7 Trends to Watch in 2012

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7�Trends�to�Watch�in�2012

PRWeek Webcast

Marian SalzmanWinter 2011-12

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�brands?�

•To identify the forces driving the future and plan forlong-term success.

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�brands?�

•To identify the forces driving the future and plan for long-term success.

•To discover unexpected opportunities that helptransform brands and businesses.

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�brands?�

•To identify the forces driving the future and plan for long-term success.

•To discover unexpected opportunities that help transformbrands and businesses.

•To provide insight into the drivers of key business,consumer and social trends.

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Learning�to�Spot�Trends

It means tracking

people

socialmomentum

companiesradical

breakthroughs

brandseconomies

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Spotting�trendsis�big�business�for�people

in�many�industries�who�needto�be�thinking�ahead,�for

themselves�and�theirclients.

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And,�really,�isn’t�thateveryone today?�

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Unquestionably,�it’s�everyone�here�today.

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Looking�Ahead�...�Moodier,Faster,�More�Complex

Technology

•It’s the CRUCIAL new factor in the art and science of trend tracking.

•It enables us to sense and read the moods of groups andwhole communities in real time as they communicate witheach other.

•It makes events and responses to them move faster. Monday’shot news can feel like ancient history by Wednesday.

•It increases the number and speed of interactions, uppingcomplexity by an order of magnitude.

The following slides pull together seven key trends in this complex mix.

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1. People�Power:�Socializingthe�Mighty�and�the�Tiny

1. People�Power:�Socializingthe�Mighty�and�the�Tiny

•During the bubble years, Americans splurged because it felt likethey could—then with the great deals offered after the worst of2008, some spent because it felt like they should.

•Now many look at purchases that seem rash and unnecessaryand regret those wasted dollars. Look for 2012 to be the year ofessentials only.

•Yet old impulses die hard, especially in the holiday season—pop-up stores will continue to soothe by offering one-off itemswithout the sticker shock.

•After the success of Missoni at Target, it’s time for other brands topartner up; co-producing products and lines for a one-two punch willbe one way of carrying business through a tepid holiday season intoa frugal 2012.

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The�Always-Ticking�

Millennials

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2.

2.�The�Always-Ticking�Millennials•Are millennials shaping the trends or are the trends shapingmillennials? Either way, Generation Y lives naturally withscreens and collaboration, moving between virtual and physicalwith barely a pause.

•This generation will reshape notions of time and place astheir digital-native, screenage mindset moves into thedemographic mainstream and the 24/7/365 world of work.

•One big imponderable for 2012 and beyond is how manymillennials will actually get a shot at careers in a lame andlimping economy that’s offering too few jobs, too many dead-end internships and McJobs.

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3. Prizing�Privacy

3. Prizing�Privacy

•So much has shifted, we are all working out the right balancebetween conflicting pulls—spend versus save, virtual versusIRL, work versus life, transparency versus privacy.

•Private individuals and public figures are finding that incyberspace what was intended to be sharing among friends canall too easily turn into full-scale exposure to the whole world.

•We expect our businesses and leaders to be transparent and tostand up to scrutiny—that comes with the turf—but whyshould private citizens tell all and tolerate intrusion?

•Individuals will increasingly pay attention to T&Cs, exercisemore opt-outs and privacy options, get smarter about whatthey put on the net and figure out smarter filtering strategiesto avoid the onslaught of TMI.

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4. Hyperlocal�Versus�Universal

4. Hyperlocal�Versus�Universal

•The object of this game is to find where people’s attentiongoes and what holds it … the advertising dollars will follow.

•Online local has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes oftraditional local media classifieds; local took 40 percent ofonline ad spending in 2010, up from 34 percent in 2009.

•Yahoo, Topix, Examiner.com and Patch are all aiming toput news into that sweet spot where online speed andconvenience meet real-life relevance—the driver of location-based apps.

•Among their many other challenges, clever brands will findways to connect with both our hyperlocal interests and theuniversal truths we feel—matching the span of our attentionand desired connections.

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5. PR�Generalists

5. PR�Generalists

•With the notion of media being redefined by the second and thenew news being reported by you, me and everyone in between, thenext generation of PR professionals will need to be generalists ofsorts: part content provider, part media relations guru, parttransparency expert and part CSR gospel preacher.

•In the immediate future the PR industry will need to seriouslydeliver on its strategies to get ahead. We’re calling it play me,then pay me.

•In this tough environment, those who deliver PR plans andmeasurable results will be better able to stay in business; watch theintroduction of serious “contingency element compensation,” in whicha component of fees is directly linked to results.

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Semi-ScientificVoodoo�Medicine

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6.

6. Semi-Scientific�Voodoo�Medicine

•As the age of the population rises and the economy-stricken moodlanguishes, there’ll be growing calls on healthcare.

•Rather than the communicable diseases of yesteryear, people willgrapple with excess weight and its related ailments, as well ascancers and cardiovascular, autoimmune and degenerative diseases.

•For the unwell and the worried well, the Internet provides access tomore medical information than most physicians saw in their life 50years ago—and most consumers are not trained to evaluate it all.

•The effect across markets is a fragmented mix of semi-scientificvoodoo, full of contradictory and complementary elements—folkremedies (e.g., gargling with salt water) and alternative beliefs(e.g., homeopathy) alongside pharmaceuticals and supplements.

•The desire is more than just health; it’s a feeling of wellness—increasingly the buzzword du jour.

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7. HeightenedOptimism

7. Heightened�Optimism

•It’s no secret that the “hope” generation has been a bitdisappointed of late, with job growth at a crawl and theUnited States in the midst of an identity crisis (downgradedcredit rating and all).

•PR will take a hopeful turn as ordinary citizens, journalistsand brands alike are looking for stories that will put a smileon their faces—think human interest, inspiring tales ofreformation and perseverance gone public. We need someoptimism to boost our spirits (and our retail numbers).

•Whether optimism is your strategy in 2012, think about theexplosion of personal gaming as a piece of the PR pie, because thePC gaming hardware market should reach $27 billion in 2014,according to Jon Peddie Research.

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So�what�can�we�expect

NOW and�NEXT?�And how does it affect your business?