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Founder at General Idea

Welcome to the Carnival of Commerce..... Remember when omni-channel was a disruptive idea in retail? Forcing brands to grapple with the concept that they needed to sell in stores, on websites, through phones and social platforms all in one seamless customer experience? The tech forces driving those changes continued getting better and better until one day we were all shopping everywhere all the time. New technology is once again reshaping commerce - this time, not where we buy but how we experience it. Fashion, celebrity culture, sport, entertainment, news, travel and food have collapsed into one amorphous and unending content consumption experience: this is the Carnival of Commerce. At the Carnival, shopping is not a distinct and separate task but something that takes place within the flashing lights and constantly whirling ferris wheel of our blended digital and real lives. It is watching the Barbie movie and then purchasing from its universe of product collaborations from roller blades to toothpaste to luggage. It’s the NBA becoming a pre-game catwalk through tunnel fashion. It’s Douyin live streamer Zheng Xiang Xiang flashing through a carousel of products and whiplash speed. It’s the funhouse of Drake’s virtual shoppable ‘Embassy’ mansion. It’s McDonald’s inviting you to travel back in time with its retro Happy meals for adults. It’s Beyonce and Taylor Swift’s tours creating a consumption boom that’s been credited with boosting the overall GDP of the United States. Today brands need to see themselves primarily as entertainment propositions, enticing consumers with a a multi-platform, multi-sensory experience that is as exhilarating and imaginative as any fairground. The products they sell are just the souvenirs of a good time.

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