The Sophisticated Consumer Is Coming for Your Hollow Brand
Why do they sell more than you sell to them?
Are these products mandatory?
Why not make them yourself?
Homemade is always better—
even if homemade costs more than take-out or outsourced alternatives.
You really control the value chain.
High schoolers and college kids should be afforded the opportunity to work on the latest and greatest Jordans—
rather than just flipping burgers.
What are all the migrants doing?
Unemployment statistics don’t count those who have become NEETs.
Until everyone is fully employed with one job—with optionality—only then should you even consider outsourcing.
The fact that many Americans with jobs still need to go to food banks to “top up” shows there is still not enough job optionality, or enough jobs, for everyone to enjoy excess environmental prosperity—aka, the trickle-down effect.
Each and every single day, the consumer with purchasing power is becoming more sophisticated and astute.
They know the rules of engagement:
“You get what you pay for.”
And they know when you outsource but still charge a high price pre-tariffs, they weren’t getting what they paid for.
Slapping your IP on something “Made in China” is going to have less efficacy in the “new economy.”
It’s literally like having AI generate a 3D image—the consumer can sense that something is hollow.
This is why toy shelves are overstocked: there’s less curation when you slap IP onto something mass-produced overseas.
The consumer knows when there is less thought and care in a product or service.
This is why the consumer is willing to pay for “real” food, and to get the experience of at least seeing it being made—
as opposed to the lack of thought required to construct a Big Mac.
The consumer wants what is whole, real—
not what is processed and synthetic.
MAHA?
This is why, sooner rather than later, it is better to detach yourself from the globalization Ponzi.
Want a divorce? It’s going to cost you.
Want to fire someone? It’s going to cost you.
Want to break your lease? It’s going to cost you.
That is, unfortunately, the name of the game.
It was never going to be easy.
But if you don’t do it now, you will see what happens as this “trade war” plays out.
In this trade war, there will be three tiers:
Those who will escalate with the United States
Those who will lie to the United States
Those who will honor their word
Let’s focus on Group 2, as the other two are self-explanatory.
A few years from now—once the United States switches to incurred, rather than accrual, accounting on these new bilateral trade agreements with many countries around the world—
they will realize they were duped once again by headlines.
It will be a:
Promises were made—
but not promises kept—
...moment, as these countries get bigger, like China, or G7-tier, like France or Canada.
You will wish you had truly gone America First.