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Trend versus Fad |
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Fad
is very visible, but is goes up and down in a big hurry.
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A trend
is almost invisible, but it's very powerful over the long term.
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Becoming a Master
Trend-Spotter Include1 |
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Understanding the drivers of change
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Getting a clue
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Looking for new combinations
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Developing a sense of taste
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Dangers of Working with
Trends3 |
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Extrapolation:
Many companies jump to conclusions about how far a trend will go
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Measuring Future by the Present:
The common practice is to assume that the future will be a replay of
the present.
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Trend Spotting Tips
By
IDEO
– a World Leading Product Design Company |
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Browse,
constantly
search for new ideas and
inspiration: make constant browsing of journals, books,
newspapers and Internet your habit and an integral part of your
corporate culture.
"Browse the aisles at your favorite bookstore and make a practice of
looking at sections you've never checked out before. You'd be
surprised at how much you can learn about the latest trends by
scanning titles and book jackets."4
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Look wider: don't focus
too much on your competition – spend as much time learn from
noncompetitive industries as well.
Knowing the state of the art or the soon-to-be state of the art in
one industry can give you a jump in your chosen field.
-
Observe people,
customers and noncustomers, especially enthusiasts.
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Build bridges from one department
to another, from your company to your prospective customers, and
ultimately from the present to the future.
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Live
innovation:
get involved in many innovative projects to acquire a unique
perspective on the future, get a sense of the holistic nature of
change, and learn how things evolve.
-
Brainstorm
like crazy.
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Be the First
While you cannot predict the future, you can
get a handle on trends, which is a way to take advantage of
change
and convert risks into opportunities. The ability to spot trends before
others is vital if you want to think faster and thus be ahead of
your
competition.
3Ss of Winning in Business
Surprise
To Win: 3 Strategies
"Predicting the Future"
There is a big difference between "predicting
the future" and "taking a chance" on the future. "No one can predict the
future with any degree of certainty; nor should
marketing plans try. But the
closer you
can get to the consumer, the more likely you are to succeed," says Al
Ries.3
Yin-Yang of Customer Value Creation
Customer Value: 10
Matsushita Lessons
Outside-In Company
Taping your resources of analytical,
systemic and
outside-the-box thinking,
understand what's going in the real world – look at your business from
outside in and ask these searching questions relentlessly6:
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What's happening in your marketplace?
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How the needs are changing?
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What's causing the changes?
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Where are the resulting
opportunities?...
More
Creating Customer Value: 9 Questions
Jack Welch's 5 Strategic Questions
Entrepreneurial Leader: 4 Specific Attributes
Case in Point
Bratz Dolls
The developers of the Bratz dolls identified a
trend among youngsters - admiring cool looking people. They created dolls
that look very different from the classic Barbie dolls. The result was a
great success.
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