Let’s Get Away From It All .. Consumer spending motivated out of fear and escapism ..

Need a last minute Christmas gift for that someone who “has everything,” or that “impossible to gift” family member or friend?

This might be your answer this season.

New Escapologist describes itself as a magazine for white-collar functionaries with escape on the brain.

Drawing from philosophy, literature and original humor; they discuss practical escape routes from the present-day predicaments of demeaning work, status anxiety and urban lethargy.

Each issue is a compendium of funny and practical essays on the subject of escape. They promote freedom, anarchy and the absurd.

According to the publishers, “If you’re dedicated to Anarchy, Absurdity and to being an Escapologist, a four-issue subscription is a great way to show it.”

http://newescapologist.co.uk/

Not sure if this is for you and yours? Check out this definition.

Escapology as a metaphor for human freedom:

Houdini’s popularity as an escape artist came about during a time of technological and political revolution. It was during the 1900s that Ransom Eli Olds implemented the first mass production of marketable cars, Tomas Edison’s phonograph made a commodity out of music and the colonial expansion of Europe and America prompted the birth of the somewhat unpleasant political period known now as New Imperialism. Technologies and movements initially plugged as liberating would soon be discovered by thinkin’ types to be nasty, horrible traps designed only to placate, segment and enfeeble. When people become dependent upon companies or governments to entertain them, to transport them, to plan their days and to import their goods, they forget what it is to be free, alive and autonomous.

The work of Houdini and his contemporaries escaped the province of curiosity – that of conjuring and ventriloquism – and into the universe of metaphor.

Taken from An invitation to New Escapology.

Consumer spending habits will be motivated out of fear and escapism

Crisis fatigue may be setting in for those of us in the Other America.

To put it another way, financial markets and many consumers may just be getting tired of feeling bad after so many months of severe emotional stress. But investment and consumer spending are up — even as consumer confidence continues to crash.

Consumer spending has increased while consumer earning and saving has decreased. And
consumer confidence dropped at the same time as people were shopping more.

According to a Commerce Department report the increase in spending doesn’t show a healthy
economy. It shows just the opposite. What people spent was from their savings.

Ben Casselman of The Wall Street Journal reported that, “Consumers are spending more this year, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy about it.

One of the enduring mysteries in the U.S. economy in recent months has been the apparent disconnect between how consumers feel and how they actually behave. Each month brings new reports of Americans’ gloom — and yet actual spending has continued to rise.”

Consumers are spending money on things to distract themselves from their economic headaches, and the entertainment industry, along with its exchange traded fund (ETF), will be elated.

Consumers found a way to escape the drudgeries of the mundane world by going to the movies and they helped generate a staggering $1.03 billion in revenue last month, nearly a 19% increase from last January, Lisa Girion for The Los Angeles Times reported.

The concept of "transumerism"

Consumer behavior expert Philip Graves said, “Engaging with something very positive (like an upbeat song), watching sporting success or buying something that’s positioned as being very pleasurable all trigger a psychological feeling of
happiness (dopamine) in the short term.

So putting these elements together, many people are unconsciously looking for a way to restore their emotional balance and buying into a positive (escapist) product proposition is a way of achieving this – at least in the short term. Businesses who can meet this consumer need or adapt to do so can flourish during these difficult times.”

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Reportlinker.com announced in a new market research report that, “The desire for escapist pursuits will remain strong while economies are depressed, although consumers will be more choosy about how they spend their money and are likely to prefer cheaper options, such as the TV, on-line entertainment and outdoor pursuits.

An obsession with the lifestyles of the rich and famous will drive sales of celebrity-endorsed products, such as fragrances and sportswear, as well as readership of glossy magazines and lifestyle websites.

At the same time, a heightened interest in seeing ordinary people achieve their dreams will lead to the continued success of talent-based TV shows, such as The X Factor, American Idol, and Britain’s Got Talent.

The desire to travel will remain as strong as ever, if not stronger, over the forecast period. However, constraints on household budgets will mean that many consumers will need to settle for destinations that are less luxurious and/or closer to home than they would like.

The concept of “transumerism” may evolve further, so that while consumers will still hanker after more luxurious means of escapism, such as yachts, Harleys or apartments in the sun, they will be content to rent or part-own things rather than buy them outright.

Analysts believe the future of digital communications and entertainment lies in “augmented reality”, which blurs the line between what is real and computer-generated by placing informative graphics and audio in the user’s field of view to coincide with whatever they are seeing.”

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0318784/Let-The-Good-Times-Roll-How-Global-Consumers-are-Using-Leisure-and-Escapism-to-Cope-with-Recession.html

 

Let’s Get Away From It All

Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with the Pied Pipers

Music and Lyrics by Matt Dennis and Tom Adair

First release February 17, 1941

Let’s take a boat to Bermuda,

Let’s take a plane to Saint Paul,

Let’s take a kayak to Quincy or Nyack,

Let’s get away from it all.

Let’s take a trip in a trailer,

No need to come back at all.

Let’s take a powder toBoston for chowder,

Let’s get away from it all.

We’ll travel ‘round from town to town,

We’ll visit ev’ry state, Alaska and Hawaii too,

Then all the forty eight.

Let’s go again to Niag’ra

This time we’ll visit the “Fall.”

Let’s leave our hut, Dear,

Get out of this rut, Dear,

Let’s get away from it all.

 

Or on the other hand the more family-centered cocooning trends that are being shaped by the economic slump are projected to continue. This is great news for a host of markets, from indulgence foods and alcoholic drinks to electronics, gaming and Internet services, and “Do-It-Yourself” seminars and the like.

We can rest assured this holiday-consuming-season that we are being studied even as we have “less-to-spend.”

Firms such as Euromonitor International have summed up our financial woes and their impending boom in a report aptly named: Let The Good Times Roll: How Global Consumers are Using Leisure and Escapism to Cope with Recession

These consumer-watchers will alert their client-corporations to global trends predicted to influence consumer markets. They will offer insight to changing market conditions and the opportunities and challenges companies need to consider so they can maintain a competitive
advantage..

For all of us in the Other America, happy holidays.

Peace to You ..