Are we feeling more optimistic?

While the Great Recession retreats at a snail’s pace, there are signs of happiness all around us. Leading companies are attempting to brighten consumers’ lives, thus increase sales.

Kraft Foods created a smiley logo for their new Hello Jell-O campaign and is putting it on special-edition boxes of the jiggly treat. Hungry Jack made a funny face on the inside of their syrup cap. The design gives pourers of any age more dispensing control — and an upbeat start to their day. Coca-Cola’s redesigned Minute Maid juice packaging shows an appealing photo of two full oranges with a “smiling” wedge on top. For Frito-Lay’s “Happiness Exhibit,” fans can submit pictures of their happy moments for a digital collage. A few of those lucky photos will also be selected to adorn future Lay’s potato chip bags. Seattle’s Best Coffee redesigned their logo “to match our optimistic outlook.”

Little Doses of Happiness
Richard DeVos, co-founder of Amway once said, “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.”

Little doses of happiness are a big deal for people these days. The value is something that they can control. In other words, think happy and you’ll be happy. Then, through the wonders of instantaneous technology, spontaneously share their happiness with friends and family.

The big lesson in marketing is that packaging is the face of a brand. What expression is yours wearing? And does it make consumers want to “pay it forward”?

No matter what generation you are targeting with your product or service (or if you want them all), a dose of optimism will go a long way. Everyone is getting really weary of all the doom and gloom. Yes, things could be better, but they could be a lot worse, too. The media is feeding us negativity because it sells. The drug companies are convincing us that we have more illnesses than we dreamed possible. Then they offer the latest and greatest miracle pill because we’ve become accustomed to the quick fix. Almost every ad is all about what’s on sale, not about what’s new and different and, yes, even fun. A perfect example of a product flying off the shelves is the Apple’s iPhone 4. It’s exciting – it’s fun, and people are buying!

For everyone reader in a business with a product or service to sell, pick up the pace. Understand that you are talking to several generations, each of which have their own way of taking in your message. But I believe if you display some optimism in your advertising, you will gain customers. We are all ready for some good news – even if it’s going to cost us some money.

Linda Thompson is the author of Every Generation Needs a New Revolution, Planning for Tomorrow; and A Caregiver’s Journeys. To find out more about Linda’s presentations, workshops, and publications, visit:  http://lifepathsolutions.biz/

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