ECONOMY
by Luiz Bittencourt and Hélio Mendes
Luiz Bittencourt 
Hélio Mendes
Common Sense About Leather
The crisis affecting some productive sectors are more serious than it looks like at first. In the tanning industry, for instance, it has become emblematic due to involve, at the same time, three respectful battle fronts.
There is the competitive battle, based on disputes on technology, characteristics and features of the product. It is a tough clash, but honest in its principles.
On the other hand, there are dishonest actions disguised as environmental, which didn’t exist until recently.
These actions become stronger and materialized in the form of regular attacks against leather on the media, involving the fashion industry, culinary and the social media, ending up being broadcasted by daily news on TV.
The continuous and unrestricted attacks are becoming very annoying because it has succeeding in its goal to deconstruct leather’s image in consumers’ minds. Leather is losing its soul and the common sense about it is being distorted bit by bit.
It is well known that people’s knowledge is built by mass media which can conveniently use fake news to “inform”.
Anyway, by repetition, the content of the message becomes alive and stablishes itself as reality.
Leather industry is facing an informational war that uses the mass media to undermine particular consumers’ interest.
This strategy is showing itself convincing because it can influence entire populations, even using discourses that lack credibility.
The consequences are the dreadful operational results to the tanning industry.
In the leather case, while the attacks have broad space in the media, the tanning sector reacts using peripherical communication instruments like specialized magazines, public speeches and advertising in sectorial fairs; all reactions extremely limited in its reach to consumers.
Leather is speaking to itself, doesn’t spread its truths, and this limitation reduce the possibility to recover the common sense about leather.
Last, but not least, tanning industry is facing, without noticing, a determinant and silent battle against disruptive evolutions that changes the organizations daily, demanding constant strategic and cultural updating, emphasizing innovation and even sectorial reinventions.
In a world offering cars without drivers, meat without animals and stores without clerks, an outdated value matrix and the absence of market diversification projects diminish business opportunities, restrict possible actions and imprison decision making in obsolete contents.
Luiz Bittencourt – Metallurgical Engineer/UFF/RJ/Brazil; Master of Engineering./McGill University/Montreal/Canada; Postgraduated in International Trade /UniversidadeMackenzie/SP/Brazil – [email protected] Hélio Mendes – Government and Business Consultant – www.institutolatino.com.br
Hélio Mendes – Government and Business Consultant – www.institutolatino.com.br
www.revistadiaria.com.br
