FURNITURE DREAMING: Shoppers stare mostly at sterile yet pretty interiors devoid of people and magnetic panache

People pay cash for panache. At least, if the style rhymes with their dreams, wishes and aspirations.

A so-called furniture dream book arrived today in the mail. Pretty, yes, but still mostly brown furniture, stiffly saluting in sterile and safe room (probably vendor photography) presentations without any engaged humans to, well, what else, humanize the image and melt the frost.

Maybe I'm just too persnickety, but that supposed dream book left me dreaming and still asleep.

Under the tired rubric of "Great Buys," the full-color, 64-page catalog-mailer didn't have the oomph and pizazz to awaken desire.

What about "Great Living!" or "Furniture that knocks your socks off!" or exclamatory language evoking emotion, glamor, success, status and, of course, better living with comfort. Guess that's too boring compared to "Great Buys," which is grating.

I can only imagine how other busy people fail to dream big when they receive this this yawner and others like it. Instead of being so terrific, it's just soporific! Z-Z-Z-Z-Z!

The reason is the lack of a magnetic call to action, other than the subtle whimper that the furniture makes living better and more comfortable.

If that's true, then SHOUT it, SHOW it and PROVE it, with evocative images, of happy people living, lounging and loving to be with furniture that has contributed to making their lives more joyful, livable, lovely and comfortable!

Gotta go, here's the mail carrier with more snooze books.

I'd rather be surfing for furniture on the net, wouldn't you?

Comments

[Wholesale Furniture Brokers]

Ivan,
I couldn't agree more! Why don't furniture vendors get marketing? (Or is it the cost?) Putting people in the pictures, enjoying the furniture, engages the buyer and helps them imagine owning it, using it, loving it, and therefore caring less about the price.

I'm going to subscribe to your blog, have you considered getting added to Yahoo's blog syndication for 'My Yahoo' pages.

Keep up the intelligent commentary!
-Dave, Wholesale Furniture Brokers

[K]

Thanks for the comments on the "dream book", Ivan. I'm so glad you noticed.

So much furniture marketing materials either look trashy (retailers who rely on primary colors and the message, "We're as simple-minded as you are, so buy from us."

Or they remind me of those Tylenol commercials from the late '80's and the 90's. All the narrators in those commercials looked and spoke as though they were really advertising a Prozac/Valium cocktail.

"Look at me. Could I be any more in control? Could my emotions be any more suppressed and dead? Could I be any less human and any more robot?"

I see that in that "dream book", too. It's become the norm that because so few people understand true understated class, they think they're emulating it with this boring stuff. So, unfortunately, most of America buys that, literally and figuratively.

Great commentary, Ivan Saul...........