I’m sure Arnotts Tim Tam sales aren’t on the decline, so their latest
ploy to get us to part with our cash made me curious and had the desired effect
I guess. I rarely buy chocolate biscuits, but I bought two packets, you had to
buy two of course to get the special, and they’re not just any ordinary Tim
Tams. Their flavours have multiplied over the years and now some more have
popped up on the market, but there’s a twist.
Stick them in the fridge, which is what I always do with chocolate
biscuits anyway, and the claim is that the packet will change colour. So I did
as I was told, taking before and after photos in order to check the claim, for
as I took them out of the fridge later I must admit I couldn’t see the
difference. The iced coffee pack was still brown, and the Turkish delight still
a pinky purple, but it wasn’t until I saw the pics on the computer that it
became obvious. The ‘Chill Me’ was what had changed, going from white to a
distinctive blue with ice crystals.
I scratched my head, puzzled. Had Arnotts become official sponsors of
the Winter Olympics? Had they gone to all that trouble to coincide the release
of their latest creations with the Games? Had they sent plane loads of our
choccy favourites to PyeongChang so people from all around the world could munch
on them while wandering from one outside venue to the next, watching them turn
blue with cold while they did the same?
Somehow I doubt it, even though it is colder over there at the moment
than the inside of a fridge, and the reasoning behind the fridge trick left me
with a ‘So what?’ I wondered how many different departments were part of making
that dubious ground breaking suggestion and bringing it to fruition. It’s not
as if Arnotts need any extra help in cornering the market in chocolate
biscuits. By and large they’re everyone’s go-to choice, and this latest
marketing strategy has me thinking I won’t be bothering to go back again, but
rather stick to my occasional purchase of the plain dark chocolate variety
which in my estimation is the best anyway.
There are moments when our western culture and what we take for granted
must seem so idiotic to those in developing countries and other far flung
places where there’s not only not much choice in what to buy, but the drawcard
of fancy packaging simply wouldn’t be on the radar. For way too many, a roof
over their head and a full belly are a luxury, and I have to confess to being
as guilty as the next person in putting those facts to the back of my mind as I
wander up and down fully laden supermarket aisles.
Finding that balance, not being a grumpy old woman and decrying
everything that assaults my sensibilities in this consumer driven society, but
not being self indulgent either, isn’t always easy. Negotiating a pathway where
I adequately care for my own needs while finding ways to support others sounds
simple. Maybe it is. The slogan ‘Live simply so others can simply live’ comes
to mind, and I guess for me that’s what it comes down to. It’s all about
choices.
I don’t need much to get by. I certainly don’t need Tim Tams in
packaging that changes colour.
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