Toys For Big Girls And Boys
SUNDAY AGE
Sunday November 29, 1992
Geoff Strong looks at how the things that confer pleasure and kudos have changed in the '90s.
A WALLOWING expanse of 1957 Cadillac, fire-engine red and white body, gleaming chrome and restored vinyl, announces Michel Lawrence most mornings at his St Kilda Road executive car park. If the weather is suitable, he might choose to arrive on a rebuilt 1962 Harley-Davidson or in a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible.
``The Cadillac is a bit like driving a king-sized bed," says Lawrence, the 42-year-old creative director for the advertising agency J.Walter Thompson. ``But a car like that is one of the few things in life that can be an expression of individuality and a practical means of getting to work every day. People have to be austere these days.
They have to be seen to be canny in what they own, but they still like to have something different." Lawrence finds it hard to put a price tag on his vehicles. He has had the Cadillac 13 years and estimates it would sell for up to $50,000, the Harley he bought for $10 while at university 22 years ago and would be worth $15,000, and the Corvette would cost $20,000 to $40,000 to replace.
Despite the price tags, Lawrence's private transport fleet is a reflection of the changed mood of the 1990s. In the headier days of the '80s it was enough to proclaim success with a new BMW or a motor yacht moored at St Kilda marina. But now that era is condemned as a vainglorious, wasteful decade. These days a toy cannot be just a toy, it must be an investment.
In Church Street, Richmond, Porsche Cars Australia, which sold 637 of its luxury models at its 1985 peak, is doing it hard; last year it made only 98 sales, although business has been a little better this year with 104 sold by the end of last month.
Yet, across the street, Jeffrey Dutton motors, which specialises in ``collectible" European second-hand cars, including some Porsche models, is doing fine.
``What recession?" asks Mr Dutton. He is surrounded by Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsche 911s and a handful of selected Jaguars, many sporting a bright ``sold" sign. He is feeling particularly buoyant because he has just sold a 1965 Shelby Cobra sports car to a Queensland buyer for more than $500,000 and, in the same week, another Cobra to a Geelong man for more than $200,000. Ironically, the backbone of his business is selling second-hand Porsches. A new Porsche, he says, is seen as extravagant, an old one as wonderfully shrewd.
``During the 1980s the yuppies would pay any price for the car they wanted," says Mr Dutton. ``Then they were forced to sell them at much lower prices when the market collapsed. What we are seeing now are people with real wealth paying much more realistic prices." What makes a car collectible? Mr Dutton defines it as rarity.
``Anything that is not a run-of-the-mill, pedestrian car." There is a saying that goes: ``The only thing that separates the men from the boys is the price of their toys." But it is not just males who go for fast playthings. Women up to their early 30s are the biggest group of buyers for the Ford Capri sports car. Ford's product manager for the Capri, Jeff Bryant, says that over the past 18 months women have grown from 45per cent of the car's Australian buyers to 55 per cent.
``In the United States, where it is marketed as the Mercury Capri, it is specifically targeted towards young, single women," says Mr Bryant. ``We don't know the marital status of our clients here, but we believe most of the women buying it are single." If fast cars are popular with young women, older women seem to be more interested in fast horses. Bloodstock agent Harry Lawton believes women aged 45 onwards are the biggest group of buyers for shares in racehorse syndicates.
``I have found that a large percentage of the people buying shares in syndicates are older widows. They seem to feel it gives their lives some excitement." Mr Lawton says his syndicates are made up of six people and cost between $3000 to $7000 to buy into, depending on the quality of the horse, plus about $3000 a year to feed and train.
Beryl Cameron and Sheila Van Haren own shares in two racehorses. One of them, Indian Idol, has already notched up two wins at Flemington.
Both women are aged 56. Miss Van Haren recently retired as an inventory controller with Melbourne City Council and Miss Cameron is a nurse. Miss Cameron said she had dreamed of owning a racehorse since she was a child. ``I've always followed the horses and then I won a big trifecta, so I had a bit of money to spend. It is just a wonderful feeling seeing your horse out in front at Flemington." One of the big-ticket items to fall from favor in the tougher economic climate has been the backyard swimming pool. Industry figures show that the market for pools in Victoria is at its lowest level for 20 years.
But the new fashionability of health and the environment has meant a boom for fitness equipment and bushwalking and camping gear. Sales of home gyms are growing by about 30per cent a year, mainly selling to both sexes aged 25 to 45. One of the most popular items is the multi- station home gym, which offers a range of exercises and sells between $1000 and $1500. Bushwalking and camping gear _ particularly backpacks, tents, Goretex waterproof clothing, sleeping bags and walking boots _ is also selling well. Much of the clothing and footwear designed for hard outdoor conditions is often simply used as casual wear. Buyers range from 20 to 50.
Shane Sleeman, manager of Mountain Designs, in Little Bourke Street, says the biggest growth in sales is for soft travel packs that can be used as either a suitcase or backpack. His store sells models from $239 to $400, the majority to 20 to 35-year-olds of both sexes.
``Walking shoes and lightweight boots are also increasing in sales as people see them as a casual and more durable alternative to Reeboks and Nikes," he says. ``The interesting thing is the increase in demand for things that are Australian made. People are actually demanding it and some local manufacturers in packs, clothing and footwear are now making some very good products." Boats, a status symbol of the 1980s, have taken a beating. Powerful craft pulling waterskiers were the trademark of the successful tradesman, but apart from costing around $20,000, they are now seen as rather gauche. Instead, power skis (commonly known by the trade name Jet Skis), which are equally noisy but much cheaper, with a base price of about $4000, are being bought as an alternative.
John Shoer, who manages one of Melbourne's largest boat dealers, J.V.Marine, says people up to their mid-20s are buying power skis because they are affordable, but that sales of the larger boats are suffering. ``Fishing boats of any description are our best sellers." JOHN LARCHET, Melbourne general manager for the advertising company Saatchi and Saatchi, follows these buying trends with a strong professional interest. ``In the austere '90s you can't call a toy a toy," he says. ``A sports car must be a collector's item or it must be sold on the basis of its engineering worth.
``Everything must have an inherent value. Conspicuous consumption is out. Home swimming pools, big yachts, speedboats, things like that are considered symbols of the '80s. Now it is health and fitness stuff, like home gym equipment, and expensive natural beauty products such as sold by the Body Shop. Restoring classic old cars is considered a smart move. They give the owner the status of driving something different plus a sense of being canny or astute." The upswing in women buying sports cars is a worldwide trend, says Mr Larchet. He says it gives them a sense of power and independence. For men older than 45, the move is towards motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and Triumphs. ``This might be an attempt to catch up with something they had in their youth or wanted in their youth but couldn't afford," he says.
Market research in the past two years has shown that time is the most important commodity for consumer trend-setters who have not been hit too hard by the recession. Reg Bryson, deputy chairman of Sydney advertising agency The Campaign Palace, has tracked this change in mood.
``It was popular to prophesy in the early 1970s how people in the Australia of the future would deal with their increasing leisure time as working hours diminished. Just 20 years later, the only people with increased spare time are unemployed. Almost everyone else is working longer hours to keep their jobs. Women in particular have less leisure time because they have been forced into the workforce. To maintain a middle-class lifestyle you need to have the income from 80 hours' employment a week.
``Stress is the plague of the '90s. People want to do things that they can do with their families. In the extravagant '80s the highly geared yuppies favored things like Porsche sports cars, large powerboats, yachts and Reebok shoes.
``It was a decade when success was glossy, now people want to resist being too trendy. In the '90s success has a matt finish rather than a glossy one. People still indulge themselves but they now have to find more elaborate excuses. One of my collegaues has just bought a Harley- Davidson. He is a family man who lives in a comfortable, middle-class suburb. He puts it in his garage and claims it will increase in value as a collector's item." In motorcycle engineering terms, Harleys are an eccentric piece of machinery. They are essentially an antiquated design, and not even their greatest fans would claim them as particularly fast or good handling. But they have a distinctive look that even the Japanese manufacturers have tried to copy, and, of course, they trumpet their trademark exhaust throb.
Jim Steele manages Peter Stevens Motorcycles, which distribute Harley- Davidsons in Victoria. ``They are now the biggest selling bikes over 750cc capacity in Australia," he says. ``For the first time in about 20 years, for two months earlier this year they knocked off Suzuki for fourth spot in the list of biggest-selling motorcycle manufacturers.
``Only about one per cent of buyers are Hell's Angels types. Some of the buyers are 60 or 70-year-olds, but the biggest group are aged 35 to 50. Young people can't afford them. " The growth in sales of the recently reborn British Triumph motorcycles, which came back on to the market early this year, has provided another surprise. Mr Steele says that most of the buyers for these are also in the 35-to-50 age group. ``The kids just don't have the money these days." One type of kids' toy that has been commandeered by adults are hand- held computer games. In America they have just been declared executive toy of the year. There are two rival products in the market, Sega's game gear and Nintendo's Gameboy, with Nintendo easily leading in the Australian market.
MIKE PELHAM is electronic marketing manager for the toy distributor Mattel, which distributes Nintendo. He says that the products are essentially kids' toys, with the core market aged 10 to 17. ``But there is a second key group aged 18 to 35, and we even find retired people like a 75-year-old former engineer who buy them to keep their minds active." But it is in computer games for the home PC that the older market has made its presence felt.
In the Elizabeth Street store Pacific Microlab, kids in baseball caps mingle with pinstriped businessmen mulling over their latest range of computer games. Sales manager for the shop`s software division, Peter Culic, says the games market is segmented into different age groups.
``The kids are still the biggest market for Nintendo and Sega. They are similar to the arcade games. They tend to be easier to pick up and require skill with a joystick rather than mental concentration." In the 20-to-30 age group, games played on personal computers are the most popular. From 30 to 40, it's games involving more problem solving, strategic games or things like flight simulators.
``The 30s to 40s also go for family-oriented games like Kings Quest, where a number of family members can play a part," says Mr Culic.
``In the 40-to-50 group flight simulators are also popular, as are strategic games that might re-enact something like a naval battle of World War II."
© 1992 SUNDAY AGE