The Organ Grinder’s Monkey

March 2008’s Trendwatching Briefing is all about the rise of free and the gift/attention economy. In fact, their calling the phenomenon “Free Love.” (Warning: Mildly NSFW photo)

Some ideas they explore:

• The trend toward using advertising to create revenue out in a free economy, now showing up in places you wouldn’t have expected, including free airline seats, photographic prints and food/drink vending machines. That’s right, folks - free food, free flights and free photos, among other options.
• How the Freeconomy is changing the way not-free items are marketed and sold, including a revisit to the “Tryvertising” and “Trysumers” trends.
• The rise of FREE C2C, or the production of consumer created content for the enjoyment of other consumers.
• Swapping, recycling and other no-money transactions, from as low-end as finding a new home for those old National Geographic magazines to the high-end of house and car swapping.

Tags: Trends by Soni Pitts
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It’s time for Trendwatching’s 8 Consumer Trends for December. Here’s a rundown of these 8 trends, complete with ways you can take advantage of them for your own business.

(It’s a long post, so I’ve tucked it behind the fold)

[Read more →]

Tags: Trends by Soni Pitts
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D’OH!!!

Color me monkey-butt red. Yanno that Trendwatching briefing I posted about on the 6th? The one decrying the death of the pet goods economy, the surging interest in boring hotels and the *shudder* advances in in-utero marketing? Yeah, it’s a hoax. A fake. A spoof.

I got this email on the 7th, but I hadn’t checked this particular inbox before I left for my week long, internet-free vacation. So I’m probably the last to know. Except for you, of course:

We hope you enjoyed the very special trend briefing we sent you yesterday. If you didn’t, then please pour yourself a strong cup of coffee and take another close look. It’s a SPOOF. Fake. Not to be taken at face value. Even most of the sites we referred to are, well, ours—and entirely fictitious.

We thought it would be fun, just for once, to mock overzealous marketers, crass consumerism and—above all—ourselves. So please don’t ditch your pet, stay in ugly hotels, pollute the earth, paint your walls turquoise or start marketing to unborn babies, OK?

Rest assured that we’ll back with ‘real’ trends in December, the kind of trends you’ve been getting from us since 2002. If you can’t wait that long, check out our Trend Database or our 2008 Trend Report. All real, all authentic, all useful.

Best,

Reinier Evers
Founder, trendwatching.com
reinier@trendwatching.com

Thank God. I was really starting to worry about a world filled with green backlash, mass pet abandonment and prenatal branding. Thank goodness it was only a bad dream, Auntie Em.

But still. It was a cruel, cruel trick. Oh, and uh, if you know anywhere I can offload a like-new turquoise SUV with handstitched seal-fur seats and chihuahua trim, drop me a line will you? It’s, uh, for a friend of mine. A really, really gullible friend…

Tags: Business, Housekeeping, Announcements and Related Fussing About, Trends by Soni Pitts
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The November 2007 Monthly Briefing from Trendwatching has hit the e-stands. In this month’s edition, you’ll learn all about trends that will be affecting your business in the coming year:

Generation Z, or marketing to the 3-5 year old bracket (including a tidbit about the frightening effectiveness of in-utero marketing - I shit you not). Who’s affected: Anyone marketing anything to anyone over the next 20 years.

Blandtastic, the backlash to Massclusivity that has upscale travelers and shoppers flocking to decidedly mid-list brands. Who’s affected: Travel industries, those selling high-end products/services (you may lose out) or mid-list products/services (you stand to gain), those who provide support to these industries.

Eco-Fatigue, the backlash against the green call toward self-discipline and deprivation. Who’s affected: Pretty much anyone who’s either gone green or refused to.

Pet Passe, the un-petting of America as Boomers and others learn just how darn inconvenient and expensive those fur-babies can be for an aging rock star who wants to travel the world on a fixed income (grrrrrr…). Who’s affected: Providers of pet products and services (especially high-end), shelters, pet stores, etc.

Turquoise Triumph, the next color sensation poised to make your edgiest wardrobe choices obsolete. Again. Who’s affected: Anyone who follows fashions or is in an industry that relies on it. Another color prediction I ran across a few weeks back: Out with blue and brown, in with blue and silver. Just so you know.

Tags: Business, Society and Culture, Trends by Soni Pitts
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