K-Hole

K-Hole

Images from “K-Hole #2- Prolasticity“.

“After releasing their mobile shopping app in 2011, Company A noticed a gradual decline in the sales of their signature California camping gear.They realized that the flood of mobile shopping options had the unintended result of exhausting consumer enthusiasm. The pressure to purchase, promoted by all-points checkout,left consumers with a bad case of buyer’s remorse: they had bought the right thing, but at the wrong time. Company A is entering 2012 with a proLASTinating approach for this prudent, but not frugal, demographic. They are partnering with eBay to promote the resale and refurbishment of their gently used tents, packs, and jackets. With the creation of a free geotagging app, they are rewarding customers just for checking in at national parks and their pop-up stores in New York, London, and Chiang Mai. The app has also been licensed to many of Company A’s high profile peers, including Company M, a motorcycle manufacturer, and Company R, a renters insurance agency. Consumers receive loyalty points for physically entering particular Company A, M, or R locations and snapping pics of specific items – but never for actually purchasing something.Meanwhile, Company M has independently partnered with Craigslist to promote local peer-to-peer sharing of its custom motorcycles. And Company R is encouraging customers to share insurance policies with groups of friendly neighbors, driving down costs. On Monday, November 28th 2011, K-HOLE received the following press release from Company A. The same text appeared in a full- page ad in the New York Times, on the homepage of Style.com, and in a dedicated email to members of Amazon Prime.

“Today is Cyber Monday. This day was created in 2005 by the National Retail Federation to focus consumer attention to online shopping. We here at Company A are taking a stand. No more consumer holidays! More people’s holidays! We are protesting! We are telling you, ‘Wait!’ We are telling you, ‘Breathe!’ Do not buy our gear today! We are asking you to imagine a world in which disposable goods are indispensable! Company A is asking for your pledge. Recycle, reuse, and replenish the world! The time for now is always.”

In short, Companies A, M, and R are rewarding customers for not buying their products. Potential consumers remain just that – potential. Smart companies know that one-time monumental purchases are less valuable than passive awareness of the brand 24/7, and that the real goal is to keep consumers continually in the brand flow. Aggressively avoiding sales was once a tactic reserved for the likes of Hermès, but now every brand can afford the luxury of unavailability.

K-HOLE terms these strategies proLASTination.
ProLASTination dissolves temporal delineation by establishing checkpoints that move with the consumer through time. These fluid strategies de-emphasize consumption and instead seek perpetual consumer engagement.
With their confident attitude toward indefinitely suspended purchases, K-HOLE sees proLASTinating brands on the rise. They know that by the time ready-to-wear clothes are ready to wear, they’re already out of style. Rushing to the horizon line won’t get you there any faster.” – excerpt from K-Hole #2