Upping the fun factor

As is my stated mission, I scan the Internet from time to time for signs of playfulness. I sometimes check for tweets that cite the aforementioned. A few days ago, I found a link to an article by Sarah Mahoney's called "Top Consumer Trends: Trust, Control, ... Playfulness? " in which she observes that people are, among five other things, "looking to up the fun factor in their lives." She writes:

...three in five people in the U.S. traveled domestically in the past year, although more are choosing to visit friends or family, hunting down bargains, or choosing cheaper transportation. New product launches also support this impulse, Mintel says -- and include the marshmallow-sized Cheetos Giant Cheese Flavored Snack Balls, Urban Decay's Pocket Rocket lip gloss, and even Crazy Bubbles for Dogs.

I have to admit that I found it somewhat humorous to learn, at least to the marketing world, that consumer playfulness is measured by the purchase of giant cheese balls, lip gloss and dog bubbles.

Were I measuring consumer investment in playfulness, I would investigate the amounts invested in things like the Maxflight Glow-in the Dark Frisbee, or perhaps a game or two - Connect 4x4 maybe, or the significantly silly game of Curses - or on events like Burning Man, or the ticket sales at local Fringe Festivals, or attendance at the igfest, and, OK, dog bubbles. But I, for one, would not want my playfulness measured by the size of my cheese flavored snack balls.


from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith