One of the recent posts to rank at the very top of Forbes was a prediction of the top 10 consumer trends shaping culture in the year 2019. FIB would like to throw its weight behind this argument. We are barely into the year and yet already one of Forbes’ trends for 2019 has exploded.
Gillette’s ad, which follows in the footsteps of Nike, claimed that the best a man can get is now being woke to the #metoo era – the outrage dragons are officially out (looking at you Piers Morgan). Social media sentiment analysis shows a predominantly negative online conversation (69%). This is due to a few people raging online about their damaged masculinity and an even smaller number pointing the finger at Gillette for hypocrisy (because it produced this ad while simultaneously contributing to #pinktax with their more expensive and, ironically, literal women’s pink razors). All the while, the vast majority of consumers back out of the conversation. Why? For fear of backlash and in favour of neo-civility.
But in marketing terms, polarisation means engagement and when a solid percentage are up in arms against you, it means another percentage become staunch supporters. When did you last care what Gillette stood for ?
So, what are the top 10 trends shaping global culture for 2019?
1. Neo-Civility
In the woke era knowing what “safe” or “unsafe” speech and behaviour is in any given situation can become a mind field. It’s not just Gillette getting flak from both sides of the opinion spectrum here. Individuals are not immune either – the indignation sparked by Jesy Nelson of Little Mix dancing to R Kelly is proof of that. What will you dare to say in 2019?
2. All Inclusive
In a similar vein, did you know that the most searched for movie in the US last year was Black Panther? Between the roaring box office success of Black Panther and the continuing debate around Me Too – diversity continues to be top of mind. Even if your brand doesn’t take a strong stance externally, having to close your entire company for racial bias training (Starbucks) is less than ideal. Brands can’t ignore the debate. The identities that we will be talking about in 2019 include intersectionality, neurodiversity and citizenship privilege.
3. The A.I Leap
Google debuted Interpreter Mode at CES 2019, giving hotel front desks a literal A.I concierge. As consumer facing A.I tech improves, consumers expect A.I enabled concierge style service in multiple areas of life. This won’t just show you what is trending – it shows you the best option for you.
4. Light Relief
Are you watching people tidy their homes on Netflix rather than doing the dishes? Whether Marie Kondo can actually inspire more people to use her method is debatable, as consumers ask for the permission to just do nothing. This is a backlash to the culture of constant optimisation and a desire for unproductive (and mind numbing) activity. “Trashy” TV programs become self-care in a society where people just want to relax.
5. Educator Brands
Did you know that in the UK the most searched for “what is?” phrase on Google last year was “what is bitcoin?”. Consumers were seeing this term and hearing their friends talk about rising investments, but they didn’t have the tools or understanding to act on it. We expect more brands to fill this gap with rich content, becoming empowering advisors. This has a significant impact on Mar Comms and the CX consumers expect from brands when they are dealing with something perceived as difficult.
6. Titan Brands
Will Amazon disrupt family law following the Bezos/MacKenzie split? But in all seriousness, is there any category this company can’t rattle? Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Amazon, Apple, Google – these giants are challenging brands across multiple sectors. More worrying, our research shows that when a customer has multiple services from one company like Amazon, they are much more likely to consider using the brand in categories Amazon hasn’t even sniffed at yet.
7. Prescribed Life
If that all sounds like hard work, you might be a fan of this next trend. The Prescribed Life helps you to stay on top. Whether it is the new way to talk about diversity, the must listen to podcast that you have to check out now or the trainers for this season (Veja, Allbirds, what was wrong with Adidas?), the Prescribed Life has your back. Trusted brands will use individual and contextual data to make decisions for us – leaving only the joy of the big reveal.
8. Healthy Habitats
From my outlook it seems that health trends will never die. At our global conference we showed that nearly every single sector has been influenced by health trends. The latest? The environments we inhabit. Homes, shops, offices and hotels are embedding ambient solutions into their design. Light and air pollution are banished in favour of plants, healthy lighting and biomes.
9. Sustainable Me
This is about surviving in style not survival. Consumers adopt a prepper mindset to deal with life no matter what flux awaits and writing from a pre-Brexit Britain, it’s safe to bet that a lot of flux awaits. Check out the FIRE movement to see how far some consumers will go to attain the lifestyle they desire.
10. Ancient Rituals
Paleo diets, ancient grains, circadian rhythms…Consumers are looking back at a pre-modern or even pre-civilisation age for lifestyle lessons. This doesn’t mean consumers will be anti-tech – quite the opposite in fact, as we expect to see technology assist us in our goal to reconnect with nature.
Why do these trends for 2019 matter now?
It’s clear that trends are a necessary tool in a brand’s arsenal to innovate and be on top of your game. Shifts in consumer behaviour hold the answer to key strategic questions.
FIB would love to know how you see the 10 trends for 2019 impacting your business and sector, in the comments below.
