Lately I have heard couple of times about the challenge when the basic production in Finland just is not sustainable financially anymore. We simply cannot compete with cheaper labor of Eastern Europe or the hard working, little paid Asia. Unless our culture will change radically we have to be prepared to say: ”So long basic production, so long.”

So in how deep s**t are we? Is there anything we could do? Can we build a national survival strategy? Where to start?

I am not sure, but I thought I should present you one idea that could help in some cases. Close your eyes, and think for a moment, what could it be. I put a picture here so you can really do it. Maybe have a glass of water before reading further.

Little competition here, who’s design is that candle holder in this picture?

So, what I think could be a one part of the solution is what Pine & Gilmore calls the experience economy. It can be coined to 5E’s: Education, Escapism, Entertainment, Esthetics and Espirit of de Organization. The Last one is addition by Johannes Partanen. See an image below.

Maybe the latest phenomenon that I explained through this theory is the books by Dan Brown. I haven’t read any yet but thanks to the launch of the new book he has been on the newspapers in Finland. This is what I imagine of his books. They are educative – when reading you ”learn” about history, religion, symbols etc. They are also engaging and thus escapist, you forget the time and place and concentrate only on the book. It’s good entertainment, time passes and can be fun, even talking with your friends about the book. Esthetics; the books are located in cool places, Rome and Washington DC for example. Esprit of Dan Brown – Well, I guess that’s the style of his writing. Maybe someone who has read something by him could comment on this?

And one thing to say here is that Experience is always personal, though many times when it’s collective it enhances it. But everyone has their unique way of experiencing. See a good post about experiencing in here.

So how can Dan Brown help to keep the industry in Finland? What do you think? Do I need to chew the banana more or does this park your creativity?

Ville Monkey

Ps. One of the paradoxes of Dialogue in my opinion are that you need to speak from the heart and voice your opinions, ideas and inquiry directly but you shouldn’t chew the bananas ready for others. Sometimes the line between those two is hard to define. Well, to put it simply, speak from the heart but don’t chew the banana for others. Mystery is part of marketing. Did I chew it too much by saying that?

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