head.
The digital age, with its transparency and innovation, has declared
war on the heart. Search engines and user reviews are adding a level of
transparency that’s starching much of the emotion from purchase
decisions. Google and Amazon have signaled the end of the brand era,
as consumers are less apt to defer to emotion when god (Google) or his
cousin (Amazon) tell you to not be stupid and buy Amazon-branded
batteries (a third of all batteries sold on the internet) vs. Duracell. The
consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, which may be the largest
consumer sector in the world, was built on the heart-to-purchase
relationship. In 2015, 90 percent of CPG brands lost share, and two-
thirds experienced revenue declines.
“A Tough Road to Growth: The 2015 Mid-Year Review: How the Top 100 CPG Brands Performed.” Catalina
Marketing.
What’s a brand without scale to do? Either die or move further
south to an even less rational organ.