CULTURAL TRENDS AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO BRAND

STRATEGY

www.salt-research.com 2016

What is trendwatching in Salt? • Since the cultural space is highly fragmented, trends need to be identified and studied individually in he

context of each society.

• Trend is a new manifestation of a fundamental human need, expressed through changed behavior, believes or expectations.

• Trends can be identified by observing the life in all of its manifestations and interacting openly with people, especially those setting trends.

Validation Search Ignition

Observations Ethnographic studies in

trend locations, interviews with trend followers

Opinion Leaders interviews:

Interviews with trend setters or prominent trend followers

Data charge Desk research to retrieve information from open and closed sources, such as trendwatching.com, Afisha.ru, the-village.ru, news websites and social network systems

Internal analysis: Consolidation of

information, searching for data from open and clients' internal databases, which validate the trend

Workshop Crafting tactics and strategies for potential collaboration between the brand and trend adherers

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Observations Ethnographic studies in trend locations, interviews with trend adherers Interviews with key opinion leaders Interviews with trend setters or the brightest of trend adherers

Internal logic of this presentation

Trend

Manifestation

Brand

- The trend itself

- Validation of the trend through social and cultural examples

- Projection of brands onto the trends

Each slide is marked with a color strip (white, green or red)

Below see the meaning of each

TREND 1 BLURRING OF GENDERS AND TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES The quest of oneself has risen to a new level: Who am I? What do I want in life? Who do I want to be? These are textbook questions but it is only now that the choice has become so vast. Not only are we free to pick the gender roles today (raise children, succeed in our career), but also choose the gender. This freedom is blurring the traditional family values, which paves the way to various trends in Russia, such as child-free lifestyle or switching family roles.

Trend 1: Manifestation

More and more people are getting access to the

freedom of choosing their sexual identity. No longer do they hide this from the public, and we are not always able to

know at the first glance who we are dealing

with, a man or woman?

Wachowskis brothers turning into Wachowskis sisters. Father in law Kim Kardashian turning into a

mother in law...

The mass culture keeps feeding us with the

celebrity reincarnations. There is no telling how

soon gender reassignment will become as routine as

hair dyeing

Increasingly more women are taking high

ranks in various industries, while their

husbands prefer to take household roles and

raise kids

The freedom to choose gender also impacts on

the freedom to have children. The childfree trend is getting more and more popular in

Russia: conscious decision to have no kids

Trend 1: Trend 1: Brand

Some Russian brands have started to reconsider the traditional gender roles

Adidas's campaign #I'm the boss here sponsors women's football

Durex senses changes in the society's intimate life. The idea of multiple

partner variations comes through in the communication

TREND 2 FROM MATERIAL TO METAPHYSICAL Today, people prefer to spend their money on new experiences (traveling, hobbies and education) rather than on expensive things. They tend to prefer to know more rather than to possess more. Their self-confidence and happiness depend on how filled their life is with events, not things.

Trend 2: Manifestation

People aim to enrich their life with new

emotions and experiences... the things

that money will not provide them with

The lack of real estate or vehicles in their posession is not a reason towant to

buy them. The new generation of lesees does

not invest in expensive and long-term projects. They

prefer to rent their dwellings and move around

using Uber

Economic instability coupled with their lack

of confidence in tomorrow compel them

to part with money rather than try to save it

up

The virtual me becomes another expense article

for many, even pretty mature ones. Upgrading

their characters in online games

Trend 1: Trend 2: Brand

Retailers know they do not sell things but a certain lifestyle. More and more

points of sale offer a selling floor, a space to hang out space and a café

altogether. (КМ20, Republic, Peredvizhnik, Leform)

Collaboration between Nabu bracelet and Timi Run Everyday game: burnt calories and hours of sleep turn into "gold" and gaming

bonuses

TREND 3 MOSAIC THINKING AND SPEEDING UP People of today see the world through concise images and messages in social network systems, quite often not caring much to assemble them into an organic whole People get “attacked” with information and bumped with "events". In their chase for consumption, they no longer care for the depth and underlying causes: these are emotions come to the fore. This urges them to want to derive ever more exciting experiences in ever shorter periods of time.

Trend 3: Manifestation

In their chase for consumption, they miss

the opportunity to study things in depth

and breadth as well as the willingness to do this. All they aim at is

just to get a vague notion of a subject

matter

They aim to acquire new skills in the shortest time, and tend to believe this to

be possible. Not really caring about the quality of

the skills they are acquirung, they rejoice the fact alone of having them

on the list of what they can do

No longer do they listen to music in albums.

Musicians are adjusting to the new reality,

launching singles after singles

Nor do they invest time or efforts on even

settling down. Today, the "other half" can be found or abandoned in

just a single click

Trend 1: Trend 3: Brand

Pepsi calls to fill in every single moment / fragment of your life

Coursera offers on-the-go education Annually, Jameson Irishhood invites for a

pub crawl: to see as many bars as possible in a single night

TREND 4 DISTORTED TRUST Pluralism is one of the key values of the modern world. On the one hand, it allows everyone to live and think in the preferred way; on the other, it generates distrust.

Trend 4: Manifestation

The possibility to change friends, work,

social environment, the place of residence in an

instant. You owe nothing to anyone.

Gradually, the need to have your own point of view, to have your own “different" way of living has become

inseparable from the modern life. Eveyone aims

to communicate their uniqueness to the world to differentiate from the ruck

Procrastination. Escaping the burden of tackling problems is no

longer seen as an oddity.

No need to plan their future. There is a

moment here, which they want derive most

pleasure from. The “after us the deluge"

phlosophy

Each has the full "arsenal" of images to be used in any occasion. To be different means to be

flexible, modern and eaisly adjustable to any

context and occasion

More and more people live like partners, who are

following the same path. No need to build long-term trustful relations with

anyone. If one stops heading that path, they easily part

Trend 4: Manifestation

Some brands tend to resist the trends and communicate the "eternal" values, promoting "digital" friendship or the worth of the moments spent with the dear and beloved ones

Trend 4: Brand

TREND 5 LOOKING WITHIN, NOT OUTSIDE The world is cognized solely through oneself. Today, they adjust the world to their interests and needs, not otherwise. Gradually, they have started to believe that this is the world that centers around them, not otherwise. Today, they are the center of the universe and its focal point.

Trend 5: Manifestation

The selfie culture is conquering the world.

The need to always focus on oneself, regardless of the

context

Today, one can become a media channel himself, and

communicate some messages across to a

particular target audience

They lack a hero of our time. Today, everyone is a hero themselves, let though for meager 5

minutes and limited to their own sphere. The

mass culture keeps stuffing them with

multiple examples, from which they derive the endless faith in their

own capabilities

No single “proper" path to follow. Everyone

wants to find their own purpose of life; and the

modern life provides them with the

opportunities to try themselves out on almost any sphere

TELE2: without celebrities in ads, mobile services are cheaper

Devaluation of celebrities' role in brand communication implies the consumers' lack

of need in role models

Snickers' campaign You are not you when you are hungry communicates the current

situation, in which you are the only cause of any situation and the only influencer on it

Trend 5: Brand

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