Since last year, economic uncertainty has provoked profound changes in the national sentiment and a reassessment of the fundamentals of consumer choice. This article explores four emerging consumer values Mitchell Communication Group has identified that will be increasingly important for marketers to understand in 2009.

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There are a number of ways Mitchell Communication Group can help ensure your brand is on the right path to navigate changing times in 2009.

If you are interested in hearing our ‘Communicating in a Recession’ presentation, or would like us to conduct a tailored consumer insights and strategy workshop, please contact us:

Carmen Campbell on (02) 9284 4497

Thanks to: Mitchell Communication Group

We all know it’s the Baby Boomers who control the discretionary spending in our economy, but now they’ve gone into competition with Gen Y to earn it.

Move over Gen Y, grannies are back in vogue, and their secret weapon? Knitting of course…

Several companies have identified this trend and are leveraging the appeal of grannies to sell their products, recognising this cultural shift of a desire to return to grass roots and the need for frugality.

Our favourite is Swiss NetGranny, an online sock distributor. You simply select one of the grandmas to knit the socks for you.

Oxfam has released a YouTube channel, featuring its own Green Granny. 71 year-old grandmother, Barbara Walmsley, gives people money-saving tips on heating, mending and cooking leftovers. She has quickly shot to internet stardom after attracting nearly a quarter of a million viewers.

All of these enterprises aim to transcend the impersonal mass produced world of consumption, which we spoke with Kamal Sarma about in our story on shifting consumer values.

For a long time now, boomers have been taking the back seat as the advertising industry focuses on the more outwardly attractive demographic of twentysomethings. If nothing else, these examples above demonstrate what we already know – boomers are a group of people who want to be heard, involved, and active in our communities. Maybe now is a good time to start thinking about how your brand can embrace this.

Thanks to: netgranny.ch, Oxfam, Barbara Walmsley

Last month we started the conversation on the changing values in our society, with our article ‘Back to Happiness’. But how are consumer patterns shifting?

To explore this further we interviewed Kamal Sarma, Director of Rezilium, a Strategic Leadership firm that specialises in creating resilient leaders, resilient teams and resilient organisations.

Kamal shares with us how we are experiencing a structural shift of values in society that see a move away from mass consumption towards a consumer sentiment looking for inspiration over motivation from brands.

If you find this interesting you might also be interested in this month’s feature article ‘The Australian consumer in 2009’ that looks at how marketers are reacting to changing times.

To find out more about Kamal and Rezilium you can contact Kamal directly at kamal.sarma@rezilium.com

Thanks to: Kamal Sarma

People’s perception of value has changed. In 2009 we will see consumers’ normal obsession with consumerism put to the test as we start to witness a shift in consumer sentiment.

Needless consumption is out. Being frugal is in. Brands that can demonstrate how they add authentic meaning and alignment of values to the individual will win.

Here are a few examples of how everyday people are changing for the better:

US digital expert, David Armano tested the strength of digital communities with a plea to help out a family in need. No one knew them and yet he raised in excess of $US16,000. Details of the heart warming story are here.

Dave Ingham from Ryde created his business Rentachook so people could experience having their own chickens for six weeks before they committed to keeping them. Today, families all over Sydney (at least) have rented chickens - providing them with their own eggs.

Suddenlyfrugal.wordpress.com developed by American Mum, Leah Ingram, provides people with money saving tips, so inspiring she has become famous in the media.

There is no doubt the financial crisis has prompted this attitude, but it’s encouraging to see something positive coming out of this.

Thanks To: Suddenly Frugal, David Armano, Dave Ingham from Rentachook

Great advertising is born out of insight. Extraordinary advertising is born out of cultural insight, with the kind of nuances that automatically engage and entertain your audience. Some of the examples below provide food for thought.

New Zealand hardware store, Mitre 10 critiques Australians work ethic. Listen carefully, you’ll hear a familiar line from the iconic movie The Castle.

Sam Kekovich is back sprouting the benefits of lamb wrapped in the verses of real Australian values, tipping his hat to topical events.

The popular viral ‘Beached As’ (commanding close to 4 million views) isn’t recent news but how quickly did Supre leverage its popularity with replica ‘Beached As’ t-shirts, immediately positioning itself as a relevant cultural brand.

These are just some of our favourites. If you have any examples of advertising born out of cultural insights, share them with us at (carmen@whileyouwerentwatching.com) and we’ll post them here.

Thanks to: Mitre Ten, Supre, TheBeanPictures

Catherine Lumby, Director Social Research in Journalism and Communication, University of NSW talks about the erosion of experts in our society for younger audiences. She explains why younger audiences are moving away from voices of authority.