Cultural ContextBrand Summit 6.17.10

Fear vs. Hope

Our global culture is in a state of tension between the forces of fear and the forces of hope and it’s creating an optimism divide.

Fear Fueled Economies Hope Fueled Economies

Flat is the new up

Pessimism

Eyes on the past

Attenuating the risk

Playing not to lose

Up is the new up

Optimism

Eyes on the future

Taking risks

Playing to win

JWT Anxiety Index, September 2009

The Optimism Divide

America’s Perfect Storm of Fear

“The root cause of the rampant anger sweeping the country is fear. Fear of losing our jobs, homes, mortgages, health services, retirement plans. Even fear that the American dream is dead.”

Michael Maslansky, “America’s Perfect Storm of Fear June 10, 2010

More ‘walk-aways’ expected in 2010

“The longer the recession persists and home values decline, the more homeowners will stop paying underwater mortgages even though they could afford to continue.”

Iconoculture, 2.09.10

Frustration with Government is Nothing New….Growing Anger Is

Nov.2001

Mar.2004

Oct.2008

Jan.2007

Mar.2010

Anger 8% 13% 20% 16% 21%

Public’s Negative Views of Institutions Not Limited to Government

Effect on the way things are going in the country

Positive Negative

Banks & Financial Inst. 22% 69%

Pew Research Center, “Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor”, 4.18.10

It’s a good idea for the government to more strictly regulate the way major financial companies do business

Agree: 61%

Regulation Paradox

Fear Erodes Trust and Impedes Action

“Fear kills trust. In the corporate world, fear-based communications often leads to action paralysis. This is especially true in financial matters where a growing body of work shows that fear and uncertainty cause inaction rather than action.” The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics,

Hope in MeMore and more individuals are relying on themselves for their future success. Responsibility and self-reliance are on the rise,

along with our sense of personal well-being and vitality.

I am my Plan B

Renewed Positivity Drives U.S. Well-being Index to New High

Gallup Research developed the Gallup-Heathways Well-Being Index. The index measure comprehensive emotional, physical and fiscal health of American consumers on a scale of to 100.

Inconoculture Says……

“ We believe the improvement in well-being is a natural result of Americans discovering the emotional, physical and financial upside of paying down debt, spending less and generally simplifying.”

Consumers are no longer obsessed with owning or experiencing the most and/or most expensive. New status can be about acquired skills, about eco-credentials, about generosity, about connectivity.

Statusphere

From products and symbols to experiences and stories

“The main effect of decades of individualization is that consumers no longer want to be like the Joneses. Owning or experiencing something no one else

has is the ultimate status fix.”Trendwatching.com, Statusphere, 5.10

In the Know

To be on the inside, to be in the know, to have access, to be

knowledgeable, but also, to be able to lead the way to the unique, the avant-garde, the cool, the latest, the cutting edge…This is now an

established source of status.

Trendwatching.com, Statusphere, 5.10

Nike’s True City AppGives travelers insider information on

six European cities, while also allowing them to share their own tips.

Connectivity

When it comes to online status it’s all about who you connect to and who connects to you. These connections are visible. It’s still about being unique but it’s about belonging too.

The time people spend with their family has increased by 2.25 hours per day.

Sharing the Status of Living Solid

“While spending can evoke shame, especially during a deep economic downturn, saving can engender pride. Tools and resources that help develop thrifty behavior are a good way to tap into the "new normal" sentiment.” Iconoculture, June 16, 2010

The Power of Many

“A 21st century phenomenon: the belief that a network of inspired individuals with shared values can work together to

achieve common goals, no matter how ambitious those goals may seem.”Meg Whitman

“Generation We”

“What we’re talking about is a generation that has the ability to be in touch with each other immediately at earlier and earlier ages.”

Nancy Robinson, consumer strategist, Iconoculture

Video

Trust in “People Like Me”

“Person like me” still the most trusted source for information about a company and therefore, products.

Edelman Trust Barometer

81% of respondents said they’d received advice from friends and followers relating to a product purchase through a social site; 74% found it to be influential in their decision.

Click Z, January 2010

Mass Mingling

Social media and mobile communications are fueling a mass mingling that defies virtually every cliché about diminished

human interaction in our online era. Terabytes of online content is about informing and alerting people to make the

most of their time with others in the world.

Localism

Localism is 'Old-School' in a New World portal. It's reminiscent of an earlier day when people shopped where they lived, and everyone knew their butcher. Localism makes the world smaller and more personal. It reacquaints and re-establishes the lost bonds between neighbors. It revives and restores the relational elements of what neighborhoods used to be, and should be.

“A growing cohort of consumers are concerned that major brands are inherently bad just because they’re big. And when measured through social media metrics, consumer conversations generally are more favorable toward smaller businesses than big brands in many categories.”

Iconoculture, Small Business Is Beautiful, 6.01.10

Because Big Is Bad: 10% of US customers switched to smaller banks in 2009New Years Day 2010, Arianna Huffington and several of her friends made a resolution on behalf of all Americans: Move your money from behemoth banks to local community banks and credit unions.

Why? Taxpayers are mad as hell about bailing out the nations biggest banks only to see them post huge profits and still not extend credit to individuals or small business.

Technology Backlash

Techno Love/Techno Doubt

Amid all the new and exciting technology is an emerging trend where consumers seek simple products that anyone can understand. And services that make it all simpler to deal with.

Hooked on Gadgets and Paying a Mental Price:This Is Your Brain On Computers

“…Even after he unplugs, he craves the stimulation he gets from his electronic gadgets. He forgets things like dinner plans, and has trouble focusing on his family. His wife, Brenda, complains, ‘It seems like he can no longer be fully in the moment’.”

“There’s something major going on right now in the American consumer market and mind-set…People want to believe in things that are American and want to be part of things that have longevity.”

The trend extends to other industries, too. Earlier this year, General Mills sold some Lucky Charms and Cheerios in limited-edition vintage boxes. Pepsi-Cola brought back limited-edition Pepsi and Mountain Dew with retro labels late last year.

The Future Is The Past – NOSTALGIA

In chaotic times, consumers look back for references of what they know was right and solid. Looking forward means looking backward for reliability, predictability and longevity.

Source NYTimes. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/business/12nostalgia.html?scp=1&sq=Jantzen%20Sperry&st=cse

As technology evolves, the more we advance, the more we go backwards towards natural gestures. The future is not about people adapting to technology, it is about technology adapting to people by making it approachable and intuitive. And so goes mobility – interaction also goes where we go.

“Three years back, Microsoft introduced Surface a technology that lets people use their fingers and objects to interact with table-sized displays. Later this year, the Xbox will implement a motion-tracking system called Project Natal. Chief strategy officer Craig Mundie, Redmond’s delegated seer, says it’s all part of a transition from the GUI — the graphical user interface that began with Mac and Windows — to the NUI — a natural user interface based on touch, gestures, and voice recognition.”*

The Future Is The Past: NUI (Natural User Interface)

*Source; Wired http://www.wired.com/magazine/tag/post-pc-era/

Generation G

"Captures the growing importance of 'generosity' as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers are disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy—and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for institutions that care—the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers.” Trendwatching, 2010

“Choose Change” ATM

There’s a growing momentum of attention about how to create the social, economic and business conditions for happiness. The Choose Change ATM charges a $2 withdrawal but uses $1 of that to fund one of eight charities of your choice.

Bill Shrink aggregates offer from credit card and cell phone companies as well as gasoline prices. Then, using information provided by users about their daily commute and how they normally use credit cards and cell phones, makes recommendations about better offers and prices currently available.

Generosity As A Business Mindset

Brand Butlers

Service is the new selling as jaded, time poor, pragmatic consumers yearn for service and care while the mobile online revolution makes it possible to offer relevant services anywhere, anytime.

Trendwatching.com, Brand Butlers, 5.10

DebtGoal.com launched a comprehensive debt management tool called the Debt Diet. It provides a number of calculators and video lessons to help people get back on their feet and stay in the positive.

Tools That Go Above and Beyond

It’s all about helping people find information that is relevant and timely,

going above and beyond.

Charmin Sit Or Squat AppAllows users to find bathrooms, change

tables, disability access and other amenities

Earning Trust

“Trust grows slowly over time, it accrues when people feel understood. Trust comes from a shared past, a collaborative present and a co-authored future. Secrets, and behind the scenes maneuverings, corrode trust.”

“How to rebuild corporate trust”, Bob Deutsch, President, Brain Sells

Bridging the Trust GapSi

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Iconoculture, Trends in an Era of Distrust and Control

“When people feel their authenticity has been respected, they feel more optimistic, self-responsible and social. They feel bigger when connected to something larger than themselves. A sense of “me” and “you” is cultivated, such that a relationship can grow.”

“How to rebuild corporate trust”, Bob Deutsch, President, Brain Sells

GRAVEYARD1. Inspire, don’t

empathize2. Co-imagine new

futures3. Return to the

core value of hope