The Economist reports that small brands are coming back to haunt large consumer good corporations. It’s David and Goliath all over again. This time, the battlefield is the market. Smaller firms are nimbler, more attuned to customer tastes and market trends. More importantly, they give their product a finish behemoths can only dream about. No surprises, then, that some consumers are going for the richer and unique flavors of the beers crafted by smaller brewers, such as Sierra Nevada or Funky Buddha. This also explains the readiness to pay a markup and get handmade notebooks, from smaller makers such as Paolo Olbi (in the picture, above, making a notebook at his workshop in Venice) or True Nomad. That may seem even stranger, at a time when most people type away at mobile phones and other hand held devices. Yet nothing is comparable to the pleasure of doodling on paper. (None of the companies mentioned here are Verb clients). This trend also goes hand in hand with the changes that the digital revolution is bringing about. It is empowering a new generation of small entrepreneurs, one that make for a richer market, with a diversity of handmade products that are affordable and that were once the preserve of well-heeled consumers.
