Hot Products: Do We Need Them?
Not long ago AOL announced its “Hottest Products of 2007″ list. AOL makes you click through all 15 pages to be able to identify them all–which is really annoying. So as a public service, I’ve provided their entire list on one page:
- Apple’s iPhone
- Coke Zero
- Nintendo Wii
- Slingbox
- Vitaminwater
- Tesla Roadster
- Google Maps
Halo 3- Hannah Montana
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- Erasable Tatoos
- Blackberry 8800
- Webkinz
- Nikon Coolpix S51c
- Second Life (the online game)
And I have no argument. These products are certainly some of the most talked about, most anticipated, most seriously cool stuff made available during the last year. I would gladly accept any of them. (Well, to be honest, I don’t get the deal with Webkinz and Second Life.)
Question. Which of these do you need?
I propose this rule of thumb: if it is “hot,” “cool,” or evokes a “wow,” we don’t need it. In fact, it’s value is strictly pop culture and will soon melt. It may make my (spoiled?) life easier or more fun or more interesting, but whatever joy it brings me will dissipate with next year’s model, my boredom, or my maturation…or all of these combined.
Promoters, don’t think me a kill-joy moralist. I’m not. I want an iTouch as bad as the next guy. And I prefer, like him, that it be given to me rather than having to pay for it myself. But I don’t pretend it meets a serious need.
Occasionally, please, put on your “pastoral” hats, and meet a real need with your promotions, services, and offers. Believe it or not, most of us in America (not to mention the world) can’t honestly afford any of the above stuff. We have our hands full making rent in the Life we have; we really don’t need to be creating a Second Life comprised of stuff–virtual, digital, or otherwise.
