The Age of Maturialism Has Arrived

Consumers of a new kind have finally grown up. They have become maturialists. They simply do not want to be copied; they are looking for quality, value, individuality, and not just buying because someone else does it.

Written by Darija Tabulov-Truta
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They want exclusivity, premium products. They have matured to the point where they will be attracted by advertising that is somewhat provocative or seemingly unrelated to what it advertises. If you thought that a journalistic, editorial, or proofreading error slipped into the title, you are completely mistaken. Indeed, the term that many wish for a long and happy life irresistibly resembles materialism and even has much to do with it, but it is about a new and, it seems, the most strongly expressed trend among consumers worldwide in the last year. So, what is maturialism? It is a relatively young term that varies somewhat with similar definitions, but it seems that the most reputable trendsetters around the world have opted for the explanation that it is an abbreviation for ‘mature materialism’, a trend that revolves around or returns to the ever-increasing receptiveness of consumers and buyers to products, services, marketing agencies that, in addition to a high level of quality (which is taken for granted), also offer their adventurous and often controversial desires to skip usual social norms.

Detachment from Dumbing Down
You surely noticed around Halloween the TV news that a London pastry shop offered cookies, ‘cupcakes’, and similar sweets shaped into the most bizarre forms. They were shapes like a plucked eye, a finger cut off with a cleaver, pieces of human body already infested with worms, and so on. As many as there were who were horrified, even more were thrilled by the idea and the sculptural-pastry skills of the creators of supposedly truly top-notch pastries, but also undoubtedly the most bizarre so far. One source interprets maturialism as the desire of adults, somewhat more mature people with years and experience, to distance themselves from the ubiquitous aggressive dumbing down culture of teenagers and twenty-somethings that has undoubtedly dominated the daily lives of all generations, and they sought high-quality products and services that specifically relate to them, to their desires and cravings. It should be emphasized that maturialism refers to the upper middle and wealthier class of people with very pronounced and developed tastes and personal preferences, who know well what is offered on the market. Therefore, it is a trend that relates to experienced people who are not easily shocked, open and receptive to brands or products and services that balance on the very edge of risk or even indecency. However, they prefer them when they are from the premium category.

Frustrated by Fakes
Even in today’s economy, which struggles for every new day of survival or growth, the need for owning top-notch products is evident. It is an old fact about people, so it is hard to say that this concept makes us any different from older generations. However, what makes this returning trend different from other marketing trends of the last 30 to 40 years in Croatia, but also abroad, is that it is about customers with style, knowledge, and money who are already quite frustrated with the uniformity that reigns everywhere around us, as well as saturated with numerous copies and fakes that can even make a teenage girl similarly equipped as, for example, Paris Hilton, who, we can agree, belongs to the truly small group of lucky ones due to her family tradition and wealth.

Once, for example, we all watched who drove a new foreign car into the street, bought the first Levi’s 501 jeans, acquired the first better gramophone, and then everyone wanted to somewhat follow that example. However, what such a buyer wants today puts the materialistic part of the concept somewhat aside, as they want a much more discreet purchase, especially when it comes to larger products like cars. For example, today’s maturialist would rather go to specialized car workshops that will somewhat modify well-known car brands, fully adapt functions to the desires and cravings of the driver, and passersby will likely suspect that it is an excellent and well-known car, but since they will not see the logo, brand, and similar on the exterior, they will mostly not be sure what it is. Maturialists simply do not want to be copied anymore; they are simply looking for quality, value, individuality, and not just buying because someone else does it. They want exclusivity, premium products, and they will be attracted by advertising that is somewhat on the edge of provocation or seemingly unrelated to what it advertises.

Maturialistic Examples
There are plenty of examples of maturialism, and they are all around us. Well, not exactly around us because in Croatia, still too small and economically underdeveloped, we cannot speak of a social category of maturialists, but only about some educated ‘high-profile’ buyers. However, for example, many are now replacing simple manual toothbrushes with high-quality (and expensive) electric toothbrushes that can be up to 100 percent more expensive than ordinary ones. Maturialism is also the reason why Starbucks can sell coffee, but only to some, at a price of 50 dollars per gallon, even though these same people will complain about three dollars for a gallon of gasoline. People follow campaigns for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android as if hypnotized, and millions still flock to Las Vegas because ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’. In England, a true example is their brand Icecreamist, which uses premium ‘X’ range flavors such as, for example, ‘sex pistol’ ice cream with a hint of absinthe or Wine Cellar sorbet sold as various sorbets whose base is wine. Here we can mention Swiss designer Nicole Locher, who has launched classic t-shirts with the slogan ‘I am not your fucking love’, and we must also mention the campaign of the airline Air New Zealand, which suggests that their staff wears nothing, or is dressed only in the colors of ‘body painting’. As Nives Borko, director of the agency ‘Minuta-dvije, specifically for concierge & lifestyle management’, says:

Campaigns for ‘Fine Makers’
Tomislav Gojšić, director of the innovative marketing agency ‘Fini mediji’, thinks similarly. – I believe this should stem from a lifelong attitude and relationship towards oneself. What is the point of quality clothes if you do not have healthy teeth, body, and spirit… In this way, going to wellness can also be part of maturialism. This concept can be compared to people whom older citizens, in their desire to separate from pretentious fools or banal snobs, would call ‘fine makers’ – says Gojšić and explains that campaigns for such consumers and products are precisely made to reach them with difficulty. That is, to reach the desired audience. He cites the example of a page that at first glance appears to be an advertisement for a nightclub, but actually hides – top wines in the second layer.

No Logo
It may seem to some that this is a passing trend, but most market experts warn that it is just beginning to spread, as the prevailing uniformity has bored almost everyone. Even leading global brands are creating sub-brands for exclusive clientele, but this is finally a real opportunity for medium and small businesses to capitalize on maturialism. And for those who seriously consider catching their piece of the pie, it is essential to know and understand the desires and needs of the customer accurately. Therefore, see what they buy from them and what from the competition. It is also not bad to ask ‘What would you like us to offer that we currently do not have?’ After that, it follows the collection of other necessary information (about the production needs of the items we have imagined), and only then can you present it to your dearest and most valuable clients. Remember, this is not a whim that will pass. Businesses that ignore it will lose in the future. People are simply tired of the same old products and services. They seek novelty, uniqueness, excitement, walking on the edge (of rules, fashion, etiquette…) and are willing to pay for such a product. They no longer want to be the first in the village; moreover, they do not want the village to know what they know or have. Therefore, when a maturialist buys an LV bag, they will buy those rare pieces on whose exterior you will not find that name or logo anywhere.