If you’re still afraid of 2012 and its flow of fatal disasters then fear no-more! this article may comfort you, and possibly extend your business ideas for the coming months.
As described previously, the fear to this particular date is based on “tangible” concepts. Tangible as in urban myths, legends & fables shaped and enhanced throughout centuries, many times twisted dishonestly by the devoted fearful partisans of the apocalypse. For the past few years we haven’t stopped listening to those pseudo-scientists trying to explain odd end-of-world theories which haven’t left any of us indifferent (many of which resemble more to a sect manifesto rather than a trial&error theory). As human beings we realize being little how insignificant we are within our universe, and this apocalyptic frenzy goes to very essence of our existential questionings.
As such 2012 has been an on-going buzz for over 2-3 years now, and with Internet as the best new vehicle it has become one of the most secure business trends in the webverse: Internet is where 2012 meets its best selling potential.. over 3 million Google results for “2012 survival guide”, countless books on Amazon, MSN exploring your post-2012 Maya horoscope with brand new predictions…
It becomes more interesting, and I have to admit it, funnier, when companies and even private individuals decide that 2012 is their chance to make money and start businesses as odd and hazardous as something can possibly be. The Californian company Vivos for instance, provides you with a great, classy, spacious bunker with all modern conveniences for the modest sum of $50 000 (now for only 25K!), only efficient if the threat comes from the sky, obviously.
On the same note but a little bit cheaper the « careful end of the world, we have mugs and tee-shirts against you ! » website december212012 displays prophecies, CNN reports, documentaries, articles, photos of Georges W Bush, Barack Obama and Sarah Pallin wearing « 2012 the end » tee-shirts with a perfunctory smile (ok, these are fake). There you can find a list of believers that includes Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears and many others. You can enjoy the time that remains with the countdown and have a blast with Nostradamus, Nibiru or the polar shift. Hard to give any credit or support such website but how entertaining !
Among the believers who freak everybody out, sects, religious and new age groups are as active as usual. The 2012 business is good for them as the fear is a great market where more and more clients can be targeted. In this particular case, 2012 appears to be a great catharsis for a big range of personal issues from stressing daily life to existential questioning. This represents the first step in the whole strategy. What comes after is a matter of beliefs and social reinforcement: people come together as they share the same beliefs, they receive approbation from other people and create a group with its own values, based on these beliefs. People feel supported, find a utility within this very group and so their beliefs get automatically reinforced. Vicious or virtuous cycle…depends on your point of view on the matter.
(yep, you should go & party like it’s… 1999, just spend your money)
So if you ask me, I honestly suggest you go for Twenty & twelve as a secure business investment, at least for the remaining year and a half : you can find your dream product to fear the end of the world and even get new mates to share your anguish! Socially, the 2012 phenomenon is as old as the world itself : primitive fears combined to social and emotional comfort. The use of these lead on very formatted products that fit really well our modern consumption oriented lives. A perfect summary of Abraham Maslow’s pyramid theory re-used for our marketing purposes : our deepest needs symbolize the base and where the peak represents the shallowest needs. One theory about the end of the world is that humankind would push its vices to its boundaries and would eventually have to face the consequences of its own behavior and decisions. This would lead them to a complete understanding of their spot and fate. Let’s just hope it becomes true…
