Embracing Immaturity
When I was a kid, 35 seemed like just about the age when people should pre-pay for retirement homes and funerals. My how things have changed.
In another great tidbit from the The New York Times Magazine’s Sixth Annual Year of Ideas, we learn the more academic term for what might otherwise be called the new “sustained immaturity” or “grup” phenomenon (which I blogged about in March): Psychological Neoteny
The article cites Bruce Charlton, a doctor, psychology professor, and the editor of the Medical Hypotheses journal, who argues that modern life is ever-changing, and the old, narrow/set worldview is no longer as rewarded as it may have been in the past. “In fact, he speculates, the ability to retain youthful qualities, now often seen as folly, may someday be recognized as a prized trait.”
To this, I say: yay!
If your customers are retaining their youthful qualities, as all my “40 is the new 30″ friends seem to be, you should reflect that in the music, writing style/tone, and overall look/feel experience of your brand.
And, since your customers are experiencing psychological neoteny – why don’t you, too? Go with the ever-changing flow and embrace your brand immaturity! I know the old cords and sneakers are in their somewhere.
