It is the original American dream. The one before Bush and Trump. A desire to believe that we can crunch the world. Freedom at all stages of his life. A “Macron effect” widely cited by the trendsetters – the vanguardists – surveyed by Ipsos in six countries (France, United Kingdom, Sweden, Argentina, United States and Japan) in its 2019 TrendObs study (1). Crises are a bit forgotten compared to previous editions. We would be more confident in technology and dream of materially succeeding without complex. Thibaut Nguyen, director of the trends and forecasting department at Ipsos, reveals what awaits us (perhaps) next year.
What changes this year compared to the previous edition dating from winter 2016? What does the title (America) I am what I do mean?
Thibaut Nguyen: “A desire to look at things in a positive way. Even if it means putting aside the ecological crisis, wars and distrust of technology. The bad guys are identified. They are Trump, Assad and Putin. So , the reading of the world is very simplified. On the one hand the good (us), on the other the bad (them). Very binary, but after years of doubts and all-out questioning, the trendsetters hold their American dream This is the meaning of the title of this new edition of our observatory. Everyone wants to believe in freedom. To think, to undertake, to succeed. The right to try at least. The “En Marche” movement, quoted almost everywhere in the world, summarizes this state of mind. At the same time, the trendsetters assume more to want to engage in their love life, to live more comfortably and why not get rich. At the social level, they are more are committed to “human” causes such as the fight against racial or sexual discrimination the, for migrants or the cause of women. Much less for the planet for example. The rest of their time is spent creating growth for themselves. Technology is no longer a problem for them. It can even improve the world. Finally, they train professionally, dream of creating their own business while paying more and more attention to their health. Pragmatic, they believe happiness will come from their performance.”
So three trends await us: “pretty things”, “indiverse” spheres and “travellers from elsewhere”? Help us understand?
Thibaut Nguyen: “Pretty things refer to positive storytelling. It’s a tidal wave in brand communication. After green washing, it’s the era of social washing and inclusive marketing [ndlr : on montre toutes les “minorités” : handicapés, gays, noirs etc.]. All of this is a bit of a care bear, but responds to a desire to believe in it and to hope for a better world. This is the case of Bayer which quite simply makes Monsanto disappear, for example in its brand name at least. Marks symbolically kill the bad guys. Another interesting movement is the beginning of the decline of small brands. Michel & Augustin was acquired by Danone, Innocent by Coca-Cola. They have signed a pact: growth versus direction. As a result, the big brands come out on top. Finally, we are witnessing the success of “social movement” brands. We can quote “C qui le Patron?” here or “Pantajani” in India. A movement created by a Yogi who offers Ayurvedic cosmetic products, but also clothes, telephones. Its turnover has reached, in five years, a third of that of Unilever in India. The “indiverse” spheres is a mix of individuality and universality. Trendsetters are certainly very open to the world, but evolve in a very small territory. Their neighborhood, their city, their tribe. Everyone posts and reads the same thing. As a result, there is a cultural normalization. They use the same technological tools, consume the same media, and therefore the same brands. A standardization that creates fairly similar lives everywhere. “Travellers from elsewhere” is a counter trend that persists for a minority. There is a propensity for spirituality, digital detox or deconsumption for example. They remain very wary of technology and very concerned about the environment. It was the majority when editing the previous Trend Obs”.
(1) Trend Obs: trendsetters are aged 25 to 40 selected for their ability to feel and react more quickly to the context than others according to their attitudes (not CSP. Qualified interview in six countries France, United Kingdom, Sweden , Argentina, United States and Japan. Trend Obs also feeds on interviews with experts, international monitoring, web listening. The Observatory was created in 1997.