Ideas Made Well

2011 is more difficult to predict than almost any other year in history, with the economic situation continuing its hold on the minds of governments all over the world. The natural human reaction of consumers is to reflect this feeling of uncertainty and pursue survival rather then expansion modes of living.

But in many parts of the world, some consumers are spending more than ever. The Chinese economy continues to boom, the Middle East is showing strong signs of recovery; even the UK has made giant leaps since the low point of 2008. Austerity measures to be introduced in 2011 in much of Europe and the continuing complications in the US will surely make it hard work in 2011 for the ‘established’ economy, even if the new economy continues to grow. With all that in mind, here are some random predictions for the year ahead.

1. The global economy will continue to grow and the internet will grow as a sales channel. (a two year-old could have predicted that, I hear you say).

2. Traditional retail will show significant growth as finally companies wake up to the fact that the internet, when used correctly, boosts – rather than replaces – shop revenues. Web sales have only just broken through the 10% of all sales barrier and increasingly the evidence suggests that when people use both web and retail together, the size of sale (the basket value), is considerably larger.

3. Trust will become ever more important as a desired consumer value. There is more information available than ever before and each day this level of information gets bigger and bigger. With so much to navigate, consumers want easier and quicker ways to access information. Quality will override quantity.

4. Creativity in communications agencies will become more and more important. Creativity has the power to cut through unlike anything else.

5. Reality shows will increase in popularity but the ‘freak show’ elements will diminish. Reality shows work when people can identify themselves amongst the contestants – they become as tribal as supporting a football club.

6. Sepp Blatter will resign.

7. It will snow heavily next December and Britain will shut down for several days.

8. More and more CEOs will recognise that adopting a greener, more energy efficient policy actually saves them money and makes them look good.

9. The value of differentiation will once again show itself as a primary driver of value.

10. Kate Middleton will become the most photographed person in the world and if you are looking for a new business idea that is going to make money next year, then set up ‘Kate Middleton’s Clothes company’ with a lightning quick production facility to sell whatever she was wearing last week.

Happy New Year

It’s easy to moan about the quality of the Christmas lights – in London, the moans have been getting stronger each year as the famous Oxford Street and Regent Street lights have consistently failed to add any cheer. By handing over power to the likes of Disney, the costs have been passed on, but the impact has been weakened to such a point that they are probably doing more harm than good.

Yet this contrasts with creative skills, particularly in the area of lighting and projections, that are the envy of the world. Search YouTube for lighting projections and many UK examples rise to the top, the latest being the recent event by Ralph Lauren on Bond Street – just a stone’s throw from the turgid red ribbons adorning the sky above Oxford Street.

http://4d.ralphlauren.co.uk/&ab=int_111110_HP_LIGHTSHOW_SEENOW

Go to pretty much any music show and you will be dazzled by the lights in a way that simply wasn’t possible a few years ago. Interactive displays pop up pretty much everywhere, and yet what could be a shining beacon of British creativity – the lights in the busiest shopping street in Europe at the busiest time of hte year – makes do with a homage to the 1970s and the latest marketing campaign for a movie blockbuster (they hope).

With such a huge amount of tourist traffic, surely someone in a position of power can see the benefit of dazzling visitors rather than underwhelming them?