Not rendering correctly? View this email as a web page here.
Hello there

We’re over halfway through a global seminar tour and the two remaining stops, London and New York, are just around the corner! From Stockholm to Singapore, attendees have gorged on opportunity-packed trends including THE AWOKENING, which we are sharing with you today.

Not only will you find the new trend below, we also unpacked the trend with the Consumer Trend Canvas. That means once you’re done reading this we want you to get straight into generating new ideas for your customers.
 

Why is this trend emerging? Between corrupt politicians, trade wars, natural disasters, domestic terrorism and more it can feel like progress is unraveling. Yet every day around the world, passionate citizens take new positions, bolster longstanding ones and do battle for the social, economic, and environmental causes that they are moved by.


In this landscape, the first wave of social media influencers –oft-famous for their appearance, hijinks and poolside glamor– come across as out of touch and insubstantial. Consumers first turned to influencers because they were more 'real' than traditional brand advocates, and influencer marketing grew by 198% in 2017 (Klear).

In 2018, where feminist Kimojis retail for $2.99 the realness shark has been jumped. No wonder we saw a Dublin hotel announce an influencer ban (yes, really). It’s from the disconnect between global issues and public figures that this trend has developed...
 
 
 
 
 
THE AWOKENING:
A worthier breed of influencer emerges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Awokening
 

In a social media landscape saturated by fake followers and bought likes, a new kind of influencer is emerging: one fuelled by deeply held values. These individuals aren’t in it for the likes. Instead, they are on a quest to change the world.

Activists such as DeRay Mckesson (US), Julia Tolezano (Brazil), Boniface Mwangi (Kenya) and Gurmehar Kaur (India) are tackling major issues and amassing dedicated followings. This shift isn’t just represented by a few famous figureheads such as Malalla Yousafzai, it is powered by the behavior and determination of millions in the online community, even those with barely a follower to their name.

Why is this shift so important for brands in 2018? You know by now (we hope!) that consumers expect you to represent their values and have a purpose beyond pure profit. One powerful way you can have a meaningful impact is to offer a platform and support for this new breed of WOKEFLUENCER.

 
 
 
 
 
Four partnerships to get you inspired:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Barbie
 
Bindi Irwin for Mattel

Mattel surveyed 8,000 mothers around the world and found 86% are worried about the role models their daughters are exposed to. In time for International Women’s Day, in March 2018, the brand announced a range of dolls celebrating iconic contemporary and historic women. Amongst the Role Models are athletes, artists, pioneers and Bindi Irwin, an 18-year-old Australian conservationist.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Under Armour
 
Yusra Mardini for Under Armour

In October 2017, Under Armour announced that 19-year-old Yusra Mardini: a Syrian refugee who represented the Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio Games, was the brand’s newest ambassador. Under Armour marked the announcement with a 90-second video, in which Mardini narrated her journey from Syria to Europe. The spot concluded with the message: ‘Turn your pain into strength’.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ibn Ali MIller
 
Ibn Ali Miller for Lululemon

Canadian athletic apparel brand Lululemon debuted its first men’s campaign, Strength to Be, in September 2017. The video series features five aspirational men to represent different notions of masculinity. The men featured include Ibn Ali Miller, a nonviolence and social justice speaker, who gained fame when footage of him breaking up a fight went viral. In the ad, Miller explains, ‘A real man is a man that works on being a better man constantly.’
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Illamsqua
 
Munroe Bergdorf for Illamsqua

September 2017 saw transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf become the new face of cosmetics brand, Illamasqua. The activist had previously been fired by L’Oreal – who recruited Bergdorf for the brand’s #allworthit campaign – after claims she posted racist comments online. According to L’Oreal, the model’s views were ‘at odds’ with their values.
 
 
 

How should your business react to THE AWOKENING?

Well, first of all, don’t exploit this trend or sign on with activist influencers just to look good. Find the people powering causes that truly align with your business. If your business isn’t walking the walk, then do what you can to fix that first. If you fake it, prepare to be crucified.

Secondly, we’ve gone ahead and unpacked THE AWOKENING for you using our Consumer Trend Canvas, so you are already halfway to generating new ideas for your business that surpass the expectations of consumers. Download the half-complete canvas here. And if you want instructions on how to use it (ie. how to organize a brainstorm that will blow your colleagues' minds) go here.

As we mentioned at the start, there is still just a little bit of time left to join us and work with trends like THE AWOKENING together in New York and London.
If I don’t see you at those events, I wish you the best of luck with your innovation efforts!

Maxwell Luthy
Director of Trends & Insights

max@trendwatching.com
 
 
 
ACADEMY
FREE
INSIGHT NETWORK
 
footer_img.png
tw_new.png   fb_new.png   in_new.png   insta_new.png
 
LIVE
PREMIUM
NEWS