THE TrEnd framEwork In

2015

wELComE

...to this Executive Summary of the 2015 Trend Report.

The accompanying full 2015 Trend Report picks up the 16 mega-

trends that comprise the Trend Framework: analyzing where they

are heading and identifying the most opportunity-rich new trends

for the next 12 months.

In this summary, you’ll find an at-a-glance guide to our view of

2015. And you’ll glimpse three powerful currents that run through

the report: the ‘on-demand’ mindset of the last decade will hit new

highs and extend to new services, brands will face rising expectation

that they act to do good rather than simply talk about it, and

consumers will be more free than ever to construct identities and

lifestyles of their own choosing.

Use the Trend Report, alongside the innovation tools you have

access to inside the Premium Service, to inspire successful new

business concepts, products, services and campaigns of your own.

Good luck!

STATUS SEEKERS BETTERMENT

YOUNIVERSE LOCAL LOVE

Denial vs. Fanaticism. Mentor-to-protégé.

Ecosystems reign. Real purpose. Real impact.

The endless pursuit of status is a defining

feature of the consumer arena. In 2015, two

apparently polar-opposite forms of STATUS

SEEKING draw into sharper focus: an elevated

‘post-status’ mindset that claims interest in

anything but status, and the unashamedly

fanatical embrace of brands.

The YOUNIVERSE is each person’s

consumption realm, where his/her tastes

reign. Across the coming 12 months, many

consumers will be drawn further into the

product, service and experience ecosystems

created by a handful of big brands (from

Alibaba to Uber).

Even in a globalized, digital-fueled world,

place still matters. In 2015, brands looking to

build relationships – and cut through the

white noise of a million pop-ups – will make

lasting commitments that add real value to

public spaces.

Self-improvement – whether it’s aimed at

health, knowledge, skills, values or elsewhere

– is a universal human imperative. In 2015,

driven by an instant connection mindset,

consumers embrace new services that allow

them seamless connection to mentors who

can supercharge their efforts.

PLAYSUMERS EPHEMERAL

HELPFULL JOYNING

A leap of faith. New digital/physical memories.

Zero tolerance for waiting. Come together, right now.

The desire for fun is a human constant that will

forever find new forms of expression. In 2015,

consumers made blasé by endless choice and

total control will relish the chance to take

(playful) risks. That means mystery experiences,

unknown outcomes, and (good) surprises!

More convenient living and a faster path

through everyday tasks: two desires that will

never change. In the year ahead, consumers

with expectations shaped by the instant

gratification of smartphone culture will have

zero tolerance for waiting – in any form. The

idea might be tired; the innovations aren’t ;)

Social connection is a fundamental human

imperative. But forms and modes of

connection are evolving rapidly. Across the

coming 12 months, rising numbers of

(mainstream) consumers will embrace new

services that enable them to connect to

exactly the right person. In an instant.

Time remains a potent axis of innovation.

Consumers are creating vast stores of digital

memories – photos, videos, status updates,

and more. In 2015, they’ll embrace services

that allow them to attach digital content to

real-world locations, in order to store, share,

sort and enhance their outsourced memory.

HUMAN BRANDS BETTER BUSINESS

UBITECH INFOLUST

Change, not chatter. Big brands redeemed?

Better, connected. Information goes intimate.

We’ve long championed the cause of HUMAN

BRANDS. But perhaps we didn’t make it clear

that being ‘human’ means more than a chirpy

presence on social media. In 2015, consumers

will insist that truly HUMAN brands act to

make real, positive changes in the world,

rather than just talk about them.

In 2015, consumers’ ever-intensifying tech lust

will be matched only by their demands that

new technologies serve their deepest needs

and wants. One consequence? They’ll look to

connected objects (yes, the IoT ;) to help them

make the world – themselves, society and the

planet – a better place.

Consumers continue to push through the

assumed limits of their lust for information.

Much of this content will continue to be

delivered by (intrusive and distracting) screens.

No wonder, then, that in 2015 consumers will

also embrace off-screen, more immediate and

intimate information delivery channels.

Consumers are in search of a consumption

that frees them from guilt over negative

impacts on themselves, society and the

planet. Can the big, established brands –

currently mired in eco and social sin – redeem

themselves by becoming the world’s most

powerful forces for positive change?

FUZZYNOMICS PRICING PANDEMONIUM

TRIBES & LIVES REMAPPED

Servile brands need an army. So many deals, so little time.

PoSt-DEMogRAPhIC CoNSuMERISM. Innovating for the next one billion.

The boundaries between consumers and

producers continue to blur. With

crowdsourcing and P2P now well-established

aspects of the consumer arena, in 2015 smart

brands will leverage (and properly reward!)

armies of peer contributors to make their

offerings better and more accessible.

The TRIBES & LIVES mega-trend is no longer

fit for purpose, just as the old demographic

segments – age, gender, income bracket and

more – that it captured have lost their

predictive power when it comes to consumer

behavior. Time to discover the new POST-

DEMOGRAPHIC CONSUMERISM mega-trend.

Alibaba’s IPO showed that world-beating

innovation is more global than ever. In 2015,

entrepreneurs from Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria

and Turkey (the MINT nations) cater to their

own growing, youthful middle classes. In so

doing, they’ll capture the imagination of

emerging-market middle classes worldwide.

Deals and value will be as deeply rooted in the

consumer mindset as ever in 2015. But, for

many, the endless array of deals and

discounts has become unmanageable. Now,

rising numbers of shoppers will embrace

services that filter out the white noise and

hone in on the perfect deals for them.

nEXT

After reading the full 2015 Trend Report, as a Premium Client you

can also:

• Download and present the PPT version of the Trend Report to

your colleagues or clients, and make sure they’re in the know too.

• Explore all our other content online, including quarterly Industry

Updates across 15 B2C industries, region-specific trends, monthly

Snapshots and more.

• Dive into the Innovations Database (with all our 100+ trends and

12,000+ trend examples) and search for specific trends or

innovations.

• Check out the Apply Toolkit, with its detailed guide to trend-led

innovation, and interactive tools that will ‘wow’ your colleagues

and/or clients.

So, go to www.trendwatchingpremium.com to find everything you

need to start launching ‘on trend’ innovations of your own.

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions please email

Paul Backman, Head of Client Services, at paul@trendwatching.com.

abouT TrEndwaTCHIng.Com

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leading trend firm, scanning the globe for the most

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