Category Insight

Apparently fashion and the way people dress and choose their clothes is still a much disputed topic. Young adults are often the aim for this discussion. And more often it is older people who are the ones who points fingers.

Ethnography reveals what people really do. It allows you to see patterns of behavior in a real world context. The method answers how and why by everyday life participant observation study.  Saying and acting are separate phenomenon. Ethnography gain insights into how people define and create meaning. Designers, communicators and product developers need to understand the relationship between what they produce and the meaning their products and messages have for the consumers.

SVT´s new show Landet brunsås was aired 3 weeks ago and as an anthropologist I can´t overlook the anthropological aspect of the show. Food discussions are very common in the anthropological arena and as the late cultural anthropologist Mary Douglas stated in her book Purity and Danger (1966) schemes of classification regarding food exists everywhere.

I make my own muesli – I enjoy picking out the most delicious looking almonds, the most healthy seeds, the most colourful fruits and mix it with organic and fairtrade oatmeal. In that way I start my morning just the way I like it  And, yes, it is very boboitian!

Watching a beautiful reunion of a wild lion with its former owner brings many people to tears. Laughing at a little kitten or a cute panda sneezing, or the latest; a baby elephant sneezing and scaring itself. These are sweet little youtube-clips that may brighten our day.

There are of course millions – billions maybe?! – other clips that make us laugh, cry, feel sympathy, nauseaus or even disgust. The interesting part is that we get a second hand feeling.

Christmas again and time to consume. Do you think the consumers will spend less money due to the recession?  Propably not. Why? Because now when many people think that the immediate crisis is over their behavior will go back to normal. Consumption patterns are deeply rooted in today’s society.

We are all aware of the millions of possibilities that the internet has opened for us. And with possibilities, ideas are created. Ideas that are meant to ease and improve our lives. In many ways it does. But cynical as I am, I can´t just see the benefits only. 

Our friend Colin Drummond, Director of Cultural & Business Insights at Crispin Porter + Bogusky Group, explains on justin.tv why culture is so important in the creative work at the agency. Colin embraces the mishmash of planners, sociologists, journalists and anthropologists and their different framewoks to look upon culture. Is it possible to change culture?

The question we answered: What will happen with the brand Saab if Koenigsegg becomes the new owner? Published in Sydsvenskan 2009-08-19