It's easy to lose touch of reality sometimes. Too easy.
Yesterday, my wife and I went to Blockbuster to rent a couple movies. We don't watch many movies -- and when we do, we usually rent them on demand through our cable service...so this was the first time in a while I'd actually been to a Blockbuster.
Anyway, there was a young woman in the store who was very distraut that she couldn't rent any movies on VHS. It was very sad...and you could tell her feelings were hurt, and she was a tad embarrassed that she didn't have a DVD player. But in the inner-city, she is probably the norm, rather than the outlyer.
It's easy to forget that sometimes. I live in an advertising world full of early adopters. Everyone I know has an I-pod, 2/3 of my office has a blackberry, 1/2 the office has a DVR, movies on demand, a video game systerm, satalite radio, etc. Technology surrounds me.
And yet, this isn't the norm yet...and may never be. We still live in a world where 35% of people live below the poverty level. They may never have an MP3 player, DVR or even a DVD player. These people are older people who see no need, inner city people have no means to get them, or rural folks who see no need or have no idea what the three letter acromnyms mean.
It's easy to lose sight of these people. We never target them with our advertising message -- or with the products we produce. Politicians don't run in the same circles as they do and forget that they too have needs.
It's easy to lose touch...but no one should let it happen. So get out of your suburban neighborhood where everyone is just like you. Live. Meet some different types of people. It's fun...and their outlook on life may be very different from yours...and you may become a much better person for learning that outlook.
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