We are talking about people. People.

I was thinking about our brand's audience this afternoon, because that's what I do. I think about our audience at work. And sometimes after work. And sometimes before work. And sometimes when I drink. I'm kidding. Not really, I work on a beer account. Anyway, you get the point. Today, I got the feeling that when we call people "consumers" or "shoppers" or "customers" or fill in the blank, we tend to think of them as something else, as though because people are shopping or consuming (the actual product or our messaging) they've suddenly undergone a confusion causing transformation. And these all illusive "shoppers" are a big code to crack. What is it they really want? What need do they have that has gone unmet? What insights do we have into their decision motivations that can help us strategically place our brand into their lives? As any brief says, the list of questions goes on. And it's not that I don't love these questions, I do. I just want to take a moment to think about who it is we are talking about. People. People who are not all that different from you and I. They are not overly involved with every decision they make. Are you? Do you make some decisions very quickly and take days, weeks, or even months to make others? I'm not trying to say that people are not complex, WE ARE. And we all have underlying motivations behind our behaviors and an understanding of this is crucial to any good advertising strategy. I'm just reminding myself and any of you lonely readers (insert echo) to occasionally remove the marketing and "shopper" lens and take a different look through the people lens. After all, I believe a good product can connect with a real person who has a real life.

Shoppers don't necessarily inspire me, but people do.