back to the future

Back to the Future10 Trend Insights from History

Growth Stories

Bringing you a flavour of business

growth trends...in just 5 minutes

A Futures Coaching initiative

www.futurescoaching.com

where to look?Most people who seek trends look forward

– sometimes to science fiction writers

But some trends come to us from the past

face-to-faceThe future of human communication is video

Already it takesover half of theinternet bandwidth

Why? Human beings are innately hardwired for face-to-face communications

it's all ChineseThe West refers to Chinese medicine as 'alternative'

The fact is, whether we look at its emphasis on (chi) energy, its holistic, preventative approach or its personalised treatments...

...it is absolutely aligned with modern socio-cultural trends

It is orthodox 'Western' medicine which is increasingly alternative to society

giving it all awayWarren Buffet and Bill Gates are seen as revolutionariesThey are giving away their personal fortunes - as are others in the 'Giving Pledge' movement

But this is not new

In some North AmericanIndian tribes, leaders gainedenormous prestige bygiving away all that they owned in so called'Potlatch' festivals

old age brainsOur ancestors all turned whenever

they heard a noise in the bushes

Today we do the same – the economic crisishas everyone facing in the same direction...

but dangerous social, politicaland technological changes

– coming from another direction - go ignored

Forget about Shamans, in the past most sicknessremedies came from word-of-mouth recommendations

A key trend in healthcare today is peer-to-peer self-help sites, by-passing the medical professions

patients like me

Traditional craftsmanshipis back in a big way

– look at the success of Louis Vuitton who never compromises on quality

Modernist designerPhilippe Stark aims for comfort and longevity

in all his pieces

built to last

A strong case can be made that humanshave not evolved very much emotionally

over the past two Millenia

So, a great starting point for marketerslooking to segment customers is

Galen's four temperaments:

sanguine (pleasure-seeking and sociable), choleric (ambitious and leader-like), melancholic (introverted and thoughtful), and phlegmatic (relaxed and quiet)

segments

The Medieval marketplace allowed everyone (in the village) to see everything on offer (from the farmers and traders)

The internet simply revives the same characteristics

global agora

explosive....boom!

The four great inventions of the Chinese are said to be:

papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder

Who would bet against Chinese innovation, making a big impact on

the 21st Century?

What is Futures Coaching upto during March 2012?

¨Pitching to work on the future of human communicationsAnalysing social change amongst Filipino and Indonesian women and impacts on health marketingRunning deep-dive consumer research on social mediaPresenting to a retail property audience on consumer futures & impact on retailDeveloping future-facing insights to revolutionise branch formats for a retail bankBlogging on Asian trends and growth strategies

Working with Future Coaching Conference speeches on major trends - accelerating

management awareness Workshopping trends – evaluating impacts on

businesses or brands; future-proofing existing offers Brainstorming sessions – innovating to harness growth Reports on the future of sectors or industries –

jumping ahead of the curve; achieving thought leadership; building in longevity

Training for consumer insight teams – boosting internal futuring capabilities

Website: www.futurescoaching.comBlog: http://futurescoaching.typepad.com

Email: chris@futurescoaching.com

LONDON • PARIS