Trends 2016 & Beyond

Shifting Patterns and Preferences Influencing How People Live, Work, Learn, and

Play

What’s New? Now? And Next?Ellen O’Sullivan, Ph.D.Ellenosull@gmail.comFuturist and Trend Tracker

Trends to Pay Attention to Now

• Brand Stand• Healthy Pleasures• Blending and Blurring• Density Intensity• Millennial Parenting• Multigen Aging• Tiered Everything• Engaging Experiences• Brown & Gray

• “distrans” (don’t miss one that starts on slide 13)

Brand StandClear, Concise, Compelling word/words that enable you to connect with current and potential customers

• The name, Home Depot, indicates the center for everything you need for your home.

• Amazon’s name doesn’t spell out what it does specifically but is widely regarded by consumers for speedy delivery of most everything retail with good return policies.

• Arlington, TX Parks and Recreation Department’s brand ‘Fun Naturally’ reflects both the department’s outdoor preservation duties and reinforces the role fun plays as a natural part of life and the focus of their parks, facilities, and services

Healthy PleasuresGood Times that are Good for You

• Popularity of adult coloring books• Take in a sunrise/sunset• Sing in the Shower• Talk to trees, yourself, and others• JW Intelligence coined the term,

healthonism, and cites the blending fitness with fun by working out and then going for a beer

Blending and Blurring

Gone are thedays whenpeople fell intoneat categories

The Millennials are “category blind” as they don’t differentiate or put people into boxes particularly based upon gender and ethnicityIs it a grocery store or is it a restaurant? Is it a shopping mall or eating emporium?What’s with the growing sales of athleisure clothing where nobody plans on getting sweaty?Millennials naming babies with names that don’t automatically reveal gender

Density IntensityCan YouSay Living &Breathing onTop of OneAnother?

62.7% of the US population live in cities on just 3.5% of the landLarge cities with expensive housing are building compartment-like living spaces to accommodate those who can’t afford rentsCoreNet Global reports that the average square feet for per worker fell from 225 in 2010 to 150 or less in 2013.

Millennial Parenting

Helicopter parents give wayto parents who float above“kite-like”. They are therefor their kids in a quieterAnd more gentle manner.

Millennials account for 80% of the 4 million annual U.S. births, the number of new millennial parents stands to grow exponentially over the next decade.  

Millennials want their children to grow and develop on an individual basis and are not nearly as concerned with rescuing on them on every occasion

Multigen AgingAre all 60 year oldsalike?

What about the 80 and 90 year olds?

Can we continue toLump them together?

• There are 60 year olds with chronic and disabling conditions who have little in common with the 60+ group that are living full lives.

• The "Young Old" 65-74 The first wave of aging Baby Boomers reached full retirement age in 2011.

• The "Old" 75-84Increased life expectancy will strengthen the wave of aging Boomers and steadily increase their total numbers

• The "Oldest-Old" 85+  The fastest-growing segment of the total population is the oldest  old with growth rate is twice as that that of those 65 and over and almost 4x times that for the total population.

Two-Tiered EverythingRecall when everyone purchased the same serviceNow there are 2 or 3 levels of service with perks that peopleare willing to pay for?

Admittedly, the airlines set the bar on this one but it is rapidly spreading to other industries.Disney has a “speed pass” and differentiates between guests who stay on property and those that don’tSki areas have recently added concierge services so skiers have a personal lounge with free beverage and no longer have to drag bulky ski equipment to and from the slopes

Now Required - Engaging Experiences

Initially, engaging experiences embedded in products and services was as an added edge of promotion or enticement.

NOW, engaging experiences area required part of marketing and sales

Lexus is experimenting with dealerships that offer fixed pricing of cars as it has been determined that Millennials don’t enjoy haggling as much as previous generationsPowerade and Ogilvy & Mather Berlin created the world’s first “workout billboard” that encourages passerbys to exercise right on the billboard.Travel companies are creating ‘authentic experiences’ to make sure they keep attracting customers

Our New Colors – Brown & Gray

The United States primarily consists of two rather distinct groups: younger Americans who reflect the ethnic diversity of that cohort group and older or graying Americans who are primarily white.

• Millennials, born between 1982 and 2000, number 83.1 million and are one-quarter of our population

• Millennials are more diverse than previous generations as 44.2% are part of a minority race or ethnic group

• The nation’s 65-and-older population grew from 44.7 million in 2013 to 46.2 million in 2014 and is 21.7% minority; much less diverse than younger age groups.

distrans – Organizational Imperative

What is distrans?

It is an O’Sullivan created term blending two concepts:

distort and transform.

It is an imperative for today’s organizations, freelancers, and even individuals.

distrans - What, Who, Why, How?

What and Why• The upshot of the concept

behind this term is that we are beyond time for change.

• Future success requires alterations that radically transforms the way we do business

• AND, the degree to which this transformation disrupts ‘business as usual’, the more successful the change.

Who and HowThink Uber, Airnbus, and even Netflix and the ways in which they veered 180 degrees transforming their related service sectors. Consider how adding wine to its offerings and creating opportunities for further education for employees impacts StarbucksGeneral Motors is partnering with Lyft to set up a series of short-term car rental hubs across the United States, places where people who do not own cars can pick up a vehicle and drive for Lyft to earn money. 

Mind blowing distran – M-PESA

M-PESA is

M stands for "mobile;" and "pesa" is money in Swahili. Kenya’s M-PESA created a near cashless society in a place where people have little money and few banks especially in the rural areasIncidentally, they leapfrogged over Google and Apple who are still working on this

How ever did they do it• Merchants set up M-PESA in

store fronts or market stalls and using the simplest of cell phone, people put money in their account and transfer money out directly to the taxi driver, milk lady, electric company, etc.

• Not only has it improved business for individual business owners but has brought basic necessities such as potable water and electricity to poorer areas.

New? Now? And Next?Along with shifts and solutions for your organization or industryEllen O’Sullivan, Ph.D.Ellenosull@gmail.com