If you believe the typical trend declarations for 2014 – this is going to be the year of big data, wearable devices, and ubiquitous tablets. These are the facts we have heard over the past two months presented as big insights for the coming year. There are only a few problems with these so called trends, and others like them:
Problem 1: NO OBJECTIVITY – If you sell hammers, declaring 2014 the “year of hammers” isn’t just self serving, it’s probably plain wrong. Great trends should take an unbiased look across industries to describe an idea that really matters.
Problem 2: NO CREATIVITY – Trends need to do more than repeat common knowledge. For example, saying that “more people will buy tablets in 2014” is obvious—and useless. Instead, great trends should describe the world in fresh ways you haven’t heard before.
Problem 3: NO PROOF – Sharing a trend with-out specific examples is like declaring your- self a musician by simply buying a guitar. Great trends are only important when there are real life examples and stories that illustrate how it is actually happening in the world.
Problem 4: NO APPLICATION – Even when a trend seems to make sense, the place that many trend articles stop is at trend “spotting.” In contrast, great trends should be paired with real advice on how to them to impact your business.
For the past four years, I have spent a bulk of every year gathering information to curate into an annual trend report that aims to solve each of these problems by taking an unbiased creative and proven look at the trends that will matter in each year … and pair them with some real advice and action guides for how to actually use them. The first three editions of this report have been viewed and shared online more than half a million times.
Today I’m officially publishing the 4th Edition of this report – The 2014 Non-Obvious Trend Report. Embedded below is a 139 page sneak peek of the full report with many of the insights, stories and descriptions of 15 trends that will matter in the coming year. The report shares my approach to “trend curation” versus trend spotting – and brings together nearly a year’s worth of research into a single book.
I hope you enjoy this preview of the full report – and it inspires you to download the full report which is available as an ebook for just $4.99 on Amazon right now. As a companion to the report, I have also launched a trend site that compiles all the previous editions of the report and details about several other “15 Trend” books that are now available. After reading them, if you are interested in joining my reviewer list to get early access to my 2015 Trend Report later this year, as well as several other bonus pieces of content – you can sign up for that below as well.
The greatest collection of human stupidity ever amassed sits on the Internet … and you probably encounter it every day. When you go online today, there is some great content – and a deluge of bad, useless or otherwise idiotic content. It is common knowledge that content creation online is exploding and that much of it is not very good….Read More >>
This past weekend one of the first ever conferences on consumer psychology and behavior focusing on marketing, sales and business strategy quietly took place in Stamford, Connecticut. Before the September craziness of business events and corporate summits … Behaviorcon was intentionally different. Created by best selling author Ramit Sethi and marketing and branding advisor Michael Fishman – the event brought together a…Read More >>
Today two of the biggest communications holding companies, Omnicom and Publicis, announced they will be merging to form the world’s largest advertising company. For anyone familiar with the common in-fighting among agencies for limited client budgets, one of the immediate concerns will be the challenges that these new found partners in this “merger of equals” will face in the coming…Read More >>
Recently I had the chance to sit down with Porter Gale and pick her brain about some smart tips that can help anyone get better at networking. Her new book Your Network Is Your Net Worth features a cover quote from Sir Richard Branson. As if that weren’t impressive enough, she is the former CMO of Virgin America and someone…Read More >>
Fellow fans of The Office television show are sharing a moment of sadness this morning. Last night was the series finale of the documentary-style comedy show that exposed the silly side of the workplace for nine years. For me, the show coincided almost perfectly with my move from Australia back to America and my own journey of joining an American…Read More >>
I want to give you a free copy of my new ebook … but I don’t want you to keep it.* Let me tell you why. On June 18, my newest ebook will be released and I am writing it for an audience that may not include you. Unless of course you happen to be in high school or college,…Read More >>
Today was a big day for the Netherlands. Back in January, the Dutch Queen Beatrix decided to abdicate her throne to pave the way for the next generation of loyalty to take over. Today was her final day as queen, as her son Willem-Alexander became the new King and youngest monarch in Europe. As it turns out, Dutch royalty have…Read More >>
The “Ballbarrow” was never really a product destined for greatness. Replacing a wheel in a traditional wheelbarrow with a ball hardly qualifies as a groundbreaking technological innovation. But it does solve a problem. Great inventions usually do. And when James Dyson first created and produced his Ballbarrow, it was a hit with gardeners seeking an alternative that wouldn’t leave wheel…Read More >>
Simplicity always wins. If there is one lesson the modern business world teaches us, it is that complexity kills and simplicity wins. Apple, Flip Camera, Twitter, Uber, Walmart — all are examples of companies that owe their success at least in part to their ability to simplify a service or product to an extreme level. I have written often about…Read More >>
Rohit is founder of the Influential Marketing Group and the best selling author of four marketing books. He teaches marketing at Georgetown University and speaks at events around the world on marketing trends, social media and the how to create more human brands.
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15 Marketing Trends In 2013 And How Your Business Can Use Them
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LIKEONOMICS
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Personality Not Included
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