Resistance is the need of the hour

Resistance is the need of the hour

by Günter Faltin (excerpt from "David versus Goliath" )

Why don't we resist more? Has advertising district become so natural that we don't really notice it anymore?

Sometimes resistance turns up in places where we least expect it.

Kitzbuehel.
Summer School for Entrepreneurship in Kitzbühel. You know, a swanky place. Lots of posh. All the brands in the world gathered in one expensive place. A place where you certainly don't expect any criticism of capitalism. In the evening, a panel discussion hosted by a sponsor of the event, the Rotary Club. An organization from which no criticism of capitalism is expected. The chairman of the club, a successful entrepreneur, conservative as you would expect. And then the following happens. He chooses Nestlé coffee capsules and is outraged at how such a product can be brought to market. 200 liters of water needed to produce a single capsule. He's genuinely outraged, you can tell, and he makes no secret of it. That is something that should not be accepted.

Isn't that an interesting point? More than just a detail? A completely conservative man, far from critical capitalism rhetoric, but outraged by what Nespresso offers with its capsules as an economy. Isn't it a sign that a company like Nestlé is overreaching? That he arrogantly disregards the opinions of people – critical conservative people – and uses a lot of capital to implement something that neither anyone needs nor has to pay 15 times more expensively than you have to pay for something like coffee.

Phnom Penh.
The capital of Cambodia is one of the most beautiful cities in Asia and still has its French flair to some extent. It is famous for its view of a wide river panorama, the confluence of the Tonle Sap and the Mekong. The residents of the city also enjoy the view from the waterfront, which is somewhat reminiscent of Cannes.
One evening: Two neon signs appear. Huge in size, you can see them from miles away. And not only that. You determine the night. Become the involuntary focus of the residents. Clever marketing people came up with this and had the scaffolding erected on the opposite side of the Tonle Sap. One panel says SUZUKI, the other HONDA.
A storm of indignation breaks out. Though Cambodians face more pressing issues than a cheeky neon sign, opposition to the blighting of the river's nighttime views is growing. And finally it gets so big that the light constructions have to be dismantled again.

Perhaps we consumers have already lost the battle. Maybe we don't feel the loss anymore. The needs industry and its shortage producers are arming themselves. Brands are becoming more sophisticated, more manipulative. Research helps. Digitization even more. Perception weakens. "The media world, which has become a second reality, seems to rob the senses of their immediacy, even their living truthfulness," says the sociologist Oskar Negt. In times of general deception, George Orwell wrote, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

Perhaps the resistance is hopeless. I understand. You don't want to hear any more of this. It's been said a hundred times. Of course it is right, but what should you do about it? And to be honest, advertising is often funny, makes us laugh, makes us dream. Small works of art, commercials like that. The creative people play their instruments with virtuosity and master the tightrope walk between seduction and obtrusiveness. Understand something about elegance, aesthetics and the power of images. Masterful. It's comfortable, we're spoiled. The whole thing has high entertainment value. Let's see it as an accompanying program. Seems to be part of our economic system. Does not hurt. Doesn't harm anyone. On the contrary. We all have something of it. Increasing sales, rising incomes, more taxes, secure pensions.

Yes, that seems to be the point. The direction is right: more growth. And for that we need marketing. Brave New World of Economics.

So: Let's let the brands do their thing. If there are people who only want to spend a lot of money on the appearance of the goods, then they should. In a liberal democracy, vanity and stupidity must also be allowed. Agreed.

The point is, it doesn't just affect individuals and fools - it affects us all. Brands allow the spread between production costs and sales revenue, this spread allows profits to be expected, and these profit expectations lead to increasing investments. In the field of branded industries. The dynamics of this system and its growth depend on the attraction of the brand name and the awakening of ever new needs. In this way we allow ourselves the luxury of teasing out new needs instead of responding to the urgent, existential problems of our society. If we want to change something, we have to start here.

What conclusion should we draw from such considerations? Hoping for politicians to change the rules? Or even a new economic system? Or can a change also succeed within the system?

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We will look for answers to these and many other questions together with you at the Entrepreneurship Summit 2020 - from October 9th to 11th. Get to know founders and visionaries who are already resisting with their innovative products, services, initiatives and research and show how each individual can become part of an economic rethink. Resistance is the need of the hour. Show resistance by using your money to buy sustainable, fairly produced and traded products that are as local as possible. Show resistance by questioning your own actions and work in your environment and by being willing to noticeably integrate these insights into your everyday life. We can do economics better. Together. And we have to.