{"id":12736,"date":"2009-04-19T14:09:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-19T19:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/BrandTwist.com\/?p=12"},"modified":"2018-10-18T20:15:01","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T20:15:01","slug":"trading-in-not-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandtwist.com\/blog\/brand-experience\/trading-in-not-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Trading IN, Not Down"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326481984036455218\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was at the Argyle hospitality conference last week and there was a lot of talk of consumers trading down.<\/p>\n

This behavior is an unfortunate result of the current economic climate, and one leaving a lot of brands wondering how to protect their market share.<\/p>\n

The morning after the conference I was watching CNN on the treadmill in my hotel gym and an alternative expression caught my attention. During an interview on the show- Jim Skinner, McDonald\u2019s CEO, attributed his brand\u2019s unique market growth to “consumers trading IN\u201d .<\/p>\n

Regardless of how you feel about McDonald\u2019s I think this is a really interesting concept – and one with potential applications for a wide range of brands.<\/p>\n

Trading IN gives me a mental image of opening a door, spreading out the welcome mat and making someone feel valued and invited. <\/p>\n

Trading IN cleverly shifts the conversation away from price (no doubt value meals are positvely impacting McDonald\u2019s growth) towards the concept of choice<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Instead of implying compromise, trading IN implies options. A smarter way \u2026 a new discovery. It validates a consumer’s decision.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an unprecedented time in consumer marketing. Old behaviors have gone out the window with a dizzying speed. But many consumers are adrift. <\/p>\n

They know the old choices won\u2019t work, but many haven\u2019t yet settled on new options. This doesn\u2019t just mean taking a high price or mid priced brand and trading down. It could mean finding a new choice. <\/p>\n

For example, money spent on destination vacations could be re-invested in family sports equipment like bikes, roller-blades or even wii fit that allow them to spend quality time in a new way. <\/p>\n

Trips to restaurants could be replaced by local cooking classes or a new BBQ grill that satisfies a quest for culinary adventure but with a different spin. <\/p>\n

Think about these new orphaned consumers, maybe it\u2019s time for your brand to invite them IN. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s my point of view. What\u2019s your twist?<\/p>\n

What are products or services are your trading in to?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was at the Argyle hospitality conference last week and there was a lot of talk of consumers trading down. This behavior is an unfortunate result of the current economic climate, and one leaving a lot of brands wondering how to protect their market share. The morning after the conference I was watching CNN on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-brand-experience","category-brand-strategy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t