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July 19, 2023 - 1:00pm
The premise of the Veebs shopping app is simple yet intriguing. For a subscription fee of 99 cents per month, consumers can shop entirely in accordance with their personal and political values. Users input their ideological preferences — liberal, conservative, “America First,” “pro-LGBTQIA+” — and Veebs then scans product barcodes to suggest how closely they accord with these values. It even offers alternative products that might better match a user’s views, integrating this highly personalised recommendation system with standard consumer tracking mechanisms.
Veebs isn’t just a consumer service, though. By openly aggregating data about users’ value-based purchasing habits, the app enters a market dominated by data giants like Google and Meta. These corporations have built their fortunes on collecting vast troves of personal information, using it to shape marketing and advertising strategies. Veebs seems to be hoping for a slice of that huge market, albeit through more overt, value-based methods.
The concept of ideological consumerism is becoming more relevant than ever — the Pew Research Center has found that twice as many members of the two main American parties now view their opponents unfavourably compared to 1994. This year’s Bud Light and Target boycotts by Right-wing shoppers revealed a new intensity of ideological consumer behaviour, while the marketing of companies like REDCON1 supplements, Black Rifle Coffee Co., and MyPillow cater almost exclusively to Right-wing customers. Other products like meat substitutes and environmentally-friendly cleaners are almost exclusively targeted at Left-wing buyers.
Of course, ideologically-tinged purchasing patterns are not entirely new: think back to the “Cola Wars” between Coke and Pepsi, or the 1990s-era burger battle between McDonald’s and its competitors. In a more politically charged example, Rust Belt union workers engaged in a boycott of Coors beer between the 1960s and 1980s, prompted by the corporation’s union-busting tactics. For years, Left-wing consumers avoided Chick-fil-A due to the company’s perceived anti-LGBT stance, while Right-wing shoppers have embraced products like Duck Dynasty merchandise. Yet there is significant evidence to suggest the market for ideologically aligned products is growing, and quickly.
As with any product or service, Veebs’s own ultimate success will depend on a multitude of factors, not least its ability to engage and retain users over the long term. Right now, its interface is somewhat threadbare, and even the act of selecting categories is a bit clunky. While Veebs may succeed or join the scrapheap of failed consumer apps, its mere existence indicates a larger trend that won’t dissipate anytime soon. The “divide and conquer” strategy, a mainstay of marketers and political consultants alike, is likely to be further refined and exploited. Ideological segmentation will become even more prominent, and products will continue to be positioned along party lines.
Oliver Bateman is a historian and journalist based in Pittsburgh. He blogs, vlogs, and podcasts at his Substack, Oliver Bateman Does the Work
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SubscribeI can see why that happened, but the company can mitigate the risk by diversifying into Dude-fil-A.
I can see why that happened, but the company can mitigate the risk by diversifying into Dude-fil-A.
When the left does it = ethical
Anyone else = partisan
Where in the article does it say that?
Where in the article does it say that?
When the left does it = ethical
Anyone else = partisan
What are the companies who are not interested in signalling that they cater to the ideological beliefs of their best demographic to do? Say you are Fiskars … https://www.fiskars.com/en-us , the oldest company in Finland who makes excellent tools. They don’t care about the political affiliations of the people who buy them. Their niche is ‘costs more but worth it’. People in the trades buy them (at least here in Sweden) because they are good.
I think that the app is currently only aligned to help American consumers buy things based in ideology. So maybe a few rich Leftists buy Fiskars, because ‘hey, European, exotic’ and ‘hey, expensive, I can do ‘working-class chic’ and ‘show off that I am rich’ at the same time!’. I am sure that Fiskars would be happy to take their money. But, as a demographic, they don’t buy that many tools, so better not rely on them for your income.
Meanwhile, in MAGA-land, there are people who won’t buy anything from Fiskars because they are serious about ‘made-in-America’. Nothing wrong with that, but Fiskars need not waste any sales or marketing effort on them, either. Next there are lots of people who voted for Trump in the USA who just want the best tools they can get, many of who are in the trades, and Fiskars badly wants these people to find their products. (Personal Admission — I have a toolbox full of Fiskars tools, lovingly purchased one expensive piece at a time, and yes, they are absolutely worth the price.)
I think that VEEB is going to be hell for these sorts of companies. They will quickly get a ‘loved by rich left wingers’ label which will mean that the American tradesmen of the right will select elsewhere and miss out on a great thing. And Fiskars will miss out on the revenue. I am not sure how important US revenue is to Fiskars, but if it is significant this could be a real problem for them.
The important thing here is ‘how fair are the labels that VEEB generates’? Unfortunately, the labels that are easiest to generate don’t seem to care about such fairness at all — just do ‘liked by other people we have already categorised’.
Good points. Maybe there is a setting on the VEEB app for people who like to do politics once every five years in the polling booth and apart from that, would like to get on with their lives…
Sign me up for that one.
Sign me up for that one.
Good points. Maybe there is a setting on the VEEB app for people who like to do politics once every five years in the polling booth and apart from that, would like to get on with their lives…
What are the companies who are not interested in signalling that they cater to the ideological beliefs of their best demographic to do? Say you are Fiskars … https://www.fiskars.com/en-us , the oldest company in Finland who makes excellent tools. They don’t care about the political affiliations of the people who buy them. Their niche is ‘costs more but worth it’. People in the trades buy them (at least here in Sweden) because they are good.
I think that the app is currently only aligned to help American consumers buy things based in ideology. So maybe a few rich Leftists buy Fiskars, because ‘hey, European, exotic’ and ‘hey, expensive, I can do ‘working-class chic’ and ‘show off that I am rich’ at the same time!’. I am sure that Fiskars would be happy to take their money. But, as a demographic, they don’t buy that many tools, so better not rely on them for your income.
Meanwhile, in MAGA-land, there are people who won’t buy anything from Fiskars because they are serious about ‘made-in-America’. Nothing wrong with that, but Fiskars need not waste any sales or marketing effort on them, either. Next there are lots of people who voted for Trump in the USA who just want the best tools they can get, many of who are in the trades, and Fiskars badly wants these people to find their products. (Personal Admission — I have a toolbox full of Fiskars tools, lovingly purchased one expensive piece at a time, and yes, they are absolutely worth the price.)
I think that VEEB is going to be hell for these sorts of companies. They will quickly get a ‘loved by rich left wingers’ label which will mean that the American tradesmen of the right will select elsewhere and miss out on a great thing. And Fiskars will miss out on the revenue. I am not sure how important US revenue is to Fiskars, but if it is significant this could be a real problem for them.
The important thing here is ‘how fair are the labels that VEEB generates’? Unfortunately, the labels that are easiest to generate don’t seem to care about such fairness at all — just do ‘liked by other people we have already categorised’.
I usually buy products based on whether they are any good and how expensive they are. I’m aware that doing so is, nowadays, just as much a political statement as doing so based on whether they support free college tuition for homosexual sea otters or whatever. That’s why I identify as a commonsensitarian.
I usually buy products based on whether they are any good and how expensive they are. I’m aware that doing so is, nowadays, just as much a political statement as doing so based on whether they support free college tuition for homosexual sea otters or whatever. That’s why I identify as a commonsensitarian.
Any suggestions for a British version?
BBC.
British Brand Conscience. BBC for short.
Not coming up on google. Can you post a link?
Not coming up on google. Can you post a link?
BBC.
British Brand Conscience. BBC for short.
Any suggestions for a British version?
Does everything have to be political? I don’t want to know the politics of corporations. I just want them to make good stuff.
Does everything have to be political? I don’t want to know the politics of corporations. I just want them to make good stuff.
Dumb