A quick look at how constant connectivity and convenience are wearing us out. Written as part of the Luckie & Company newsletter series.

1. Why Constant ConneCtivity and ConvenienCe are Wearing Us oUt
BY: david stutts, director of Brand planning
It’s no secret that life moves quickly. Depending on what study you read,
today’s consumer actually manages to fit anywhere from 25 to 32 hours
into each day with all the multitasking that goes on. It seems consumers
have forgotten how to just slow down and enjoy life. In fact a recent
Gallup poll showed that 40% of American workers had no plans to take a
vacation – some are worried about losing their jobs if they take a vacation,
while others just don’t like the idea of falling behind.
On-the-go technology, mobile broadband and always-on high-speed
Internet have been big contributors to this quickening pace of life.
Consumers are being conditioned to the idea that they must always be
connected and reachable, whether at work, after hours, on the weekend or even on vacation. For many, work
and leisure have almost blended together where it’s hard to separate one from the other. To help separate
the two, some hotels are starting to offer “Blackberry vacations,” where guests turn their Blackberry or smart
phones into the concierge when they check-in and don’t get them back until they checkout.
The emergence of social networks the past couple of years has added another layer of connectedness that
can become overwhelming as consumers struggle to keep their posts and profiles current on blogs, LinkedIn,
MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, Plurk and the like. These types of applications are teaching us to
keep our lives constantly updated and to, again, not fall behind.
And this quickening speed of life is not just fueled by an addition to connectivity, but also to convenience.
Many brands seem to be all about trying to invent and package consumer products that make life easier.
These days we are hard-pressed to find a consumable packaged goods company that doesn’t have some
sort of grab-and-go packaging making it easy for us to eat anytime, anyplace, even with just one hand in case the
other is needed for texting, holding a phone or driving. When it’s not about grab-and-go, it’s about minimal or zero
preparation to help provide instant hunger gratification so we can continue whatever it was we were doing.

2. (ContinUed)
And it’s not just food companies working to make life more convenient. Swiffer has revolutionized the
floor-cleaning industry. No more bucket and mop, just a quick swipe with a Swiffer and on to the next task.
Also on the way out the door are all those pesky cleaning spray bottles, now just grab a wipe du jour, rub clean,
drop it in the trash and you’re done.
Not to feel left out of the rush to convenience, service companies are doing their part too. The major credit card
companies are working with mobile companies to introduce contactless payment opportunities via consumer’s
cell-phones. Users won’t need to pull their wallets out anymore to pay, just wave their phone at the reader and
quickly be off to the next engagement. Unfortunately the number of people who lose or have their cell-phones
stolen each year runs into the millions.
Recent signs in society seem to indicate that consumers are starting to push back on this accelerated speed
of life. So as marketers how should we be rethinking the speed of life in order to stay ahead of the consumer
curve or at least try to keep pace?
1. Don’t assume every problem can be solved with a solution about saving time
(or creating more time)
2. Start a new revolution by helping consumers disconnect instead of constantly
connecting – do we really need a Brawny paper towel social community?
3. Create or define a new value beyond connectivity or convenience – something
that adds to the enjoyment of life, not the complexity of getting through life