At the beginning of 2009, Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) released its annual trends report for the coming year. For 2009, they found the overarching theme for 2009 is what they call "Recalibration."

The report goes on to say that consumers are desiring "The Middle Way" or in other words revising lifestyles to reflect "comfort, safety, sustainability and moderation." By JP Collins

In the next few months I'm going to choose one or more of the 10 trends outlined in NMI's initial report, go into more depth and explore how they effect change with customers and how we do business. Last month I talked about Big Changes Through Small Steps.

This month: Quality Over Quantity

Last month I heard an interview with Carmen Dell'Orefice who was identified as one of America's first super models. In the interview she talked about the trend of quality over quantity from a fashion and life style perspective. She gave the example of Michelle Obama wearing clothing that suit her rather than just following trends that will be over within a season.

From the mainstream to conscious consumers, people are choosing to buy less but buy better. Additionally, products that can be used longer and can be repaired, or consumables that contain nutritional or beneficial ingredients are what people are buying. This trend is expected to grow across all categories given the economic downturn. But it's not just material-quality consumers are buying, they are also looking for products that have greater meaning.

But what does that mean? What is meaningful in a product?

A good example might be what Whole Foods has been doing for years, telling the stories of the farmers who grow the produce sold in their stores. Products with a brand-story are understood as having more value. Of course, that story, that brand and the product behind both require authenticity in order to work. Without that authentic voice the perception of value will not hold up and the consumer will not buy it.

We've seen a rise in artisanal foods and heirloom crops that have been championed by movements like Slow Food Nation or celebrated chefs like Alice Waters. But this trend is also reflected in the qualities found in the kinds of "treasures" people are buying on ebay or long lasting, quality products that are special to the buyer like hand-built bicycles–things that meet our desire for history, legends and legacies.

On the market(ing) side, what you need to know

As with the other trends cited in this report, authenticity is a must but this particular trend points to the consumer's desire for quality and products imbued with meaning. Consumers are responding to the quality that makes that particular thing unique and real whether it's food like heirloom tomatoes, artisanal bread or bio-dynamic wine, or it's a product that has a story behind it that speaks to a legacy, or is made/built in a way that benefits workers and/or the environment.

Over the years marketers and advertisements have used stories and nostalgia to sell the past as a way to falsely authenticate products. But these types of messages ring hollow in today's market because they only use nostalgia on the outside that doesn't reflect the integrity of the ingredients on the inside. Using a true voice to sell amplifies the appeal that quality and meaning has with consumers right now. Consumers are looking for real products that express what is going on the world today and their particular values.

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This column has been reprinted courtesy of JP Collins and Pylon Studios.

Pylon Studios is a creative agency located in downtown San Francisco providing graphic design and creative marketing services, and works with clients in the LOHAS, Green Building and Renewable Energy markets. Pylon Studios is certified by the San Francisco Department of the Environment as a green business and is part of the Green America Green Business Network.