December 2017

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TRENDS ACROSS THE PLANETIn this month’s edition of Trends Across the Planet, we take a look at Amazon Prime’s upcoming original show about Manchester City’s soccer team, a trucker hat from Ford that helps keep sleepy drivers awake, tattoo regret, a dating app for self-professed geeks, and much more. We also share our final 2018 “Trend to Watch,” focusing this month on sleeping pods for weary airport travelers.

We’ll see you again next month!

Happy reading!

Team Momentum

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RETAIL/FASHION

APP OF THE MONTH

TRAVEL

JUST FOR FUN

QUOTE & STAT OF THE MONTH

TREND TO WATCH

ENTERTAINMENT

TECHNOLOGY

SOCCER SNEAK PEEKIn November, Amazon Prime announced a new video series that takes viewers behind the scenes during UK-based soccer team Manchester City’s 2017/18 season. An Amazon Prime Original, the program will be released in 2018 and available for streaming in more than 200 countries. The program will include interviews with the manager and access to executive meetings, along with a peek into the club’s training facilities.

“The usual,” “conventional,” “typical.” These are words that today’s consumer tries to stay away from. And brands? Well, they’re doing everything they can to try and make sure that consumers don’t view them this way. Amazon Prime continues to prove it has the pulse on what’s popular, relevant and and in-demand. Their recent endeavor with Manchester City proves that they’ve done their homework, marrying the global popularity of soccer with a behind-the-scenes perspective, wrapped up as original content accessible on-demand. The world is changing–and consumer behavior is changing. Brands need to adapt with consumers or risk extinction. If Amazon Prime continues to develop original content like their soccer endeavor, they’ll be just fine.

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ENTERTAINMENT4

GREAT GIFTINGUS fashion brands Athleta and Banana Republic entered into a partnership last month with the e-gifting service Loop Commerce to offer customers GiftNow. The goal is to simplify the online gift-giving process which, while seemingly worry and care-free, is actually not always that. With GiftNow, lucky recipients receive an email with the gift’s details and can then select their preferences, from color to size, as well as shipping address (or, exchange it for something else entirely), ensuring that they get exactly what they want.

Let’s admit it right now, gift giving can be a stressful, tedious task. Totally time-consuming. And remember what we’ve said in the past? Today’s consumer wants convenience and superior service, seeking out brands that make tasks like this a little easier (and faster). GiftNow has done their homework, taking the time to understand the everyday gift giver’s pain points and turn it into a solution. Consumers will reward a brand or service that has made the effort to go the extra mile to lend a hand, and more.

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RETAIL/FASHION5

SOCIALLY SHIP SHAPERecently, Costa Cruises expanded its WeChat Mini Program for guests on board their ships in China. The cruise line’s program provides guests with complimentary onboard Wi-Fi which enables them to participate. With access to the program, guests are able to book entertainment on the ship, make duty-free purchases, reserve tables at the ship’s restaurants, and pay for experiences via WeChat.

Consumers have a desire for truly relevant and useful information. Tools and services that provide the right information at the right moment, in a simple and digestible format typically draw the most want and praise. Costa Cruise’s WeChat program is a step toward streamlining customer service–integrating technology to simplify the process, while taking some of the burden off Costa and giving the guest a feeling of control over their itinerary. We expect that this Costa Cruise example is just one of many we’ll be seeing in 2018 when it comes to travel.

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TRAVEL6

“Our concept success rate has improved dramatically since we started taking the time to get our insights and benefits right and in consumer language.”

Derron Wrubel, Innovation Consulting Foods Division, Nestlé USA

94% of Gen Z believe companies should help address social and environmental issues (vs. 87% of Millennials and 86% of general population).

Source: Cone Communications

QUOTE & STAT OF THE MONTH

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WAKEUP CALLFord has introduced a truckers’ hat designed to prevent drivers from falling asleep at the wheel. To tie in with their 60th year anniversary of truck production in Brazil, the Ford SafeCap has sensors and a gyroscope to track head movements and warn the driver with sound, light, and vibration. The cap has met with such praise and popularity, that Ford is (smartly) looking to expand the product to include car drivers, too.

A recent global poll found 80% of consumers agreed that businesses must act to improve social and economic conditions in places where they operate (up from 74% last year). Ford has done just that, taking their brand and enveloping it with meaning and purpose that catapults them to a new level–a brand that stands for something. Small companies (or start-ups) often have an easier time responding to causes than their big brand counterparts (all that red tape!), but when a company like Ford is able to make a difference, it’s a chance to show consumers the brand’s power and ability to do good.

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TECH NOLOGY8

LOOKING FOR LOVELast month, a new dating app launched to help “geeks” find love. Created in Asia, Cuddli matches people who share common interests that many might identify as “geeky” like comic fandom and cosplay. Using a “swipe” system similar to the Tinder app, Cuddli also includes a feature in which a user must respond to an existing match request prior to matching with new people. There is also “couples mode” which lets users who make a successful connection make it official by enabling them to talk to other profiles, but not gain new matches.

The creation and evolution of the digital world has transformed how we connect with strangers and friends and in some cases, even more. In the case of Cuddli, you could classify it as your typical online dating app and call it a day. Yet Cuddli shines by thinking deeply about the end user they want to attract, defining the benefit to promote it and enforcing just that. The app’s Tinder-like elements also offer up a familiarity that ensures an instant comfort level. But, at the end of the day, Cuddli’s success will be its curation of users who are linked by their similar interests and passions.

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APP OF THE MONTH9

RE-THINK THE INKA rise in tattoos = a rise in tattoo regret. Even though the majority of people don’t look back after getting a tattoo, roughly one-quarter (23%) do regret getting inked (up from 14% in 2012). According to the International Society of Plastic Surgeons, peoples’ regrets are for a variety of reasons, ranging from poorly designed tattoos to drunken decisions and post-breakup name removal.

JUST FOR FUN10

WILL THIS TREND ACTUALLY TAKE OFF?What do you do when you get stuck with a long layover at the airport? Or, when your flight is delayed? Well, you can hit the bar, shop the duty free, or sleep (with one eye open, of course), however napping peacefully is close to impossible, right? One company will be pushing for a solution with their nap pods, called napcabs, in 2018. Currently located only in Munich and Berlin airports, but expected to expand (or, have copycats pop up across the world), they are designed to give exhausted travelers a chance to rest their weary heads before their next flight. Pods can be rented by the hour and come in a variety of different styles from a futuristic chair to a capsule-style chamber (which are pretty much morgue-like drawers).

TREND TO WATCH: 201811

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SOURCES:

Amazon Prime GiftNow Costa Cruises Ford SafeCap Cuddli

napcabs Cone Communications Trendwatching Momentum Worldwide

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