Trends for thought
Becky Boswell Smith -- Home Accents Today, 12/1/2005
Just as we're wrapping up another year — good grief, how did it slip by so quickly — comes another predictor of trends.
Don't get me wrong. I love trends. Most of us in this office make our livings identifying and defining trends in accessories, and we closely watch popular culture and predictors to help us in doing so.
I'd like to meet Irma Zandl, who seems to be super smart about trends. You probably have heard of her, since she's one of the four or five trend spotters that make lists of most influential. Companies like Disney, Bacardi and Ford listen to her. So I listened. I think you may find some of it fascinating, too.
In a trend she calls Retro Kitsch, she predicts fun, communal activities such as girls' roller derby, drive-in movies and bar spelling bees will grow in popularity. Most people I know can't spell cold sober, but maybe ...
Interesting to me is her assertion that small is becoming big, as in smaller houses vs. McMansions and smaller cars vs. SUVs. It's not just our growing awareness of our world's limited resources, but a growing feeling that big equals greedy, crude and bad taste, she says.
Restaurants that serve small plates, small batch cheeses, beer and chocolates, and choosing cable over network TV or independent films over blockbusters are examples she cites to support her belief.
My personal favorite (and if you've ever heard me talk, you know why) is her view that as the South now represents 36% of the total U.S. population, it is going to rise again in a surprising way. Not only in conservative politics or religious views, but in hipster-cool. I never thought the South could be hipster-cool, but she says to pay attention as country music classics like Johnny Cash or hot new names like Keith Urban are embraced across the country. And she predicts growth for Jack Daniels bourbon whiskey, too. Cheers.
For everyone in our business to note, she suggests the availability of the Internet has led to a 24/7 orientation for consumers so that they expect what they want when they want it, where they want it.
Take note.
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