How to keep on top of trends
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Unit Purpose and Aims
The purpose of this unit is to;
This unit will enable to the learner to understand how to keep up with trends and developments using new technologies and key resources as research tools.
Learning Outcomes
Learners will;
1. Understand the difference between futurology and forecasting
Learners can;
1.1 Explain the difference between ‘forecasting’, futures and futurology
2. Be able to Identify key research sources
2.1 Find key sources for Socio-economic forecasting
2.2 Identify key sources for research into Market forecasting
2.3 Find key sources for research into Scenario planning
3. Be able to Use technology for research purposes
3.1 Identify key sources for technology forecasting.
3.2 Use on-line research tools
3.3 Use new continuous on-line and real-time monitoring tools.
4. Be able to Create forecasts
4.1 Produce projections about consumer behaviour online for the next 12 months from existing trend information
Learning Tools, Resources & Links
Things that will help the learner develop understanding of this unit;
Mentors please add your ideas, examples, case studies, links to articles, videos, etc. here.
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The internet
Really first port of call for anyone who wants to keep on top of trends. There are some fantastic websites out there listed below, and it is advisable to always keep an eye out for them. Read different blogs and online magazines and combine their knowledge to generate new ideas which make use of the latest in fashion, technology, art and current affairs.
Fashion: Stylebubble Iamfashion Stylescout Youcatwalk Borderline Mag Japanese Streets Tokyo Fashion
Technology: Tech Crunch Engadget Gizmodo Mashable
Art: The Art Blog Modernblog Modernartobsession ibelieveinadv itsnicethat ffffound adsoftheworld
Current Affairs: News sites, you should know them!
It can however become difficult to keep up with a large set of site, which is where Twitter and RSS tools can come in handy. With twitter it is advisable to keep your total of irreverent followees to a relatively small number so that you don’t get annoying tweeting celebrities blabbering away on your twitter feed.
paper.li
Check out paper.li, a service that aggregates your Twitter and Facebook feeds in newspaper form.
RSS
The other way of keeping track of trends on blogs and news sites is with an RSS reader. There are many tools out there, many of them in browser, but google reader is probably the most popular, but check out also tools like feedly that create an online magazine of the links and tweets from your twitter feed
If you’re lucky enough to possess an iPad, there is no excuse for not using Flipboard, as it is a brilliant aggregating technology and it costs absolutely nothing.
Read
The newspaper for a start. It doesn’t really matter which. Preferable several, and keep rotating. Wired is a must.
Do
Go to exhibitions, talks (such as ted-x conferences), technology and innovation fairs and other events which educate you about trends and changes in society.
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Mashable: 6 Predictions for Digital Advertising in 2011
1. Local Advertising Becomes Relevant Again With Location
Location-based advertising will continue to grow in 2011 as Facebook expands the technology with its location platform, Places. In addition to Facebook, many other players in the checkin space, includingFoursquare, Yelp, Google, will condition shoppers to expect a deal or coupon for alerting friends of their whereabouts. Relevance will distinguish these services from each other as the two biggest players, Facebook and Google, have the most powerful social graph data to customize deals for consumers. Don’t countGroupon out, though. It more than makes up for its comparative lack of technology with brand equity and scale, as its massive sales force will remain dominant in 2011 by further monetizing local commerce beyond the recently launched self-service platform.
2. Silicon Valley Will Be the Next Madison Avenue
The coolest job in advertising used to be working for an agency in New York City or Chicago, but these days the dreams jobs are at Facebook and Twitter. Not unlike Mail.ru Group (formerly Digital Sky Technologies) attracting top bankers from Goldman Sachs, as Facebook and Twitter start generating more revenue, advertising and marketing talent will start heading West to cash in.
3. Influencers Will Be the Celebrities of the Social Web
Consumers are constantly scouring the social web to decide where to eat, shop and stay; so it comes as no surprise that brands are desperately analyzing Twitter, blog posts and reviews to understand not only who has the largest audience, but how much influence individuals have. YouTube’s Partner Program is being joined by new services such as Klout to create an official layer of social credibility.
Klout scores are being used by The Palms Hotel in Vegas to gauge discounts for hotel guests, including through the “Klout Klub,” which “will allow high-ranking influencers to experience Palms’ impressive set of amenities in hopes that these influencers will want to communicate their positive experience to their followers.” Creating thoughtful ways to leverage your influencers is the thing to focus on. People have always said it’s cheaper to keep and please the customers you have, than acquire new ones.
4. Small Will Be the New Big for Social Networks
Despite Mark Zuckerberg’s unwavering belief that an open and connected social web is best for society, early adopters are starting to experiment with new platforms designed to communicate and share media with smaller audiences. Path has shown us the potential of limiting our social networks to 50 people. Fast Societyis a new iPhone communication service that allows the user to create small groups to text with on the fly, and the groups last for three days. Facebook also realizes some of us may prefer communicating with smaller networks. Facebook’s new Groups feature allows us to segment our friends into personal, professional and interest-based communities, and openly engage in conversations not meant for our mother or colleagues to hear. Watch for more of these smaller, closed networks to launch in 2011 as people seek deeper connections online.
5. Brands Will Become More Like Media Companies
Social media has empowered brands to break their own news instead of relying on advertising or PR to disseminate their message. As brands become increasingly comfortable with social media on the whole, more budget and attention will be focused on high quality content created specifically for the social web. We will see more Facebook Pages like Skittles that appear to employ comedy writers to keep the content fresh. It would seem that “a brand’s best bet in social media is randomness.”
6. Facebook “Likes” Will Be Important for Your Brand
While it’s still unclear exactly how much a Facebook “Like” is worth to a brand, the following video sums up why Facebook is so important.
Follow platforms where news from all different areas circulate.
Analyse the news, see what might fit a brand you are working on and think about the potential it bears for future brand communication, or simply cool stuff. This platform is quite interesting, as it shares a lot of reports from people who aren’t necessarily paid to do a journalist’s job.
Go back to the past for inspiration.
The future is exciting. However, sometimes great ideas can come from the past, as most of the times it is that what is familiar to us as humans what makes us have deep emotions. So a little trip back to the past can spark some great ideas. This one here could have originated from such a thought.
Or this one, where the author consideres Bauhaus’ Walter Gropius words about the practicality or impracticality of production and design. He further continues to go on about how there should be a little bit of Bauhaus in all of us and in every newly designed and constructed building.
Trends are not only technology related, open your eyes and use what is around you.
This artist creates huge murals and other piece of graphic design, making use of every day events, protests, and political debates. The single most awarded campaign in Cannes made use of what was around them by creating a mural out of Zimbabwean Dollar bills.
Murals have been around for decades, but only been recently re-discovered. By making use of what is surrounding us and creating something new and interesting people are far more likely to talk about it. Something familiar re-applied in a new useful way is always newsworthy.
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