May 28th, 2008
Is the Noble Savage the Ideal for the Post Consumerist Society?
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In my earlier post about Patricia Martin’s book ‘RenGen’, I have written about how authenticity is one of the three big trends that are changing the very nature of consumption –
We want real and authentic experiences, instead of packaged formulaic one. Brands that resist the urge to reduce experiences (into formulas) and instead try to enhance them will build a cult following for themselves.
While authenticity looks like a no-brainer for brands, few brands can be called authentic. It was another episode of Susan Bratton’s Dishy Mix podcast that helped me pin down the problem. It’s a great podcast and Joseph Pine, the author of ‘Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want’ sets the tone in the first few minutes by saying that all economic offerings are in-authentic because something is only authentic if it is one not ‘of man’. So, the The only way to live an authentic life is to live like Rousseau’s ‘noble savage’ and go into the wild.
I totally loved the interview, so much so that it has set me on a wild goose chase on the concept of the ‘noble savage’. According to Wikipedia, the classical (18th century) characteristics of the ‘noble savage’ include –
living in harmony with nature, generosity, selflessness, innocence, inability to lie, fidelity, physical health, disdain of luxury, moral courage and natural intelligence or innate, untutored wisdom
I find it fascinating that these very values are on resurgence today. In fact, these are the very values that brands are trying to build into their messages and trend watchers like Joseph Pine and Patricia Martin are talking about.
Which makes me wonder if the noble savage might be the ideal for the post consumerist society.
