The Cultural Forces Influencing Today’s Consumers

The shrinking middle class and our more casual society were among the topics covered at Tom LaForge’s keynote speech at the Atlanta Jewelry Show.

Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

Atlanta--A former Coca-Cola executive delivered both good news and bad news in his keynote speech at the Atlanta Jewelry Show over the weekend.

The good news: There is a desire among consumers today to shop at small retailers with trust in big companies on the decline. The bad (though not surprising) news: There are a number of cultural and economic factors working against jewelers today.

Tom LaForge, who delivered the Sunday morning keynote, is the founder of a company called MacroForces Inc.

He used to be the global director of Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Company’s Human and Cultural Insights Department, where he worked to shore up trust in the company among consumers.

During his presentation, LaForge said that big businesses like Coca-Cola currently are among the least trusted institutions in the United States. (In fact, according to the survey he presented, the only entity trusted less is Congress.)

“There is a movement within this country to get to local and community-based businesses,” LaForge said.

But in order to take advantage, jewelers have to understand the business, economic and cultural forces at work in America today and how to navigate them.

None of the forces LaForge listed should come as a surprise to anybody.

Tom LaForge

First, he noted, we are living through an extremely acrimonious time in U.S. history. The country is deeply divided and people who find themselves on opposite ends of the social spectrum are not really communicating.

Instead, we are surrounding ourselves with people who share the same views and, thus, falsely believing that the majority of people think like we do.

“We are more different than we realize,” he said. “There are a lot more people not like you than you thought.”

Retailers need to keep this in mind, LaForge said. They need to understand that, for example, not everybody is going to react the same way to an advertisement for wedding jewelry featuring two brides and, therefore, they might want to find a more subtle way to market to same-sex couples (which he highly recommends doing).

He also addressed the confluence of economic and cultural factors that have led to a decline in demand for jewelry--the shrinking of the middle class, millennials who are burdened with college debt, a desire for experiences and electronics over other items and a more casual way of dressing.

For jewelers, it is a far cry from the halcyon days of the 1950s, the post-war period when disposable income

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flowed freely and people regularly dressed up for formal dinners, he said.

While nobody can turn back time, there are things jewelers can do to help make themselves more relevant and appealing to today’s consumers.

LaForge said the best brands and retailers today are those that are not just functional and emotional but also have a social message, conveying a sense that they want to make the world a better place.

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This six-minute sketch from Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign is called “You’re More Beautiful Than You Think.”

He pointed to Unilever-owned Dove and the brand’s “Real Beauty” campaign as an example. The campaign isn’t just about selling more body wash and soap, but getting across the message that the company wants to improve the self-esteem of women and girls.

LaForge also addressed the importance of relationships today--getting to know and understand customers by simply starting conversations with them. The internet cannot relay that sense of commitment and relationships that consumers seek, and that is the physical store’s key advantage today.

“You’ve got to learn to leverage that,” LaForge said.

In his presentation, LaForge mentioned a number of books that he recommended jewelers read to better under the business, cultural and economic forces at work today.

They included the following.
--“You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life,” by Jen Sincero
--“To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others,” by Daniel Pink
--“Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” by J.D. Vance
--“White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America,” by Nancy Isenberg
--“A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a Big Little Business,” by Nick Sarillo
--“The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion,” by Jonathan Haidt

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.