JWT's 10 Trends for 2013

JWT’s 10 trends for 2013 are: Play As a Competitive Advantage; The Super Stress Era; Intelligent Objects; Predictive Personalization; The Mobile Fingerprint; Sensory Explosion; Everything is Retail; Peer Power; Going Private in Public; and Health & Happiness. (Each trend is listed in more detail below.)

 

1. Play As a Competitive Advantage: 

In an age when people feel they can't spare time for pursuits that don't have specific goals attached, there will be a growing realization that unstructured time begets more imagination, creativity and innovation - all competitive advantages.

 

2. The Super Stress Era: 

We're entering the era of super stress. As stress gets more widely recognised as a serious medical and cost issue, governments, employers and brands will ramp up efforts to prevent and reduce it. 

 

3. Intelligent Objects:

Everyday objects are evolving into tech-infused smart devices with augmented functionality. As more ordinary items become interactive, intelligent objects, our interactions with them will get more interesting, enjoyable and helpful.

 

4. Predictive Personalization:

As the science of data analysis becomes more cost efficient and sophisticated and consumers generate more measurable data than ever, brands will increasingly be able to predict what a customer needs or wants - and tailor offers and communications very precisely.

 

5. The Mobile Fingerprint:

Our smartphones are evolving to become wallets, keys, health consultants and more. Soon they’ll become de facto fingerprints, our identity all in one place.

 

6. Sensory Explosion:

We place a premium on sensory stimulation. Marketers will look for more ways to engage the senses.

 

7. Everything Is Retail:

Shopping is shifting from an activity that takes place in physical stores or online to a value exchange that can play out in multiple news and novel ways.

 

8. Peer Power:

The peer-to-peer marketplace is expanding and is increasingly upending major industries from hospitality to education. From personalised activities to shifts in the way travellers plan trips, peer-to-peer agencies are changing the scope of a wide range of services.

 

9. Going Private in Public: 

In an era when living publicly is becoming the default, people are coming up with creative ways to carve out private spaces in their lives. Rather than rejecting today’s ubiquitous social media and sharing tools outright, we’re reaping all the benefits of maintaining a vibrant digital identity while gradually defining and managing a new notion of privacy for the 21st century. 

 

10. Health & Happiness: 

In the past these were two separate entities. Today there has been a gradual shift as the idea of "wellness" encompasses both mind and body and 'health' has become more interconnected.