Q&A with Simon Morton
What do you like about doing Use As
Directed?
It's a really fun show to research and then make with the team in
the studio and that's because of the people we meet and the
information we discover about the stuff we use and consume in our
daily lives. In every show I discover something new and there's
always a reason to have a good giggle.
What sorts of things do you think consumers are interested
in?
We spend more time these days making decisions about the stuff we
use and consume. This means lots of us are looking for shortcuts -
from where it's made, how it's made to good value. From organics,
to fair trade and energy smart to GE Free many of us are want to
know the stuff we buy meets our own values, so anything that gives
consumers insights into products is important. We also have
less time to spend making these decisions, so once we find
something we like we tend to stay loyal.
What with doing "This Way Up" (Radio New Zealand
National) and "Use As Directed" you must know a lot of about what
the things we buy. Do friends ask you for advice ?
I do get asked for advice heaps, but don't always have
the answers. Making purchasing decisions can be complex and
political, it's often not just a case of is 'product a' better than
'product b'. These days there's so much choice that doing
some research and working out what you actually need is the best
advice. We too often run to the shop not having done this and
buy something we don't need. There's a whole industry that's
very good at turning wants into needs, it's called sales and
marketing and we're surrounded by it!
Are you a walking encyclopaedia?
No. I'd need 100 brains to store all the information in and
I've got only got the one, and it gets easily overloaded!
Do you like shopping?
I do and I don't. I like researching a product, working out what I
want, then finding it somewhere at a good price and going for the
kill. These days I probably do more shopping for the kids -
from shoes to sportswear they're going to keep our expenditure up
for the next 10 years! I don't like wandering aimlessly
around a mall, I tend to hunt and kill rather than browse and
gather.
What's your approach? Budget or
brand?
Depends on the product. Brands are a really useful shortcuts
for consumers, whether that's for quality, price, design or
durability. Most of us have relationship with a brand of some
sort, but price can be the ultimate factor when it comes to other
goods whether it's TVs or tomatoes. The reasons why we buy
are complex and not always logical but if it's on special then
sure, it'll be more appealing!
Anything you are total sucker for?
Shoes, cheese and asparagus.
What's the last thing you bought and why?
A pair of trainers, they were on sale and looked good, and I needed
another pair (wanted??).
What are some of your interests?
Family, cooking, mountain biking, skiing and bee-keeping.
Do you really keep bees? How did you get into
that?
As part of 'This Way Up' we've run a couple of series where we've
tried to save a few dollars and have some fun with food production
- from the Funky Chicken Farm where we built a chicken coop and
kept hens for eggs to the iPlot for grow-your-own veggies, I've
ended up keeping these projects going because I enjoy them and I've
spent the time and energy learning how to make them work.
What's your backround - you sound English?
Born Switerland, lived in the US until 8, educated in the
UK, worked in Europe and then arrived in NZ in 1988.
What brought you to New Zealand?
A jumbo jet.
What are the things that interested you most in the new
series of UAD?
Personally the episode where we got to butcher half a cattle beast
in the studio was a stand out experience. Seeing where many
of the meat cuts I buy actually come from was a revelation.
Finding out how much BPA was in my system was an eye opener and why
Teflon pans kill birds at high temperatures.
Learn anything?
Too much to put here but I'll never ever look at toilet
paper in the same light - what a hi-tech product that we fold or
scrunch every day and flush down the loo!
Who would like Use As Directed?
Anyone who's consuming stuff on a daily basis.
