2. Why people always want the newest thing – Lou Schuler
Early in our relationship, my wife inherited a set of silverware from an elderly relative who descended from one of the most socially prominent families in
American history. Seven ancestors came over on the Mayflower, and two cousins served as president.
Mixed in with the usual knives, forks, and spoons were specialty utensils I’d never seen before. There was a perforated spoon for draining excess juice from tomato slices. Forks for relish, crab, and cold cuts. Spoons for caviar, salt, and espresso.
I didn’t know the history of any of these things until I listened to a recent episode of the Pessimists Archive podcast (pessimists.co/forks).
As host Jason Feifer explains, most people still ate with their hands until about 200 years ago. Silverware was reserved for people rich enough to afford the silver. But with the invention of silver plating in the 1800s, the cost of utensils dropped, and eating with a fork was no longer a status symbol.
That’s when companies like Tiffany invented all those new utensils.
As Feifer explains in his newsletter, “They understood their
audience well enough to know that the fork was never the big thing people wanted. Feeling special is what people wanted.”
The lesson for fitness and nutrition pros:
If the service you offer stops being novel or exciting, your customers will look for something new, something that makes them feel special again.
“That’s not a problem,” Feifer says. “It’s an opportunity.”
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