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Forbes
20-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Becoming Essential: How Brands Can Thrive In The Vibecession
Ray Lansigan is the Head of Strategic Intelligence for Publicis Groupe, Digital Experience. getty In recent years, what's known as a 'vibecession' has become a defining characteristic of consumerism. Encapsulating the divergence between rational economic thinking and emotional behavior, this catchy term reflects a contemporary twist on the complex interplay between consumer sentiment and spending habits. For example, the phenomenon of 'girl math' has gained traction as shorthand for how consumers of all genders and ages rationalize their spending decisions. Recent data shows a significant drop in consumer sentiment, and current trends like #deinfluencing and #NoBuy challenges further cement the reality that people want to spend less. For marketers, understanding these aspects of behavioral economics is crucial. If consumers are caught in rolling waves of spending anxiety, how can brands leverage behavioral economics to their advantage? The answer may lie in embracing essentialism. Essentialism is a philosophical theory about how we as people interact with objects. Our brains are wired to seek out something's essence or inherent nature, and that extends to the products we buy. For brands, essentialism is an avenue for well-crafted storytelling that emphasizes the importance of focusing on what truly matters, choosing quality over quantity, and ensuring that time, energy and resources are dedicated to purchases and investments that deliver value over time. When done well, this approach can foster loyalty and establish brands as an essential part of their consumers' lives. By identifying prevalent key consumer behaviors and the emotional connections that consumers seek with products and experiences, marketers can go beyond meeting their consumers' needs. Many Gen Zers and Millennials treat the immediate, emotional ROI of spending as a form of self-care. Nearly 60% will make a purchase to soothe themselves after a bad day. But retail therapy isn't exclusive to younger generations. Baby Boomers exhibit similar behaviors when it comes to products and services related to wellness and longevity. Marketers who understand this mindset can effectively position their brands as partners in the pursuit of fulfillment and well-being. Consumers are beginning to frame one-time purchases as cost-effective, long-term investments. For example, the popular salon chain DryBar's signature 'Blowout' service averages between $55 and $70 per visit. Depending on how regularly a consumer engages in this service, they may decide that the cost-per-daily use value of buying a hair tool worth hundreds of dollars is more financially sound. Brands can leverage this insight and encourage consumers to do the mental math of dividing a price tag into smaller dollar amounts tied to each use. Customers need some form of psychological permission before they spend money on something. Offering initiatives like store credits or loyalty programs align with this need because people perceive them as "free money." Targeted campaigns that display points balances along with stacked discounts can bring consumers off the sidelines and into the purchase funnel. Consumers' willingness to turn aspirational purchases into a reality has contributed to the growing popularity of buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. This form of credit allows people to take financing strategies once reserved for mortgages or phone plans and apply them to everyday purchases. In the context of economic uncertainty, BNPL is an effective lever for showing consumers that they can control a product's affordability by dividing the payments over time. Existing customers are high-value targets, and brands can engage with them more effectively by using owned channels to transform transactions into experiences. For example, loyalty program points create a positive feedback loop of repeat purchases and increased brand affinity. In a 2024 Epsilon survey, 55% of respondents said they frequently sign up for these programs when given the chance, and 74% agreed they feel more loyal to a brand when their experience is positive. In times of declining consumer sentiment and increasing uncertainty, marketers must align their strategies with consumer needs. Here are three key recommendations to essentialize your brand: • Leverage Micro- And Nano-Influencers: With an audience that tends to max out at 100,000 followers, micro- and nano-influencers possess unique authority within their focus communities. Because authenticity is key, they get creative when highlighting a product's importance, utility and value. Engaging with influencers at this level can be a powerful method for conveying your brand's emotional ROI. • Innovate For Affordability: With rising costs top of mind for consumers, make your product or service more accessible and palatable. Using BNPL platforms can help defray financial costs and overcome pricing barriers. • Optimize Your CRM Program: Effective targeting minimizes waste and builds consumer loyalty. Through first-party data and direct channels like cart abandons, direct mail and site retargeting, you can focus on lower-funnel activity with existing customers. When paired with a strong value exchange and an intuitive UX, a tuned CRM program creates a virtuous cycle that benefits both your brand and the consumer. By embracing essentialism and maximizing emotional ROI, brands can become indispensable to consumers. By fostering lasting engagement and loyalty, marketers can strengthen their brand's presence in the current economic climate while laying the groundwork for continued success in an ever-evolving marketplace. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Chicago Tribune
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Orland Park comedian Tim Cavanagh back to laughing after pancreatic cancer nearly took his life
Tim Cavanagh scared someone's poor dog in 2021. And that was a good thing. Cavanaugh, 71, is a nationally known comedian from Orland Park who at one time was backed up by Drew Caray, co-headlined with Dennis Miller and backed up Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld among others. He opened 2021, however, being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on Jan. 2. He went through hell, having a bunch of internal organs taken out and spending 26 days in a hospital. But he survived a disease that, according to carries a survival rate of 13%. That was the good news. The bad news is that after he survived, his mind was a mess and wasn't sure he would ever be able to walk on stage and make people laugh again. 'I was feeling like a complete idiot,' Cavanagh said. 'I used to be able to do this stuff easily. 'It was like, can I still do this? Am I still quick? Can I remember my jokes? I was like a crazy man.' He closed out the worst year of his life in early December performing a half-hour set that Dry Bar Comedy aired on YouTube. Cavanagh said when he was trying to get his confidence back, Northwestern Medicine psychologist Stacy Sanford told him that 'affirmation' was a huge step in the recovery process. He received plenty of that after the Dry Bar video ran. There were more than 100 comments and an overwhelming majority were positive. A poster by the name of Shazam6274 said, 'Hilarious! Many of the punch lines had me laughing out loud…(which scared my dog.)' Others called him a 'fun goofball,' 'intellectually superior' and 'a brilliant comedic mind.' That affirmation allowed Cavanagh to plow ahead. 'It sounds sick and psychotic, but I needed that,' he said of the positive feedback. 'I needed to hear that and to put that in my head.' In February 2022, he did a corporate show in Nebraska that he had committed to before he was diagnosed with cancer, and warmed up with some 10-minute midweek shows at Zanies Comedy Club in Rosemont. Cavanagh said he was terrified before those shows, but they went well. Soon, he was doing more shows and restoring his confidence back to normal. Now he is doing shows with ease. The Orland Park funnyman has so many people to thank for his recovery but at the top of the list is his wife, Chris Barclay, who was with him at his worst times, including the monthlong hospital stay in which the man she knew as a vibrant, cheerful man was looking like near-death in a hospital bed. He had Whipple surgery, in which the head of his pancreas, duodenum, gall bladder and 10% of his stomach were removed. 'He should have been out in six days, but his body wasn't processing,' Chris said. 'He looked like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and lost 40 pounds. His body would not restart to process things. His lungs filled up with fluid and they had to put him on a respirator for two or three days.' After 26 days in bed, even re-learning to walk was an adventure for him, Barclay said. But the couple was patient. Tim is cancer free, and he is killing it on stage. He headlined Zanies in Rosemont on March 16 and many people in the audience were friends and some were former students from his pre-comedy days when he taught at Maria High School in Chicago. 'I was so looking forward to this show,' he said. 'It was a sizable crowd and I could name almost everybody. It went really, really well.' This year also found him opening for his friend Emo Philips, and a Feb. 22 show in Cedar Rapids affirmed to Cavanagh that working hard to come back was a pretty good idea. 'From top to bottom, it was the funniest show I've ever been a part of,' Cavanagh said. Cavanagh is taking part in a cancer survivor's walk and 5K for the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center on June 1 in Grant Park. He raised $6,500 last year and wants to top that. To help his cause, visit He is appreciative to be back doing what he loves best. 'I'm so lucky and happy that I'm back to being back to being where I was,' he said. 'I got a second chance to pursue what I've always wanted to do … let the laughter work its healing magic on my audience's bodies and souls. 'And all the while letting it work on me, too.'
