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MarketingVOX: Skype and other Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone services, Wii and next-gen gaming systems, and social networking will be the top three defining trends of 2007, according to a list released by ad agency JWT, MediaPost reports.
"Trends are illustrated by the products and services that exemplify them," says trendspotter Marian Salzman, EVP, chief marketing officer of JWT Worldwide and coauthor of the new book Next Now (Palgrave Macmillan), a travelogue into the near future. "By examining what resonates with consumers, we can identify the larger patterns that will shape our lives in the years to come."
The top 15 among JWT's Top 70 trends for 2007:
- Skype/VoIP
- Wii and the next-generation gaming systems
- The business of social networking
- Pop-up stores, restaurants and bars … installation style
- Shrinky Dink technology (TVs are flat and hidden, iPods are down to half an ounce, speakers are smaller and less visible, and so on)
- The rise of nanotechnology
- Sustainable construction/green buildings
- Hydrogen fuel cell technology
- Veggie-bus: school buses running on biodiesel fuel
- Trans-fat fallout
- Reality show talent searches
- Ohio State's freshman basketball phenom, Greg Oden
- Fear of agri-terrorism
- Halal foods
- Participatory advertising (user-generated advertising and music videocompetitions)
"As globalization continues to make our world seem smaller, localization will come to a head in 2007," Ann Mack, director of trendspotting at JWT, said. "We'll put great emphasis on sourcing everything from food to textiles. Decadent and excessive consumption will fall to the wayside as we stress quality, minimal environmental impact and support of local producers."
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