The Race Is On!

The Race Is On!

While the best bowl games have yet to be played, 2012 has arrived as the here and now. 

I celebrate the arrival of a new year and embrace the changes we will encounter moving forward. 

No question that 2012 promises to be a watershed year. 

No matter where you sit along the political spectrum, the outcome of the election this year will shape the future of state of the economy, how consumers perceive it and how consumers will spend their money.

Technology will advance further in 2012 as well.  Everything from laptops to game consoles to smart phones commanded top slot in purchases.

In fact, according to digitaltreands.com, iPads drove the highest increase ever in Holiday electronic sales in 20112.

This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that for the first time ever, the workforce in the U.S. spans the spectrum across FIVE generational groups. 

Go into your local mom & pop grocery store and you may very well see a Millennial just now entering puberty packing your bag and a Mature Generation 70-something ringing up the sale on the register. 

As generational groups interact together in-person and online, be prepared to see each one attempting to carve out their niche of personality and culture.

From the perspective of the glass half empty, the housing market will stumble through another year of stagnant sales and perhaps even further declined value…

From the perspective of the glass half full, current home re-design, refreshing the décor and room re-purposing will hit high drive.

Furthermore, the Millennials will take on the new challenge of home making…literally!

Just this morning, I did something that I never thought I would ever do again… I re-subscribed to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  Not the physical newspaper delivered to the front door…but the electronic look-alike version that I will be able to log-into and read on my iPad each morning. 

Newspaper and magazine circulation will be on the rise in 2012. 

Brands that embrace the changes will be staged for a great positive run once the election is decided on November 6, 2012. 

In the meantime, there are some cool trends to capitalize on as well.

Back in 2003 when I started my own consulting group, I published the first TRENDCAST citing from my “on-the-street” perspective, what I envisioned as the top trends likely to impact the marketplace. 

Here are the Top 10 Trends cited in the 2012 TRENDCAST…

1.  Digital First

2.  Interactive Expectation

3.  Customer Bonding

4.  The Merger of Reality with Reality

5.  The New Culture of Influence

6.  Adoption of Generation ZOOM

7.  Food Eco-ology

8.  Millennial Home Making

9.  The Rise of the Senior Class

10.  The “Publishing” Come-back

Over the course of the last week, I had a chance to break bread with a few of my friends and colleagues. 

I heard more than half bitch about their relationship with their telecommunications provider.

And then heard about how much they got to know some cool brands over the holiday shopping experiences and interacted with their top management.

Great to see the EXPERIENCE TRENDCAST coming to life!

Check out the EXPERIENCE website.  On the home page is a link to the 2012 TRENDCAST and you can read more about each one of these trends.

Also… keep me posted on what you observe as you and your brands encounter these market dynamics during 2012.

No question that 2012 promises to be a wild ride… buckle those belts and gear up for the journey…

The Race Is On!