slug":"its-a-lonely-planet-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/14\/its-a-lonely-planet-again\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s a lonely planet. Again."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Lockdowns are causing yet another ripple in our social structures.\u00a0Many are alone and\/or lonely \u2013 and not by choice.\u00a0Hopefully in 2022 these periods of forced isolation will decline if not vanish.\u00a0Over the past two years we have invested in various coping mechanisms \u2013 online parties, quick holidays when permitted, pets, staycations \u2013 you name it.\u00a0And yet our established social networks have generally diminished because of the lack of proximity.\u00a0For the lucky ones new relationships have sprung up \u2013 again based on proximity or perhaps due to frequency of online interactions.\u00a0But spare a thought for the grandparents who haven\u2019t or won\u2019t see their grandkids.\u00a0For the young adults who have not been able to meet their special someones.\u00a0For the kids who will not have a kindergarten bestie because there were no playdates.<\/p>\n

(Also for the authors like me who can\u2019t do a book launch party for their\u00a0new book<\/a>, but in the overall scheme of things that may not be so huge.<\/p>\n

Loneliness and anxiety about the future are real.\u00a0If you are dealing with these issues, I would advise you to seek help \u2013 counselling is very useful or if you prefer to explore on your own first, then there are online courses that teach you coping techniques.\u00a0Mail me if you want a reference.<\/p>\n

But this is a marketing newsletter. And where there\u2019s a trend there\u2019s an opportunity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Trend 1: Rise of influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we don\u2019t have our usual quota of personal interactions, we channelize our interest into celebrities, or fictional characters like anime heroes. Think high school crush \u2013 one-sided relationships, but deep and rather obsessive for one party. They\u2019re termed parasocial relationships. An interesting spin-off is that \u201cfollowers\u201d of a particular character may find this a shared interest and widen their social interactions to embrace fellow fans.<\/p>\n

Trend 2: Pet Rock<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we can\u2019t find sufficient humans to socialise with, we start attributing human tendencies to inanimate objects. In 1975 ad executive Gary Dahl launched \u201cPet Rocks\u201d \u2013 rocks that came in a cardboard box with breathing holes, and an elaborate training manual. A million of them sold. Today people build relationships with Siri or Alexa, or an app like Google and refer to them as he or she. Adults proudly talk about how their mood ring or exercise watch \u201ctells them\u201d to run or sleep.<\/p>\n

Trend 3: Plants and pets<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not into rocks? No problem \u2013 humanisation of pets works too. Globally the pet care industry is booming as dogs and cats become everyone\u2019s favourite Zoom background. If pets are too much commitment, how about a plant?<\/p>\n

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Trend 4: Mental health, Spiritualism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Products and services that help address the symptoms and causes of loneliness are seeing a big uptick in interest.\u00a0These could be online courses, apps, online group activities and anything in the wellness and self-care space.<\/p>\n

My first experience with the theory of mindfulness was when working on the positioning of Happiest Minds with Ashok Soota.\u00a0The concept was new to me back then and I admit I was not a convert.\u00a0Now I\u2019ve signed up for an online Udemy course to better understand the principles.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Calm is a unicorn while it\u2019s rival Headspace has its own show on Netflix. Not to be left behind there\u2019s a Catholic inspired app Hallow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Trend 5: Wellness\/self-care<\/strong><\/h3>\n
I used to apply lotion to dry skin. Thanks to my daughter I now know that this is self-care. She\u2019s working on a \u201cpamper hamper\u201d with\u00a0https:\/\/thebirdsonglife.com<\/a> As we move up Maslow\u2019s hierarchy and focus more on us as individuals, anything that is centered on the self will see an uptick.\u00a0Self-care is also recommended for those suffering from anxiety \u2013 and India ranks 4th in the world for prevalence.<\/div>\n

Trend 6: Rise of the Alone<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Ipsos\u00a0research\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0in 2020 showed that 50% of Indian respondents thought they would be lonely that year.\u00a0Some are alone by choice, and others by circumstances.\u00a0Both kinds would like stuff designed to be consumed alone. But the lonely \u2013 defined as those who feel they have no-one to discuss important matters with \u2013 react differently to consumer cues.\u00a0For example, there\u2019s\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0that they prefer \u201cminority endorsed\u201d products over \u201cmajority endorsed\u201d products, at least for private consumption.\u00a0China has made Singles Day (11.11) a gigantic celebration.\u00a0The YouGov-Mint-CPR Millennial Survey showed that 25% of them did not want to marry.\u00a0Among households with monthly income less than Rs. 10,000, 40 percent millennials said they were unwilling\u00a0to marry.\u00a0COVID may be creating this uncertainty but from a marketing (and social) perspective it\u2019s a trend to watch out for.<\/p>\n

Hope you enjoyed reading this newsletter.\u00a0I\u2019m happy that you\u2019re amongst the discerning marketers of India who read enriching content regularly ? Wishing you a year overflowing with health and happiness for Pongal\/Lohri\/Bihu.\u00a0May you have a great harvest of leads, conversions, customers \u2013 whatever fills your pot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n