Consumers, trends and trendsetters. Do we speak to the sheep or the sheepdog?

Alex Maule, Nick Head and Lizzy Moroney

The nature of 21st century trends is changing. The fragmentation of sub-cultures and the media has created a very different consumer landscape where assumptions about the influence of different sub-cultures are becoming obsolete.

Consumers, Trends and Trendsetters

Do We Speak to the Sheep or the Sheepdog?

Alex Maule, Nick Head and Lizzy MoroneySynovate, United Kingdom

INTRODUCTION

Research into trends and trendsetters has become an increasingly common feature of modern qualitative research. There are clear potential benefits for clients, but somewhere during the expansion of the field, the focus and purpose may have been lost. Our feeling is that if not properly revised and applied for the 21st century, the potential value and benefits of the discipline eroded by over-promise and unrealistic expectations.

During our research with a range...

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands