In a New York Times article that appeared 5/29/14, Stuart Elliott wrote about a new marketing campaign for the Ritz-Carlton Hotels (Putting On the Ritz, Six Words at a Time). It is based on a marketing strategy of using only six words to emphasize “experiences and memories rather than the trappings of wealth.” For example, one of their six word ads is “dinner ‘til dawn. Laughter. Years regained.” It strikes me as a sophisticated and effective ad campaign.
In my book, The Joy of Financial Security, I lay out many strategies that provide what I call “compound benefits.” One of these is to spend money on experiences rather than on “things.” Lord knows, we all have plenty of “things”, and we are constantly encouraged to buy more. Spending money on experiences leads to a much richer and happier life. Psychology research repeatedly shows that it is our relationships with friends and family that make us happy, and the size of our investment account or the number of electronic gadgets we own do not compare. I encourage readers to focus on experiences.
After reading the NYT article (while on a long plane ride), I set out to create some six-word combinations that epitomize the message in my book – that money doesn’t buy happiness but it certainly impacts our happiness. Money provides many benefits, so it is important that we manage our money wisely and spend our money wisely. Yet, it is the other things—the relationships with friends and family, the focus on gratitude, the nurturing of our creativity, the giving back, the laughter, the emphasis on experiences rather than “things”—that will make our lives truly rich.
Six words to describe the strategies in The Joy of Financial Security:
- Money and happiness. In harmony. Contentment.
- Simplicity. Focus on gratitude. Plus laughter.
- Experiences with friends and family. Rich.
- Financial Security. Time and freedom. Joy.
- The Joy of Financial Security. Enlightening.