A New Era in Marketing: The Mindfulness Movement

Right now, there’s an insidious tug of war happening between our ability to focus, and the effort to just get it all done. Rightfully so, it’s affecting our ability to regulate day-to-day emotions and capture the ever-elusive idea of me-time. It’s a familiar struggle many can empathize with. After all, professionals are working longer hours than ever before—according to Gallup, the average full-time employee works 47 hours a week and a fifth work as much as 59 hours a week. In fact, recent studies show that the highest paid professionals are also working the most hours, and that struggle to find balance continues to pry at their emotional well-being. Pair that with the fact that our culture is more connected yet disconnected than any other time in history, and you have a mindfulness disaster on your hands. While the work-life balance debate isn’t anything new, what is new is how brands and companies are addressing the issue. The Mindfulness Movement aims to put the power of being present back in the hands of consumers.

As this battle rages, we’re seeing a proliferation of tools designed to help facilitate the Mindfulness Movement. For example, Headspace is a meditation app with nearly three million active users, 60% of whom access it at least once every three days. Additionally, a slew of mood-balancing functional beverages have hit the market claiming to provide clarity or mental restoration. And, let’s not forget the digital detox camps that encourage us to unplug and disconnect from our devices. For marketers, however, there’s a fine balance between brands authentically tapping into the emotional side of consumers’ expectations and coming off as disingenuous. How will your brand respond to the movement?

Photo Source: The Week