In this video, Emily Haines touches on one of the major themes felt around the world right now - a large cloud of uncertainty and doubt hangs over many people's heads. I know that on a personal level, I've never talked with so many people asking the "what do I want to do with my life" question before.
People are questioning much of what they felt good about before. They are considering giving up on things they've been doing for years. They're not sure where to go or what to do next. They are searching for answers and help.
As an industry, we're partly to blame for this situation. We've worked to help convince people that if they simply buy our products, they'll have whiter teeth, enjoy the comfortable feel of their rich Corinthian leather seats and ultimately, be much happier. If there's any good in the mess that we're facing, it's that we have an opportunity now to help clean it up.
So how do we go about that?
A recent article in Time Magazine by Kurt Andersen said,
"The present chastening can't mean turning into a nation of overcautious, unambitious scaredy-cats. This is the moment for business to think different and think big."
Every day, we are presented with opportunities to help make someone's day, or life even, a little bit better. When a new project comes in, we have a choice. We can take the easy route and just do what is being asked of us; or, we can choose to go beyond the assignment and look for a bigger opportunity to help make products and services more meaningful to people. Sure, it might be harder work than just doing what was asked, but from harder work comes greater reward. We just have to start asking different and bigger questions.
Do we have to tell people that our product is X% than the competition, or can we create content that simply puts a smile on people's faces and reminds them how much they enjoy the product?
Do we need to cram more features into a product, or can we instead develop applications and tools that help people accomplish tasks easier or get more out of using the product?
Do we need to create yet another line extension, or can we figure out a way to extend the use of existing products so we can stop creating more waste?
As an industry, we have to stop just looking for ways to "build brands" through messaging and start looking for ways to actually help people have better days and build better lives.
As Kurt Andersen said, there's never been a better time to start thinking differently and start thinking bigger.
