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:
  1. Skype/VoIP
  2. Wii and the next-generation gaming systems
  3. The business of social networking (hanging out online)
  4. Pop-up stores, restaurants and bars installation style
  5. Shrinky Dink technology (TVs are flat and hidden, iPods are down tohalf an ounce, speakers are smaller and less visible, and so on)
  6. The rise of nanotechnology
  7. Sustainable construction/green buildings
  8. Hydrogen fuel cell technology
  9. Veggie-bus: school buses running on biodiesel fuel
  10. Trans-fat fallout
  11. Reality show talent searches
  12. Ohio State's freshman basketball phenom, Greg Oden
  13. Fear of agri-terrorism
  14. Halal foods
  15. Participatory advertising (user-generated advertising and music video competitions)
  16. Premium-drink bars
  17. Organic fabrics
  18. Stem cell research
  19. Iceland
  20. Hybrid dogs
  21. Locally sourced produce
  22. Churchonomics: religion as big business
  23. Reunions of donor insemination siblings
  24. Hitting the off button: demanding downtime
  25. Indian cross-over actress Aishwarya Rai
  26. Home-schooling
  27. Natural building materials such as stone and wood
  28. Binge chilling
  29. Personalized diets
  30. Brand sluts [?]
  31. Modernized tradition
  32. Chindia
  33. Alpha moms
  34. Internet TV
  35. Citizen journalism
  36. RSS feeds
  37. Fresh Direct
  38. Google domination (Google as acquirer, and Microsoft as Google follower)
  39. Mobile video
  40. Rachael Ray, author and chef
  41. Inconspicuous consumption
  42. X-Factor's Leona Lewis
  43. Dreamgirls' Jennifer Hudson
  44. Environmental causes
  45. Companies going green
  46. Barack Obama, Illinois Senator and potential US presidential candidate
  47. Soft, natural hair
  48. Microgeneration (generating one's own energy)
  49. Party planning for teens
  50. Paying for user-generated content
  51. Higher-waisted pants
  52. iPhone
  53. Co-branding (think Nike plus Apple)
  54. Britain's Amy Winehouse, jazz/soul singer and songwriter
  55. The rebirth of raves
  56. Energy-saving lightbulbs
  57. Cult comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen
  58. Mash-ups (music, websites, everything)
  59. Japanese apparel chain Uniqlo
  60. Promoting "Brand Me"
  61. Ensemble TV casts (Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Criminal Minds)
  62. Multilingual cinema
  63. "Kidults"
  64. Transformers alien flick starring Jon Voigt and Bernie Mac
  65. Web-based microfinancing
  66. Generosity
  67. Al Gore, the environmentalist
  68. Unstrategic alliances (Paris and Britney, Tom and Brooke, Bush Sr and Clinton)
  69. Europeans getting fatter
  70. Age shuffling (40 is the new 20, for example)
And that, folks, is JWT's vision for Planet Earth in 2007 - or at least that bit of it separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the Canadian and Mexican borders. Elsewhere the crystal ball remains clouded.

Data sourced from Biz-community.com (South Africa); additional content by WARC staff