The Times, Dec 2008
It’s not exactly the year for splashing out on lots of extravagant Christmas presents for the kids. Even for those who haven’t yet felt the impact of the recession on their personal finances. It just doesn’t sit well with the mood of the nation. So it’s hardly surprising that the toy industry is suffering, at what should be its busiest time of year (the Toy Retailers Association, the trade body of toy sellers, is expecting that sales over Christmas will be down by as much as five per cent on last year).
People are that much more likely to question whether or not their children really need that extra game or toy - much as they might want it. It’s a time for focusing in on the essentials - on the things that are really important. And this happens on a practical level, but also on an emotional one. It’s not just about value. It’s about values.
What happens on an individual and a family level is happening at a corporate level too. It would be easy for the toy industry to react to these difficult times by trying to cut costs at every single corner. And if that meant squeezing down on suppliers, cutting corners on safety and pulling out of child labor task forces, well, you can see it would be easy to conclude that that’s what has to be done.
Easy but wrong. Of course the industry needs to concentrate hard on value. But not at the expense of the values that really count. Of course it’s a time to get rid of any do-goody fluff, anything that’s a nice-to-have. But one result of this recalibration of needs and wants on a consumer level is a more considered approach to consumption choices. When you’re buying less you buy more carefully. And there’s a greater need for reassurances and justifications. So if question marks about quality and safety hang over a product and there’s the sneaking suspicion it was made in a sweatshop (in today’s survey safety and conditions of workers were in the top three of consumer concerns) then the decision’s made simple: don’t buy. If, on the other hand, the consumer thinks the product’s been well made - on a human as well as a functional level - then it might just make the count.
