Trends worth thinking about

I read an article today on brand and marketing trends for 2010. Typically, I don’t read stuff like this because they all seem to say the same thing. But this one had some interesting insight, and I want to share it with you.

There were ten overall trends that Robert Passikoff, president of consumer loyalty and metrics company Brand Keys, found to be worth nothing:

1. Consumers want a reason to buy — value is in.
2. What makes something valuable will increasingly be based on what the brand stands for (i.e. J. Crew stands for a new era in careful chic)
3. Differentiation is critical for success; a brand must stand out from the crowd.
4. A brand must have measures of authenticity in order to allow the consumer insight into what it truly stands for.
5. A brand must identify and capitalize on unmet expectations.
6. Consumers are on to brands that try to play into their emotions for profit — be careful with this one.
7. A brand with the right street credibility can go viral with awareness following, not leading, the conversation.
8. If a consumer trusts the community (i.e. eBay), they will extend trust to the brand.
9. Social networking outside of the brand space will increase dramatically — people are talking with peers on Facebook even before checking out the brand’s Web site.
10. There are four engagement methods: platform (TV and online), context (program and Web site), message (ad or communications) and experience (store/event). Brand engagement should be the main objective for all marketers next year.

As always, I hope you learned something new, or even recalled something old from reading this post. Thanks and have a great weekend!