A life worth wanting

‘Nothing matters more than feeling connected.’

That’s not just a simple declarative sentence; it’s the result of an 18-month exchange with 25 ‘everyday people’ in the UK, people also called the ‘persuadables’ - a term meant to indicate that this group (also known as the Conflicted-Future-Fearers) sit in the middle on climate, and doesn’t know what to do with themselves on this topic.

This was introduced to me in The Drum via an opinion piece by the co-founder of Purpose Disruptors, Lisa Merrick-Lawless and Ally Kingston, who presented extracts from their citizen report, Good Life 2030. The ex-advertising execs are addressing the ‘architects of desire,’ marketers and advertisers at large who are responsible for overconsumption in our modern societies (their focus is mostly Europe and US-based).

As an ex-head of communications and wholesale director, I’ve done my fair share of peddling luxury goods to unwilling audiences, doing my very best to make those red-soled shoes as covetable as possible, so I feel the authors are talking to me (perhaps to you too).

Their suggestion is sound, especially given their research: they are inviting the industry to change the narrative, rethink what we are selling, and create a new story, one that shows a more coherent ‘good life,’ not just about more, more, more, but about inner and outer connection. Honestly - just what I needed to read today.