“The more one possesses, the more one wants, while the deeper human hopes remain unsatisfied and even stifled.” – Pope John Paul II
Marketing has subtly embedded in our minds that what we own is who we are. It is rooted so deep in our DNA that we feel a constant sense of anxiety and inadequacy — that we are lacking something that would make our lives better, cooler, easier.
That’s why I love Thanksgiving – it is a day set apart to give thanks for what I have and recognize that it is enough. That I am enough.
But thanks to the lethal mix of marketing, retailers, and materialism, Thanksgiving is on the fast track to becoming Greedtaking. The newest trend among many retailers is to open their doors on Thanksgiving day. It’s called Black Thursday: where we can gorge ourselves on mashed potatoes and gravy and binge ourselves on discounts and savings in the same day. Forget about giving thanks for what you have – make sure you go buy what you don’t.
The irony is as dry as burnt turkey.
Like eating too much pie on Thanksgiving, we have become bloated with too much stuff — and we still feel empty. Maybe we missed the point of the holiday in the first place: to give thanks.
At Outsource Marketing, we’re thankful to be able to serve organizations of all sizes. We recognize that profit is the lifeblood of business and actively pursue it for clients, and of course, for ourselves. But we are equally as passionate about people and planet, and seek to find balance in our practice of Responsible Marketing.
So take a minute this Thanksgiving to give thanks — even if it’s to the retail clerk who’s ringing you up.
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Image: Gawker
