March 23, 2012
Posted by: Jessica Vaughn - New York in North America
-CNBC excerpts chapters from the new book Megachange: The World in 2050, by Economist editors, spotlighting the gap between rich and poor, the age of emerging markets, the “social supercloud” and health care advances. They also examine the rise of big data, how demographics will threaten economies and other topics. -A new Boston Consulting Group [...]
March 22, 2012
Posted by: Alex Pallete and Ramon Jimenez - Madrid in Europe
In late February, three of us—Alex Pallete and Ramon Jimenez from the JWT Global Task Force and Will Palley, trends strategist for JWTIntelligence—rented a modernist flat in Barcelona and set about covering the Mobile World Congress 2012. For three and a half packed days, we made our way through keynotes, panels and 1,400 exhibitors, along [...]
March 9, 2012
Posted by: Marian Berelowitz - New York in North America
-A look at the rise of “gray divorcés” in The Wall Street Journal examines why the divorce rate among Americans 50-plus has doubled in the last 20 years. -K-pop has taken off in the West thanks to global social networks, says The New York Times. -China Daily takes a look at the rising popularity of [...]
March 7, 2012
Posted by: Marian Berelowitz - New York in North America
For our recent report on food trends, “What’s Cooking?,” we received email input from several experts and influencers, among them chef Elise Kornack. (For the others, see the report’s appendix.) A winner on the Food Network show Chopped, Kornack and her partner are combining the ideals of eating seasonally and locally with principals of practicing [...]
February 28, 2012
Posted by: Marian Berelowitz - New York in North America
As noted in our recent trend report on food, packaging can be a gateway to more information and content via QR codes and similar technologies. The idea isn’t new (especially in some markets), but consumers are only gradually taking to it—5 percent of American adults with a mobile phone scan any kind of 2D barcode, [...]
February 28, 2012
Posted by: Marian Berelowitz - New York in North America
In January, JWT launched “Worldmakers,” a talk show hosted by Worldwide CEO Bob Jeffrey on YouTube that highlights people who are making things happen through technological innovation and international imagination. Mario Batali, the chef and restaurateur, touched on two of our 10 Trends for 2012 in a recent segment. “It’s going to take a lot [...]
February 17, 2012
Posted by: Marian Berelowitz - New York in North America
-Major luxury brands enjoyed a “blockbuster” 2011 and expect an even better 2012, according to The Wall Street Journal, as “emerging markets power seemingly relentless demand.” The Journal also reports that Chinese consumers are losing interest in fakes, a shift that’s driving expansion plans in China among foreign companies. -“Down and out” is becoming the [...]
February 17, 2012
Posted by: Will Palley - New York in North America
With more people buying online, retail spaces will increasingly serve as a “third space” that’s only partly about shopping (one of our Trends for 2011). In the food sector, as online services such as FreshDirect and Seamless.com expand, consumers are seeking real-world spaces where they can not only eat or buy food but meet [...]
February 15, 2012
Posted by: Jessica Vaughn - New York in North America
While researching one of our 2012 trends, Food as the New Eco-Issue—the idea that the environmental impact of our food choices will become a more prominent concern—we interviewed Jonathan Bloom, a journalist and author (American Wasteland) who is an advocate for curbing food waste. He describes himself as an “accomplished eater and mediocre composter” who [...]
February 10, 2012
Posted by: Will Palley in North America
-Beijing’s office rents are now higher than New York’s, reports The FT. -Indonesia and the Philippines are among the developing countries demanding better treatment for their unskilled workers abroad, a trend The Wall Street Journal says “could shake up global labor markets.” -Recently released data from fellow WPP company Landor suggests that most companies need [...]
Trends on Twitter
In a post last October, we looked at innovative ideas for crowdfunding movies. The new film Iron Sky, a sci-fi comedy involving Nazis on the moon, was financed both by traditional crowdfunding (from some 10,000 contributors) and crowd-investing (around 200 people are shareholders and stand to benefit from any profits, according to Wired.co.uk). And Finnish writer-director Timo Vuorensola, who amassed fans with a low-budget Star Trek spoof, also involved the crowd in the creative process—e.g., to help with historical research, props and visual effects. This had the added benefit of creating evangelists, he told The West Australian: “When people are contributing to a film, they take ownership of it and spread the word.” Iron Sky is playing around Europe, in Australia and a few other markets, and has a North American distributor lined up. —Marian Berelowitz
Image credit: ironskyfilm
More flat surfaces are becoming screens, and more screens are becoming interactive, as we note in our 10 Trends for 2012 report. In one recent manifestation of this trend, the upscale Hong Kong Jockey Club installed several 10-by-4-foot touch-screen tables, where members can view videos and see updated race results, as well as gamble, using RFID-enabled smart cards to place bets. The tables, which each accommodate eight players, can also interact with members’ digital devices.
The Club is looking to install the tables at other tracks around the world, according to Possible, the WPP agency that created them. “Designed to resonate with the always-on tablet and smartphone generation,” screens such as these will increasingly replace formerly static flat surfaces. —Will Palley
While some are questioning how much potential remains in the Facebook gaming market, a batch of celebrities are turning out their own apps for the social network. Oprah’s Thank You Game, which aims to “help spread gratitude around the world,” was designed by game maven Jane McGonigal’s SuperBetter Labs. Jay-Z’s new Empire is based around his rise to fame, with players creating a Sims-like avatar before running empires of their own. Another famous rapper is behind 50 Cent’s Blackjack, basically a version of the casino game. And Jersey Shore’s Snooki beat them all to the punch with Match Game in February. —Will Palley
Brands are increasingly using Twitter in innovative ways—e.g., via “micro-affiliates” or for e-commerce. To help manage demand for sought-after new sneaker editions, Nike recently debuted a Twitter RSVP process that allows customers to reserve a shoe at any of a dozen U.S. stores, avoiding long lines and mayhem. Sneaker fans must follow the Twitter account of their local store, which sends a tweet at a random time on the designated day. Consumers must then direct-message the store within 60 minutes, including the product-specific hashtag, their name and shoe size. Shoes are awarded on a “first respond, first serve” basis and can be picked up on the launch day. —Will Palley
Image credit: Myrone Delacruz
Launched in late 2011, BackBid.com is a booking site that pits hotel against hotel to gain a client’s business—in the end helping the consumer to win out above all. Here’s how it works: Users book a room and post the details to BackBid.com. From there, other hotels in the area can outbid the current booking, offering lower rates or room upgrades and more amenities. Users can then accept one of the offers and rebook at the competing hotel. The model offers hotels an opportunity to fill empty beds without resorting to heavy discounting—which could ultimately cheapen the brand’s image. Instead, hotels can make savvy travelers feel like VIPs by offering a seemingly personalized discount package. But it’s a potential catch-22, since those beds might be empty due to would-be guests defecting to competitors with better bids. —Jessica Vaughn
Image credit: backbid.com
It’s one thing for a brand to have millions of followers on Twitter; it’s another to have that army doing some work for you. American Express recently started offering a credit to customers who tweet an Amex-related promotion (e.g., #AmexWholeFoods, to receive $25 off a $75 purchase at Whole Foods). U.K.-based Park Resorts, similarly, is offering savings and credits to brand followers who share promotional links.
“It’s simple and frictionless,” as Ed Gilligan of American Express told The New York Times. The ease of getting consumers to send a brand’s message certainly saves on media costs, and the message is more likely to be noted (Nielsen reports that 92% of consumers around the world trust recommendations from friends and word-of-mouth more than any other form of messaging). “Micro-affiliates,” as these consumer participants are sometimes termed, is an idea that fits well in a post-Groupon world, where deal-loving consumers respond to offers to save money they may not have spent otherwise. —Aaron Barr
Image credit: American Express
With businesses like TOMS Shoes and Warby Parker, we’ve seen the rise of the “Buy One, Give One Away” business model—a strategy we highlighted in our 2011 100 Things to Watch List. Now, we’re seeing more brands linking customer purchases to tangible do-good initiatives. Apparel maker United by Blue, a certified B Corp, says it has “one hand in the apparel industry and the other hand in waste management.” That’s because UBB vows to remove a pound of trash from oceans and waterways for each item sold (since launching in 2010, they’ve removed some 83,000 pounds of junk). The company proudly “does its own dirty work,” as the UBB website lays out, and the brand-organized cleanup events serve as organic community-building experiences for the volunteers, typically local residents. With more cause-minded products and CSR activities launched every day, socially focused efforts will increasingly need to promise tangible results so that customers associate each purchase with a measurable benefit. —Jessica Vaughn
Image credit: Unitedbyblue.com
TV networks aren’t the only ones experimenting with complementary mobile apps. Big-screen producers are seeing potential in the second screen, with movie apps that go beyond the outtakes and commentary of classic DVD extras. A $4.99 iPad app that debuted along with the Blu-ray edition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail yields the screenplay, Michael Palin’s diary and more. And if synced with a Blu-ray player, the app doubles as a remote control and surfaces pertinent extras at key points. Kids flicks are a particularly good fit: Warner Bros.’ free Happy Feet Two app, for instance, helps viewers “sing, dance, and play along” in sync with the Blu-ray. Disney offers free second screen apps for Bambi, The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp that include extras like stills, storyboards and flipbooks along with Blu-ray syncing. These apps provide a window into a future where viewers access augmented content across synced screens. —Deanna Zammit
Formerly known as Miss Bank$, 20-year-old rapper Azealia Banks has been garnering significant attention since she released her debut single, “212,” in December. She topped NME’s 2011 cool list and came third in the BBC’s Sound of 2012 countdown. The New Yorker’s first EP is set to launch April 17, and she’s working on a full-length album, Broke With Expensive Taste, while collaborating with Kanye West and Lana Del Rey. —Will Palley
Image credit: myspace.com/azealiabanks
Hang on to your popcorn. Another “dimension” is being added to the theatrical experience: physical effects. In some cases, theaters are installing seats that shift, rumble and otherwise move in sync with the action. “We are trying to reflect everything you would feel in real life without crossing that line of being like a theme park ride,” Guy Marcoux of high-tech seat manufacturer D-BOX told The Guardian. Around 3,000 D-BOX seats have been installed in theaters across North America, Japan, Germany, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Other 4D experiences incorporate “in-theater special effects,” like Broadway 4D, a permanent musical theater attraction planned for a long-vacant historic Times Square theater.
It seems the entertainment industry is working ever harder to create experiences that manage to entice viewers away from the big screens and high definition they already have at home. —Deanna Zammit
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