NEW YORK: The hip trend-spotters at JWT New York are clearly at one with 18th century English poet George Crabbe, who wrote: "Fashion, though Folly's child, and guide of fools/ Rules e'en the wisest, and in learning rules."
Rushing in where angels fear to tread, the agency casts its fate to the winds by identifying the seventy products, services and trends "that will help to define 2007".
According to JWT evp/cmo Marian Salzman, who co-authored (with Ira Matathia) a crystal-ball-gazing new book Next Now: "Trends are illustrated by the products and services that exemplify them."
For the convenience of those who lack the time (or patience) to scan the full list, JWT director of trendspotting Ann Mack summarizes: "As globalization continues to make our world seem smaller, localization will come to a head in 2007.
"We'll put great emphasis on sourcing everything from food to textiles. Decadent and excessive consumption will fall to the wayside as we stress quality, minimal environmental impact and support of local producers."
And now, Ladeez and Gennelmen, the seventy trends of 2007 as listed by JWT's legion of haruspices:
- Skype/VoIP
- Wii and the next-generation gaming systems
- The business of social networking (hanging out online)
- Pop-up stores, restaurants and bars installation style
- Shrinky Dink technology (TVs are flat and hidden, iPods are down tohalf an ounce, speakers are smaller and less visible, and so on)
- The rise of nanotechnology
- Sustainable construction/green buildings
- Hydrogen fuel cell technology
- Veggie-bus: school buses running on biodiesel fuel
- Trans-fat fallout
- Reality show talent searches
- Ohio State's freshman basketball phenom, Greg Oden
- Fear of agri-terrorism
- Halal foods
- Participatory advertising (user-generated advertising and music video competitions)
- Premium-drink bars
- Organic fabrics
- Stem cell research
- Iceland
- Hybrid dogs
- Locally sourced produce
- Churchonomics: religion as big business
- Reunions of donor insemination siblings
- Hitting the off button: demanding downtime
- Indian cross-over actress Aishwarya Rai
- Home-schooling
- Natural building materials such as stone and wood
- Binge chilling
- Personalized diets
- Brand sluts [?]
- Modernized tradition
- Chindia
- Alpha moms
- Internet TV
- Citizen journalism
- RSS feeds
- Fresh Direct
- Google domination (Google as acquirer, and Microsoft as Google follower)
- Mobile video
- Rachael Ray, author and chef
- Inconspicuous consumption
- X-Factor's Leona Lewis
- Dreamgirls' Jennifer Hudson
- Environmental causes
- Companies going green
- Barack Obama, Illinois Senator and potential US presidential candidate
- Soft, natural hair
- Microgeneration (generating one's own energy)
- Party planning for teens
- Paying for user-generated content
- Higher-waisted pants
- iPhone
- Co-branding (think Nike plus Apple)
- Britain's Amy Winehouse, jazz/soul singer and songwriter
- The rebirth of raves
- Energy-saving lightbulbs
- Cult comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen
- Mash-ups (music, websites, everything)
- Japanese apparel chain Uniqlo
- Promoting "Brand Me"
- Ensemble TV casts (Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Criminal Minds)
- Multilingual cinema
- "Kidults"
- Transformers alien flick starring Jon Voigt and Bernie Mac
- Web-based microfinancing
- Generosity
- Al Gore, the environmentalist
- Unstrategic alliances (Paris and Britney, Tom and Brooke, Bush Sr and Clinton)
- Europeans getting fatter
- Age shuffling (40 is the new 20, for example)
Data sourced from Biz-community.com (South Africa); additional content by WARC staff