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03.10.2005

“HartBeat” is The Hartman Group's FREE online newsletter, providing insight, analysis, information and strategy to give business leaders the knowledge and vision to build sustainable brands.

For more Hartman Group articles on BALANCE & OBESITY, click here...

10.26.2004 "What If It's Not About the Food After All"

02.11.2004 "Don't Tell Me I'm Obese, I'm Just Big Boned"

For more Hartman Group articles on CONSUMER INSIGHTS, click here...

10.14.2004 "8 Common Blunders in Consumer Insights"

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The Balance Trap

Without question, one of the more interesting developments in consumer behavior arenas centers around the promising allure of a curious phenomenon known as "balance." In fact, the "balance" meme has become so widespread that it would probably not be too much of an extension to suggest that balance has become one of the dominant consumer ideologies of the early 21st century.

Consumers rely on the "balance" excuse as a way of justifying - to the researcher, friends, family members or even themselves - what are perceived to be unhealthful, irresponsible or otherwise pathological behaviors:

"Yes, I had a Whopper for lunch, but having a Whopper for lunch isn't so bad as long as I eat better tonight and go for a walk. It's all about balance...how to live a normal, enjoyable life without being too hard on yourself."

From the consumer's perspective, balance is the key means of reconciling the aspirational and ideological basis of consumer behavior (i.e., how one should live one's life) with the everyday reality of consumer behavior (i.e., how one does live one's life).

Frustrated as consumers are with the perceived shortcomings of external authority structures (MDs, the AMA, USDA, etc.), which typically stress moderation, consumers have embraced balance largely due to its ability to allow for the pragmatic realities of everyday life. While our family doctor's preachings on moderation do not easily allow for a 20-oz rib-eye in a portobello cream sauce, we can more easily reconcile such desires under the rubric of "balance."

Not coincidentally, consumer researchers also gravitate toward the balance explanation for it helps them with the unenviable task of making logical sense out of seemingly irrational behavior. Whereas in the example described above moderation would hardly apply (how could one's belief in moderation allow for 1600 calories and 48 grams of fat?), the promise of adjusting one's future behavior as compensation allows the researcher the ability to reconcile ideology with behavior, which leads in turn to a much "cleaner" more straightforward analysis, which goes alittle something like this:

...Significantly more savvy than their parents on these matters, aging boomers seek balance in their lives. Whether it's balancing the stressful rigors of work with high-quality downtime or balancing one's personal food indulgences with those of a more ascetic, healthful nature, the enlightened consumer relies on balance as a way of managing the pragmatic realities of daily existence.

Ah, if explaining consumer behavior were only that simple.

To this end, we note that one of our single most important observations and findings derived from recent research is that this whole balance phenomenon - what we at The Hartman Group now refer to as "the balance trap" - is mostly an illusion. Without delving too far into the complexities of consumer behavior, what we can suggest is that while consumers are quick to invoke balance as an explanatory mechanism, the actual data suggest that balance is more of an ideological construct than a legitimate practice. In this, we could suggest that balance is, itself, something of an aspirational goal as opposed to an empirical reality - something we all strive to achieve vs. something actually attained. Not surprisingly, our most recent research suggests that those consumers most proactive in their health and wellness lifestyles - what we term core wellness consumers - are in fact, the least likely to offer up the balance excuse. Actively engaged as they are in healthful living on a regular basis, these consumers are less likely to find themselves in need of such convenient explanatory mechanisms. To quote the popular cliche, "Those that can do, those that can't..."

At the same time, however, we should reiterate that we are in no way suggesting consumer behavior skews consistently in either direction (beneficial or pathological) of the "balance" metaphor. Far from being a "new" or "desirable" way of reconciling what is perceived by many to be pathological behavior (e.g., overeating), the balance trap is more of a currently desirable explanation for the mysteries that have preoccupied humankind throughout the ages. Namely, how is it - and why is it - that we do all of the things we do.

Implications
As frustrating as the above-noted realities may appear, the implications for marketers and others involved in the world of consumer research should be fairly straightforward. Namely, whenever one encounters this familiar proposition - be it from consumers themselves as well as from the researchers and analysts studying consumer behavior - one should simply remember that this is a proximate explanation that is not supported by the evidence from actual consumer behavior. In other words, the best way to avoid the balance trap is to dig past such surface-level explanations for answers more firmly grounded in the realities of everyday consumer behavior.

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