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SEPTEMBER 2005
Marketing Trends—
Using What's Hot, Eliminating What's Not
 to this month's edition of M45 Momentum, a monthly e-newsletter for the business community featuring tips, trends and trivia from the experts at M45 Marketing Services.
Blondes are going brunette.
Scions™—once the ugly ducklings of the auto world—are zooming out of the showrooms. And everything old is new again.
What's going on here? Marketing trends may not always align with the reality of your everyday business. But in the blink of an eye, a trend can turn from a fad to a major consumer movement and leave you in the dust. Stay on top of what's currently hot in the marketing world. Promising new business initiatives—blogging, over-the-top customization, stealth marketing—are just around the corner. Let the experts at M45 Marketing turn that corner with you. 
With a theme like "today's trends," we would be remiss not to mention THE most important trend of our time...giving to those who need help.
Hurricane Katrina took lives, destroyed entire towns and damaged the collective psyche of a nation. But it certainly has not taken away the spirit of the Gulf-coast region or the generosity of a nation digging deep to restore hope and refill financial coffers.
And so, the Golden Rule reigns supreme. For our part, M45 matched employee contributions to the American Red Cross to help the victims of this most virulent hurricane season. Locally, we regularly donate goods to our local food pantry. And we will continue to evaluate other ways we can contribute.
We encourage you to do the same. Check out these other links for ideas on how you or your workplace can be part of a timeless trend that will never be out of style—GIVING.
Related Article:
Acting Locally: In the Wake of Katrina, What You Can Do in Your Community
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Datamonitor has identified 10 global consumer behavioral mega-trends and the five rules governing trends that will determine successful new product development and marketing strategies.
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Age. Children are acting and thinking older—but adults are acting more like kids. What it means for business is that you will have to appeal to teen attributes for kids, and bring out the youngster in adults. |
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Gender. Women continue to move into many traditionally "male" employment areas and are earning more, marrying later or staying single. Men are taking a more active role in parenting, becoming more fashion-oriented and even developing beauty regimes, including opting for plastic surgery. |
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Lifestage. Is the nuclear family (father, mother and children) slowly going the way of the dinosaur? More people live alone, do not get married, or do not have children at all. |
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Income. High income groups are shopping for discounts, while lower income groups are splurging on luxury items. Look for discount shopping outlets to grow, at the same time premium goods and services also grow. |
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Individualism. Brands will have to speak clearly to their targets. Products will need to have any number of flavors, styles, colors and variations to suit individual tastes. |
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Homing. Consumers are spending more time at home. This means growth in businesses catering to consumers at home, including home entertainment as well as restaurant-quality food and beverages for home. Globally, a greater number and variety of workers will work from home. |
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Connectivity. Technology (instant message, mobile phones and email) are keeping us all connected. |
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Sensory Experiences. People are seeking out more intense experiences. Extreme sports, action-packed long weekends, aromatherapy, authentic ethnic foods, even intense flavors of soft drinks—all play to our needs for sensations and sensory experiences. |
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Convenience. People are eating on the go, frequenting convenience stores, and buying products that offer greater convenience. Look for self-heating cans and fast-chilling drinks. |
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Health. Health and well-being is much more at the forefront of people's minds, with sales of healthy, de-stressing and self-medicating products booming. Products that cross over trends—for instance, combining health with convenience—will also be big. Convenience foods that are perceived as healthy are one example. |
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 Trends can be tricky. Sometimes it's good to take a look at what's new and embrace it wholeheartedly. Other times it's better to avoid the latest trends—or even openly lambaste them, depending on your target demographics—and simply stick with your tried-and-true strategies.
 Take a graphics approach, for example. If too many people jump on the bandwagon, everybody's materials end up looking the same. If your customers are conservative, they may be put off by what they perceive as the fluff-of-the-day.
On the other hand, being one of the first to initiate a fresh approach in your marketplace can position you as innovative, in touch, and market savvy. It differentiates you from the competition and positions you as a pioneer. With leading-edge approaches like yours, who wouldn't want to work with you?
Confused? You're not alone. But one thing is clear: it makes sense to consider the pros and cons of the latest trends as they relate to your business. If you need help evaluating your options, call M45. Whether you're considering a new look for a promotion, consciously embracing an "anti-trend," or establishing a business identity, our professionals can help you make informed decisions. And that is always trendy. 
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Caution: You Are Now Entering The Blogoshpere!
(n.) Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
(v.) To author a Web log.
Other forms: Blogger (a person who blogs).
Once considered an "online diary," a blog has now become a new trend created for use on the internet to try and make something old and established look new and interesting. What used to be called a forum where topics of the same subject or area of interest were discussed are now called blogs. Weblogs or "blogs" are personal journals on the Web. They cover a range of topics, generally written from the blogger's, or author's, point of view...kind of like traditional editorials in a newspaper. Some blogs are highly influential, while others are more for personal reflection, maintained strictly for family and friends.
Are they important?
Blogs share the author's perspective on topics such as products, scientific achievements, business conditions or others subjects that may not be available through traditional sources. Because of this ability to share ideas, the use of the Web is shifting. Now more and more Internet users are actively contributing their thoughts, opinions and expertise which allows many more people to have a voice.
How can they be used for business?
Some businesses find that including a blog on their Website allows them to offer a personal touch that is otherwise lacking. Others find it an ideal way to establish a relationship and to build a climate of trust with its customers. Blogging also provides an outlet for further information on the business that may not be easily confined to a single brochure or to several web pages. Fresh content from a blog gives your customers a reason for coming back to your pages to learn what is new.
Words of caution!
Be careful what you blog—and be careful which blogs you believe. Unless you can cite credible reference materials, make sure your readers know your blog is your unique opinion—one you'd like them to consider, but not necessarily right or wrong. The same premise holds true when you're perusing a blog from another source. Read it...reflect on it…and then remind your hidden skeptic to verify facts from another trustworthy resource before using a blog to make a business decision.
Further information:
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 From Pet Rocks to Harry Potter, the marketing world has always embraced and, indeed, fueled the fires of the latest fad, craze or trend sweeping the nation or the world.
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