As someone with an interest in politics, I’ve often also paid attention to the somewhat overlapping field of marketing — both in terms of general information on the topic and just stopping to analyze some of the examples we all see daily.
One must, to a certain degree anyway, know one’s market in order to sell effectively. So — if you want hard-headed, objective, no-nonsense social analysis after the same manner as that analysis which might be conducted by an engineer designing a bridge that simply must not collapse, it stands to reason that you might at least think about what the marketing and sales people operating in a given society seem to believe. They must make sales. Unlike an academic critic, their analysis must be connected to objective reality well enough to yield results. Even if it isn’t shared directly, that analysis can perhaps be deduced from their actions.
One of the things that has been on my mental to-do list for a few days has been to investigate the growing buzz about Moleskine notebooks. When I found a link to Moleskineus.com, I decided to look the site over.
It’s a very nice business site and I have no particular beef with the company or product. I was just curious about what was supposedly so great about their product — and that curiousity was partially subsumed within my overall curiousity about marketing. That’s the frame of mind I was in while looking over their site.
So, I get to the site, and find this general purpose introductory text:
For two centuries now Moleskine (mol-a-skeen’-a) journals have been the legendary notebook of artists, writers, intellectuals and travelers.
Well, what the heck? What can be so “legendary” about some damned stationery?
Obviously, they are trying to create an “image” of the users of their product — one they believe their potential buyers aspire to. This is one of the little things that get on my nerves in day-to-day life. I smoke tobacco, but I don’t secretly want to be the Marlboro Man. Horse manure stinks and the prairie is freakin’ cold at night.
It continues:
More popular than ever, Moleskine notebooks possess stylish minimalism and unmatched quality. This century new legends are being created with the help of this modest book.
Now, esthetically, I happen to prefer a minimalistic style. That’s my number two reason for typically buying generic whatever, right after weighing cost vs. comparable quality. I eschew brand names that have no huge link to quality and subconsciously tend to avoid overly ornate, excessively complicated designs.
They do also mention “unmatched quality”, though, so I read on to try to find out why the product quality is so superior, what the cost of the product is and so I can decide for myself if the quality difference significantly outweighs the (assumed) cost difference.
The “new legends” part I dismissed as fluff. It continues:
Moleskine journals help in daily life, work and play, at home and traveling the world. This is the journal that has been as it remains today a truly reliable friend - always at the ready. Helping in life - helping create and capture life stories.
Inanimate objects are not my “friends”, despite theological opinions that have some elements of pantheism. A journal can be useful. What’s so useful about Moleskine notebooks in particular? I have no way of knowing from this page. The rest of it continues with specific product announcements that mainly serve to distinguish some varieties of their product from other varieties of their product.
Being the stubborn type, I search for an “About” link and settle on clicking the very top navigation menu item — “Explore Moleskine”.
Well, this takes me to a page entitled “Moleskine History”. As any rational history of something popular ought to have some at least peripheral mention of why it is thought to have become popular, I read on. Here’s a sample:
For two centuries now Moleskine (mol-a-skeen’-a) has been the legendary notebook of artists, writers, intellectuals and travelers. From gifted artists Henri Matisse (1869–1954) and Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), to poet and leader of the surrealist movement André Breton (1896-1966) to Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) considered the most influential writer of the last century, to famous travel writer Bruce Chatwin (1940-1989).
Again with the intellectual Marlboro Men. Oh, boy.
Moving along, we get to:
These notebooks have proven they can withstand the trials of travel and abuses that ensues from normal use. This is the one true trusted travel journal.
Finally, something of interest! This seems to imply Moleskine notebooks are more durable than ordinary notebooks made by mere mortals.
Well, why? Can they explain why in a way that is straight-forward and plausible? I read on and find no reference to anything like that, in my opinion, on the page.
Instead, toward the end, all I get is more “tease”:
Why did so many European artists, writers and intellectuals from Van Gogh to Henri Matisse to Ernest Hemingway use Moleskine. We believe this rich history of Moleskine patrons teaches us how simple tools assist inspiration. It’s merely about a well-made book that can be a trusted, reliable companion that is always at the ready.
The first sentence of the quote seems very telling to me. Grammatically, it’s a question. The copy writer ended it with a period, rather than a question mark, though. It stands to reason that one subconscious reason for that typo might have been that the writer had no intention of answering the question — as reading the rest of the document illustrates.
The “well-made book” part is a fuzzy claim to quality for the product. The case for the supposedly superior quality of the product is nowhere to be found on the page, though. Instead, we get more pap apparently designed to create a fuzzy, non-specific positive image for the product.
As it is, I kept digging through the site until I found the case for the quality of the product on a subsidiary page titled “Moleskine Design”. That page arguably presents some of the information that I was looking for and I’ll leave it to the reader to evaluate that on their own.
Rather, I’m left wondering why that info was buried, when it superficially seems to present the primary reason to buy the product. A dilemna of choosing between two immediately apparent potential rationales comes to mind.
The site might simply be poorly designed in terms of the presentation of information. This would be a pity and seems at least somewhat unlikely because the outward appearance of the site is well-made.
Alternatively, and more likely it seems to me, is that the business is doing what works — what makes the sale, by and large.
Yes, I get selling the sizzle and not the steak.
Let’s accept that I’m some sort of mutant and that the motivations of the typical consumer, or the typical member of the Moleskineus.com target market anyway, are drastically different than mine. What does this tell us about these people who are apparently those who are, or have pretentions of being, intellectuals in todays society?
That they prefer symbolism over substance.
That they don’t, or can’t, think and reason critically.
That their connection to reality is only tenuous.
In short, that we live in an intellectually dying society.
Or, at least, that this is what the people selling stuff to them believe.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Tags: Business, Cultural Notes by Brad Spangler
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