Page 40 - The Five Forces of Everything
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OBSERVATIONS Meanwhile in China, surveys show that nearly half of all Millennials admit
to spending money to offset loneliness, and that life in big cities can
It’s been said that the ultimate consumer insight is that be very lonely indeed. While there are no clear estimates of the size
people are lonely. Social commentators report on cities of China’s ‘loneliness economy’, many businesses, from restaurants to
full of ‘sociable loners’, where individuals feel increasingly entertainment equipment makers, are trying to profit from this reality.
disconnected and lack meaningful connections with others.
Carefree Single Living
The result is siloed living. A population increasingly squashed together in There is a worldwide delay to marriage as people prioritize careers,
shared and disparate households through economic necessity, or in single life experiences and save for property. Conversely, divorce rates are
person households, both surrendering face time for screen time. accelerating – now at a global high of 44% (26% in 1980).
It’s no wonder that people are reporting feelings of loneliness. These factors mean that single-person households are growing faster in
numbers than every other household type - globally.
In the U.S., a national survey in 2018 by the global health service
company Cigna observed that nearly half of the 20,000 adults surveyed
reported sometimes or always feeling alone (46%) or left out (47%). “The rise in technology, cheap travel and general entertainment
Generation Z and Millennials rated themselves highest on feelings means that today’s generations have more choice in how they
associated with loneliness. Figures for the U.K., where the government spend their free time than their parents ever did. There are fewer
has appointed a Minister for Loneliness, are not dissimilar. incentives to get tied down by family responsibilities, with a
singleton lifestyle offering more carefree fun.”
*Observed by Euromonitor
A Role for Brands
We believe that brands have an opportunity to promote connections between
increasingly isolated souls – helping individuals to feel part of something.
Office services group, WeWork, which was recently valued at $47bn, has
made ‘facilitating connection’ an explicit part of its mission statement.
Its founder recently told The New York Times that the company isn’t just
“building a work space”. Instead, it’s ‘building a new infrastructure to
rebuild social fabric and rebuild up the potential for human connection.’
The human species is a social species.
So, any research into how your brand could
help people feel part of something bigger is
worth looking into.
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FORCE #3 OBSERVATIONS | IMPLICATIONS | ILLUSTRATIONS
