NOW AND THEN the Fence Sitter sits in his garden and thinks of trends that will continue for the year. These are by no means forecasts or predictions which at this time the women in turbans will spout on TV (“One movie star will die in a road accident”). They are incipient movements that those who have better things to do will miss out because these are trivial and mostly nugatory (look it up):
Offices and party organizers will no longer prescribe a dress code
So, we will see sportier outfits from people who come to work on a bike or just finished their weights at the gym. There is no attempt to shower or change to fresher clothes so the “leave-me-alone” look will be more noticeable. Best to keep your distance too.
Billboard ads will dispense celebrity endorsers (now called brand ambassadors) who don’t use their products anyway
Advertisers will go back to using professional (but anonymous) models plucked from modeling agencies, who also do bar tours. The selection criteria will be more product-centric. So, if the product is a skin whitener, any slim and dazzlingly fair-complexioned model in a swimsuit will do. The generic trend for medicines will extend to product advertising.
Political pairings will dominate the coming year
Opposites will dominate -- watch out for black and white, tall and short, fat and thin, smart and not so, famous and known-to-a-small-circle. It’s a challenge for their PR handlers.
Convenience stores open 24/7 will get market share from the fast food chains
Ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat meals are cheaper without the need for waiting at a table featuring a bent metal standee with a number. The convenience stores have cheaper meals and allow smoking outside.
Does eating out for solo dwellers mean that the kitchen is passé? Who still buys meat and then chops onions and cooks a burger for one? Eating out will be on the rise and sales of grocery items will take a hit.
Surveys of approval ratings by at least two companies will be headline stuff
Those with plunging numbers will hit back at paid demolition squads, including columnists. To emphasize the positive, the refrain will be the same: “I’m still No. 1.” This is like somebody falling off a building, and after passing the 21st floor on the way down declares, “So far, so good.”
New graduates will be joining companies with less than 30 employees (including the owner and his son)
Perks like paid vacation, car loan, and health coverage will be less important as come-ons, relying more on cash compensation with tax shields and a share in the IPO. These new employees are treated as losers by uncles who have just retired from large corporations with provincial branches.
TV news will be hosted by much younger non-celebrities
The emphasis will be on field reports where the wind is blowing the hair of the reporter as she clutches her microphone more tightly -- “The typhoon has just made landfall as you can see behind me.”
Blogging will be more widespread as the practitioners introduce themselves to strangers less shyly as journalists
By July 2015 (this is a prediction now), blogging will be considered as just a hobby like orchid growing and not a real job that requires a calling card. Hi, I’m a blogger. Have you seen my site that reviews the quality of macaroons?
Online shopping will really take off
The use of cash on delivery or e-loads as payment schemes rather than credit cards (5% penetration) has evolved as the gold standard for e-commerce. An online retailer has as a slogan: “Why go to the mall, when the mall can go to you?” This logic is compelling when it takes two hours to traverse half a kilometer by car during rush hour.
ATMs will spout new bills with an occasional substituted denomination (a hundred for a thousand) in the withdrawn pack
The amount is too small to complain about -- that’s the point.
There will be fewer desk calendars and umbrellas as corporate giveaways
The smart phone has the former already and is working on the latter. After the flashlight, it’s a matter of time for other features (or apps) to kick in. The smart phone is the new Swiss knife.
TV stations will continuously be reprogramming and re-launching their brands
The slogans will keep evolving until they become really needy: “Why not us, please?”
Trends are supposed to be helpful as they allow us to plan. This particular set is not meant to achieve that purpose.
A.R. Samson is chair and CEO of Touch DDB.
ar.samson@yahoo.com
source: Businessworld
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