It's not what you LOOK AT, but what you SEE

                                                            Artwork - by Christopher Vorlet

The foundation of how Cnvrgnc thinks and feels is based on our Seven Principles, which establishes the framework from which our company operates.  So with each day that comes and goes, our 24 hours is constantly immersed in these seven precepts.

So earlier today I was perusing a site called trendwatching (I love their stuff) and I came across their "10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010" report

Now I really like trendwatching because Cnvrgnc's second principle, "identifying the trends by recognizing the patterns," is exactly what they do. But they don't just look at and report on what the trends are, they see, discern, and break down customer behavior, and in the process discover customer patterns. But what's unique about them is that in order to really capture the ideas that they are trying to express, they will sometimes create new terms, where none previously existed (which rocks!).

For example, they created the word eco-iconic, which according to them is "about those products that through their distinct appearance or stories actually show that they're green, or at least invoke some curiosity from onlookers, and thus help their owners/users attract recognition from their peers."

Now from our perspective doing this is right up our alley, because as I stated in my genre-bending post a few days back we need to start "erasing the ideas of distinct categories and offer the world something which requires new definitions, different thinking and a novel approach" of how to engage the world.

On their 2010 trend report they continue to do this (especially on trends 4, 9, and 10).

Here's an overview. . .

1.  Business as Unusual - Forget the recession: the societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss.

2.  Urbany - Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world.

3.  Real Time Reviews - Whatever it is you're selling or launching this year, it will be reviewed 'en masse', live, 24/7.

4.  (F)luxury - Closely tied to what constitutes status (which is becoming more fragmented), luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months.

5.  Mass Mingling - Online lifestyles are fueling and encouraging 'real world' meet-ups like there's no tomorrow, shattering all clichés and predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future.

6.  Eco-Easy - To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals this year, corporations and governments will have to forcefully make it 'easy' for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives.

7.  Tracking & Altering - Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST services that will help consumers expand their web of control.

8.  Embedded Generosity - This year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers.

9.  Profile Myning - With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 is a good year to introduce some services to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services.

10.  Maturalism -2010 will be even more opinionated, risqué, outspoken, if not 'raw' than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that. Will your brand be as daring?

See the full report here

Comments

[Bonifer]

Excellent post, Rasul. Trends are much more reliable than statistics. Trends are meta data. They explain where and how cosmetic data like research fits into other significant patterns. Also, because they are composed of positive flow (unlike data which does not flow, it stops the instant it is 'captured', like a bird stops flying after it's put in a cage) trends make it possible for us to see far enough into the future--like a surfer can 'see the future' of a wave--to optimize decisions in the moment.

[Rasul Sha'ir]

Thanks for the comment Mike! I've been reading Trendwatching for some time now and I simply love their approach to "conversations about the market". I definitely agree with you. Trends are much more reliable than data. Data often becomes fixed and static, and doesn't take into consideration the context which is also at play. I'm definitely with you on that. And I love the surfer analogy. Good stuff!

[alison claire]

I am all about # 10! But seriously, folks. I think a lot of these are right on. It's cool when things which you THINK only you are noticing in the culture are validated in a concrete way like this. And, I LOVE the idea of creating new terms. I have been playing around with that, lately.......Sometimes, when I 'm writing and trying to express a thought but can't find the right word -- I'll put in something (a made up word/expression) just as a place holder. But then, completely by accident, I've actually sent in stories to my editor with the so-called "place holders" still in there. And, we've just left them 'cause it fits. Like when you throw something crazy on, just to take out the garbage --- and then, look in the mirror and are all like, "Oooh, this is CUTE!" and rock it to your friend's house party:)

[Rasul Sha'ir]

Thanks for the comment Alison. Glad it resonated with you. Your "accidental outfit for the house party" example is hilarious! I love your contributions and thoughts about our posts. Keep 'em comin!