Malcom Gladwell gave a talk at TED about choice. His point was that we as consumers don't just want spaghetti sauce, we want extra chunky, garden-style with four cheeses. We also want lemon-apple no-spot dishwasher detergent, and medium rare Gouda-cheese crusted fillet mignon with caramelized onions and a mango reduction.
The point is, we as consumers are unique people with nuanced needs so marketers, ever happy to oblidge, respond by multiplying our product options to the most subtle detail.
While this approach has been profitable, it has also introduced friction and stress into our lives. Have you ever stood in the grocery aisle wondering which of the 10 kinds of Wheat Thins you should buy? Or wondered which of the 15 cable TV plans to select? Sometimes just the rainbow blur of colors whizzing past me as I push my cart through Target is enough to make me dizzy. According to Wikipedia, there are 18 kinds of Chips Ahoy cookies. 18!
There's something nice about simplicity and just being happy with what's in front of you. Sometimes I long for the days of chocolate or vanilla, plain Levi jeans and a 1-page cafe menu. Marketers have learned they can make money by multiplying choice, but I've learned I can be happy by dividing choice down to just the best two or three options.
The point is, we as consumers are unique people with nuanced needs so marketers, ever happy to oblidge, respond by multiplying our product options to the most subtle detail.
While this approach has been profitable, it has also introduced friction and stress into our lives. Have you ever stood in the grocery aisle wondering which of the 10 kinds of Wheat Thins you should buy? Or wondered which of the 15 cable TV plans to select? Sometimes just the rainbow blur of colors whizzing past me as I push my cart through Target is enough to make me dizzy. According to Wikipedia, there are 18 kinds of Chips Ahoy cookies. 18!
There's something nice about simplicity and just being happy with what's in front of you. Sometimes I long for the days of chocolate or vanilla, plain Levi jeans and a 1-page cafe menu. Marketers have learned they can make money by multiplying choice, but I've learned I can be happy by dividing choice down to just the best two or three options.
