I'm not keen on focusing too much on a specific company/brand in any of my posts, however, I read an article on the Tesco Books Blog today talking about the innovative new way that the uber-supermarket brand have decided to market the latest must-have reads; by grouping them not alphabetically or by genre but simply by how they make us feel.I don't know what everyone else thinks but I couldn't think of a more inspired way to sell books. Since starting this blog I have tried to branch out from my strict charity shop-no book above £1.50 rule and shop not only at little individual bookshops but at high street chains (including the supermarkets, however uninspiring their displays might be) as well, as I want to support the industry on every level I possibly can. Whilst the charity shop technique of throwing everything onto one shelf still works for me as it throws up countless surprises, the main obstacle I find when faced with your standard A-Z or Bestseller stand is .... well, what am I in the mood for? And if all I have is the blurb on the back to base these choices on then how can make the right decision?
But how on earth are they going to decide how a book makes me feel? One Day made me feel happy and sad at the same time, for goodness sake!!
ReplyDelete@Jenny Wren. That is a VERY valid point which I've pondered on. 'One Day' appears to be listed on the 'rollercoaster reads' bit, perhaps trying to reflect all the sadness and happiness :-) Don't get me wrong I don't think Tesco can ultimately decide on how I feel inside/am going to feel but at least this can give me some idea of what the book is all about. A good starting point!?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of books arranged by mood, even if you don't agree with someone else's classification it's a good start to a discussion. I also think it's perfect for the sort of capsule book collections you get in supermarkets or for places like amazon/tesco/waterstone's sights where it can be impossible to know where to start looking for something new to fit a mood.
ReplyDelete@Desperate Reader I'm delighted you agree - I'm keen to see how they're going to categorise other books and bestsellers I wouldn't necessarily have picked up, and yes, definitely a starting point for a good old debate! Supermarket book aisles can be sooo boring at times.. :-)
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