When we introduced the idea of Down-to-Earth-ism in our 10 Trends for 2010, we described this trend as an evolution of the New Austerity. We argued that consumers were stressed, strained, and suspicious, and that pie-in-the-sky promises seemed inconsistent with what consumers really wanted: real, reliable solutions from brands. We weren’t being literal about the [...]

Well, it looks like someone took the words right out of our mouths. Or, more accurately, right out of our 10 Trends for 2010. Yes, a recent study assessed over 3,000 brands to see how they measure up on down-to-earth-ism. Not surprisingly, many brands at the top of this list are dependable, traditional, long-running staples [...]

In our discussions about inserting gaming into everyday life, we’ve spent a good chunk of time discussing Volkswagen’s “Fun Theory” campaign. That effort included a user-generated component, where folks could suggest tasks that would be improved through gaming mechanisms. The video to the right was the winning submission, and asked: Can we get more people [...]

Some people go to SXSW to learn. Some people go to SXSW to play. And some people go SXSW to learn about play. We fit squarely into the last category, (no really, we got the Panel Nerd badge on foursquare to prove it!) but this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to regular readers. [...]

Last week, Ad Age ran a brief article titled, “The Most Influential Cause Marketing Campaigns.” Much of the list is familiar; we’re all aware of the massive efforts like the Livestrong bracelets and Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. However, some of the campaigns on the list took on a decidedly narrow mission, such as AmEx’s [...]

Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch. The economy’s not that bad. Nonetheless, we’re seeing a lot of bartering examples popping up in unexpected places. While we’re not suggesting that marketers give up cash payments for beaver pelts, we do think there’s a lesson here for how to better incentivize consumers. Consider the Dust Jacket [...]

Brands, are you really confident about the quality of your products and services? Are you certain that you could send your customers into your competitors’ arms, and they’d still come running back to you? You’d better be. Welcome to the world of Ubiquitous Connoisseurship. See, there’s a reason we made this trend #1 in our [...]

From a marketer’s vantage point, few would argue that 2010′s biggest question goes something like this: As economic indicators trickle in the right direction, will consumers continue to practice the New Austerity? Sound familiar? Of course it does; we lifted that from trend #2 – Down-to-Earth-ism – from our 10 Trends for 2010. The resilience [...]

No need to dig any further – one glance at this package and you get the gist of Scanwood kitchen utensils. They’re wooden. They’re authentic. They’re natural. (Of course, you can also zoom in a bit and see the “Designed in Denmark. Made by nature” tagline on the side.) Scanwood’s packaging instantly drives the message [...]

If you haven’t already heard, our 10 Trends for 2010 are making their way around the interwebs at a blistering pace. (You can catch our press release here.) You can get your own copy of our 10 Trends by clicking here. Be sure to share it with your clients, coworkers, friends, and pets. What? Maybe [...]