Recession, recovery and post recession trends: a report from the Future Foundation’s Summer 2009 “Changing Lives UK” event

This report from a Future Foundation conference looks at changes in consumer behaviour and trends during recession and the type of trends that might have an enduring impact, even after economic recovery (which is predicted to be long and slow).

Recession, recovery and post-recession trends: a report from the Future Foundation's Summer 2009 "Changing Lives UK" event

James AitchisonWARC

The shape of things to come: green shoots vs dark clouds

The downturn has sparked a renewed interest in predicting recession-to-recovery shapes, first popularised within marketing circles by Sir Martin Sorrell's famous "bath-shaped" prognosis for the dotcom boom-and-bust at the start of the decade.

The WPP chief executive is anticipating an "italic L" to characterise the current slump which, in general sentiment, if not precise shape, chimes with the "Nike swoosh" offered by the Future Foundation's Richard Nichols.

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