Bombarded with digital input, global consumers are getting tired of the connected culture and desperately seek ways to escape the tyranny of their smartphones. Clever brands realize that they must create space for disconnection, too. Adoption of each new digital technology does not always pay off as it may eat into consumers' cherished downtime.

According to research from the Future Foundation, 44 percent of women and 32 percent of men want to be contactable on their mobile phones 'at all times'. Significantly, this mobile dependency has decreased from 2008, when a whopping 60 percent of women and 54 percent of men liked to be always available via their digital devices. Meanwhile, it is increasingly hard to tune out of a world that is always on. More consumers struggle to find balance in terms of how we connect with each other and with our surroundings. Quick on the uptake, some of the brands have already come up with ways for their clients to slow down and disconnect for a while.

De-branded

In 2013, Selfridges launched its highly publicized No-noise campaign which featured “The Quiet Shop and Silence Room. The concept was implemented for a second year, confirming the retail giant's position as forward-thinking cultural icon.

“No noise” showcases several features, among them the Silence Room, insulated from the store’s noise and bustle. Visitors are required to remove their shoes and place phones and other “21st century distractions” in lockers before entry. The whole concept is as old as the company itself. When Selfridges opened in 1909, Harry Gordon Selfridge created a "Silence Room" where shoppers could "retire from the whirl of bargains and the build up of energy."

A tongue-in-cheek tribute to some of iconic brands, the Quiet Shop sells products deprived of their logos. The company explains, that de-branding the world's most recognizable brands such as Heinz, Levi's, Marmite and Crème de la Mer is "an initiative that goes beyond retail", designed to encourage consumers to "celebrate the power of quiet, see the beauty in function and find calm among the crowds."

Unfriending Facebook

Brands aside, some celebrities, such as UK rapper Professor Green, are not reluctant to manifest their growing irritation with omnipresent digital devices and social networks. Logging out of Twitter for a longer while to catch up with real-life friends could soon turn into a new fad.

A social experiment The 99 Days of Freedom was designed to demonstrate a rise in happiness levels as users disengage with Facebook to focus on real-time pursuits rather than just living their lives online. The experiment calls on people to replace their Facebook profile picture with a “time-off” image, write one last status saying they will not be back for a while and then log out. Kissing your social network goodbye for some time seems to have become a very popular option among "always-on" consumers who feel the urge to wind down.

Stressed out by too many choices

In The Paradox of Choice, the American psychologist Barry Schwartz writes that 'a large array of options may diminish the attractiveness of what people actually choose, the reason being that thinking about the attractions of some of the unchosen options detracts from the pleasure derived from the chosen one'. In business, offering too many options to consumers can derail success. Some brands have already grasped the concept are not afraid to embrace simplicity. For example, American eatery Flat Iron Steak offers steaks and nothing else. The number of restaurants and brands which offering little to no choice is rapidly growing. Instead of presenting a consumer with a headache-inducing multitude of options, they concentrate on providing a limited range of products or services to high specifications. In fact, simplicity-hungry shoppers tend to gravitate towards these brands that know how to position themselves as trusted experts in a single sector.

Sources: http://www.psfk.com/2014/10/portable-tea-maker-carry-leaves.html; http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/selfridges-no-noise-no-brand-concept/;http://www.independent.co.uk; http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk; http://www.adweek.com