Trends

Our trend system identifies the different market opportunities available in the near to mid-term future based on the different types of need to be managed.

The different types of need require alternative approaches to refine the opportunity clearly: we apply a combination of existing market analysis (Skope™), consumer generated observations (Consumer made™) and semiotics (Kode™).

Need	Tool
Overt	N/A
Latent	Skope™ (major emphasis) enhanced by Consumer made™ and/or Kode™
Covert	Consumer Made™ (major emphasis) enhanced by Skope™ and/or Kode™
Created	Kode™ (major emphasis) enhanced by Consumer made™ and/or Skope™

Skope™

Skope™ provides a global snapshot of what entrepreneurial organisations are doing in a particularly category. Predominantly this reveals latent needs. Skope™ is a highly rigorous tool for 2 reasons:

Firstly, we have access to software that searches the ‘deep web’ rather than the superficial web which is dominated by Google type search engines. The deep web is able to reveal micro companies and start ups on a global scale which would otherwise go unnoticed. We have found that these companies provide an effective window into where the market is evolving now and in the short term.

Secondly, we have access to a global network of forward thinking entrepreneurs, owing to our involvement in new categories, to assist in exploring current and short term trends.

If there are latent needs you can exploit – why reinvent the wheel when you can improve it?

Consumer made™

Consumer made™ is to the real world what ‘buzz measurement’ is to the internet. It’s honest, objective and more revealing of covert needs.

Consumer made™ delivers consumer generated foresight, based on two premises.

Firstly, (like the internet) the absence of a third party ‘measuring or interviewing’ leads to more honest and accurate feedback.

Secondly, covert needs are more readily revealed by fans of brands and/or categories. Therefore we focus on empowering those fans to communicate their opinions and to pay it forward to other enthusiasts to join the debate. This approach reflects a natural sample of the market which mirrors how trends evolve.

If you want to get the word on the street – why not go direct to the source?

Kode™

Kode™ identifies created needs in advance, by applying semiotics.

Applying semiotics to markets is like 3-Dimensional map reading. A map has a set of signs to help navigate to a destination. Kode™ is mapping for markets. It clusters marketing’s direct and indirect signs (packaging, consumer language, implicit language and a host of other things) into three types – what’s assumed (residual codes) what’s usually expected (dominant codes) and new things (emergent codes.) Semiotics predicts the future by interpreting this system of signs for any category.

Interpreting these signs raises seemingly paradoxical questions. And the answers to these questions are the beginning of understanding what the created need could be.

Ironically, these paradoxical questions often get the answer – ‘don’t be stupid!’

However, for organisations with an eye for created needs, they provide a catalyst for market leadership…

Have a look at these real world examples of paradoxical questions being answered:

Why can’t I have a surf board that’s fun when there is no surf and it’s windy? (Windsurfer)
Why can’t I have a huge bookshop instantly without the hassle of going to the shop? (Amazon)
Why can’t I have fast food that’s good for me ?(SUBWAY)
Why can’t I have email on my phone? (Blackberry)
Why can’t I do e-mail and video at the same time? (Skype)
Why can’t I have an environmentally friendly phone? (You can now have a phone made of bamboo powered by solar panels…)
Why do I have to buy water if it’s raining? (An umbrella that filters rainwater)

Kode™ identifies the possibilities (created needs) which will lead to market revolution or evolution. What’s certain is this – in the end someone answers the impossible questions and it’s normally the market leader.

Take a moment to thing about James Dyson. He asked, ‘why can’t vacuum cleaners be designer and super-functional?’ By answering this question, today Dyson is the number 1 vacuum cleaner brand in Europe.

The future is everywhere it’s just not evenly distributed. So – are you looking at the right signs?

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