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Monday, December 04, 2006
Seth notes that Kraft Guacamole lists avocado as the ninth ingredient. Guacamole is (pretty much entirely) avocado.
Is it inevitable that we buy stuff like this? Of course not. Are we conditioned to buy stuff like this? Nah. Not only conditioned -- steered.
The secret isn't only advertising. It's distribution. If the other products aren't readily available, people don't know about them, or aren't willing to look. At least, that's the way it used to be. I'm an advocate of the belief that the concept of "search" will actually change the level of complacency out there even in the offline search for what you want. The tide of consumer empowerment is changing a lot of tastes (because it can) - but in the meantime, the big guys resist, in the name of profit.
Granted, I didn't look hard, but in my grocery store, I didn't find "Kraft Guacamole". I found whatever the guacamole was that they sell in their large display of dips, including 80 kinds of hummus and so forth. I found whatever they had, took it home, then looked at the ingredients. It said "avocado."
I actually had trouble believing it; kept looking for the other ingredients. So I'm at least conditioned to think that someone is trying to screw me.
Guacamole, with hardly any avocado in it? I have a good friend who spent much of her career at Kraft. I'd love to know what she thinks of this. No, what she *really* thinks of this.
How will our supermarkets handle us, the Long Tail Generation? Or are "we" just an elite of demanding snobs? Barack Obama says (on Leno, last night?) it's comical to think people outside of big cities don't want to, say, have Dijon mustard with their hot dog. It's this crazy media stereotype. Then again... he's Barack Obama.
Posted by
Andrew Goodman
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