A few years ago Sienna and I went to Pura Vida, a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. We loved the whole experience; the food was delicious and natural, we had two yoga sessions per day and went on daily adventure excursions. The people were mostly in their mid to late thirties, successful, heath conscious, open to new ideas, and socially minded. In the midst of it all, I came to a slightly uncomfortable realization: Sienna and I belonged to an emerging target market. I was glad that there were more people like us out there, but I wasn’t used to fitting into a target group so completely. Companies that run R&R resorts and the owners of places like Pura Vida are specifically focusing on people like me to differentiate themselves and gain market share.
Out of curiosity, I started to search for the other members of my target group, and for the companies that had pinpointed us. Were we really so identifiable? Did we have an age, a face, a local?
Did we have a name?
According to USA Today, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Times Online and The Independent, Sienna and I are “New Yuppies” or “Scuppies”: Socially Conscious Upwardly Mobile Persons. They pulled the term from Manhattan investment banker, Charles L. Failla, who coined the phrase, has written a Scuppie handbook, and applies the term to himself.
I am simultaneously heartened and concerned by this. It’s great that there are enough people out there who are green, socially conscious, active in their communities and wealthy enough to put their money where their mouths are. Still, trends, have a tendency to be just that – to come and go, and there seems to be an aura of negative connotation surrounding the Scuppie classification. From what I can tell, and from what I hope, we are growing into something more than a catchphrase. In this nascent stage, it’s important for us to continue to identify specifically who we are and what exactly we expect from ourselves and the companies that serve us.
We’ll see what happens with the term. In the meantime, as we buy more hybrids, look for more local and organic grocers, and of course, seek out more yoga retreats, we are helping to build and grow a network of businesses that will support us – that will make our goals their goals. It’s up to us not get duped by masqueraders, and to demand more than what is trendy of the companies that serve us.
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