01/28/2010
http://02a6614.netsolhost.com/production/jwti2010_MAIN_03.html
This is cool and fun and yes, a little scary. Take a look at the graphic on the web site listed above. It has 100 tiny photos on it and if you drag your cursor around, you will find thumb nail sketches of things that will impact us in the next year per J Walter Thompson (mega advertising company). Of course, JWT wants its clients to get a degree ahead of the wave in order to capture the best ride to the beach. Ka ching – more business, better business, smarter business, even happier business. But the list is not business ideas per se – it includes pop stars, appliances, travel innovations, designer pharmaceuticals, Japan’s first lady, free speech in Europe, berry flavors, US/Cuba relations – 100 things that could rock your world and truthfully, I cannot even identify what some of them are — like “lifestreaming” that may take the place of Twitter and FaceBook and “augmented reality” — I mean, isn’t reality real enough without augmenting it?
Three that caught my eye (and I’m lifting the explanation right from JWT):
1. The Pirate Party. While critics dismiss them as just a bunch of kids proclaiming their right to free file-sharing, this grassroots movement is broadening to embrace issues of the digital age: censorship, privacy rights and civil liberties on the Web. The Pirate Party, active in 28 countries in Europe and North America, is already the third-largest in Sweden (home of Pirate Bay, the controversial file-sharing site), where one member was elected to the European Parliament last June. [My comment: Dems and Reps – LOOK OUT. Senators are all over 30 years of age—but you can run for House at age 25.]
2. Paying for On Line Content. Content providers will attempt to engineer a paradigm shift from free to fee. Five major magazine and newspaper publishers in the U.S. recently launched a venture that would create an iTunes-like digital store for their content. In the U.K., about 70 percent of respondents to an annual survey by the Association of Online Publishers said they plan to start charging for content or already do so. [My comment: Really? Has it ever been done successfully – free to fee?? Take note, business owners and employees alike. As Dr Phil says, you teach people how to treat you. But then, Dr Phil is so 2008.]
3. Hand Me-Ups. More people will start “handing up” their cell phones, digital cameras, computers and other electronic gadgets to their parents when they want to upgrade. The older items are often easier to master for those interested only in these tools’ basic functions. [My comment: OUCH.]
The take away on JWT’s trends for 2010 – engage your creative mind—yes, you have one. On the heels of the Great Recession, it is time to reinvent ourselves, our employment skills and our businesses. It is scary to move forward, but it sure beats moving back.