The future

is your friend
Anticipate
the future by
exploring
3
By following weak

the everyday signals it is possible

to try to anticipate
future changes.

There is nothing permanent except change.

trendwatching.com,
This, in turn, makes
it possible to affect the changes or create
Do
Text: Satu Rämö

trends firm, relyin

independent and
g on a global netw
opinionated, is one
of the worldʼs leadi
It is impossible

Hiltunen’s
ork of hundreds of ng consumer
response strategies for them.
insights are deliv spotters. Our trend
ered to 160,000 busin s, examples and
to predict
The best way to keep up with all the changes is to
ess professionals
More information in more than 180
at www.trendwat countries.
ching.com
the future. Maybe you some years ago heard a
“But instead, surprising story about an advertising guru

test
March 2011 | Whi

make friends with the future!

le it’s important
Trend Briefing), to be aware of
in business, exec mega-trends like
CITYSUMERS (see
everybody can who suddenly resigned from his work to
such as RANDOM ution beats ever last month's
ACTS OF KINDNE ything. This is why
SS (R.A.K.) shou an easy-to-apply
ld be firmly on your consumer trend

on weak
radar in the com
ing months.
conjecture it,” establish a yoga school. That story could
says futurist, PhD have been considered a weak signal of
Elina Hiltunen, downshifting, which nowadays is a recog-

Look signals
who runs her own nized trend.
See more at consultancy “A weak signal can be a blog article, a
Elina Hiltunen’s blog:
http://www.future.vuodatus.net/ What’s Next subordinate clause in a magazine article,

around
Consulting and or a sticker on a lamp post,” Hiltunen says.
works as a senior foresight specialist at Anyone can collect weak signals. It is
Spot and talk about weak signals
Finpro, a supporter of Finnish companies’ fun and helps predicting changes that may with your colleagues. If one of
internationalization. occur. The key in using weak signals is to the following reactions occurs

and ask World changes fast, markets fragment. rely on the power of quantity; the more among your colleagues, it can be
It is stressful, often impossible, to try to weak signals there are pointing to the same considered a weak signal.
follow others. Instead of chasing the wave, direction, the greater the possibility of

‘why?’ With R.A.K. feat

uring prominently
why not anticipate it. the development. Makes your colleagues laugh.
in our recent 11
Being aware of major trends such as In companies it is worth collecting
depth briefing expl Crucial Consum
aining why practicin er Trends for 201
g R.A.K. will be a 1, here’s a full, in-
winning strategy
in 2011. First, our
globalization, urbanization and population weak signals continuously and preferably
RANDOM ACTS
self-serving corp
OF KINDNESS
orations, any acts
| For consumers
long used to (and
of kindness by bran anno yed by) distant,
definition:
Your colleagues oppose it:
ingly open commun
growth is essential. with the participation of the whole “No way, it will never happen.”
ications both with ds will be gratefully rece inflexible and
been easier to surp and between con ived. For brands,
rise and delight sumers (especia increas-
expressed moods audiences with R.A. lly online), means
“If you want to be a step ahead, it is a organization. All staff members could
or just showing that K.: whether send that it's never
“When we see something interesting, we always ask Mason encourages every executive and they care*. ing gifts, respond
ing to publicly
* Just to be abso
‘where does this fit in?’” says Henry Mason, Head of and not about givin
acts of kindness
lutely clear: R.A.
entrepreneur to spot trends. It is essentially about
K. are not about
g away lots of free rewarding custome
samples (that wou rs for tweeting /
liking your product,
good idea to know about weak signals and contribute to innovation work by sharing Makes people wonder.
be able to anticipate future trends,” says their collected weak signals in the
(hence the name ld be FREE LOV
Research & Analysis at trendwatching.com. making questions and looking at things from new ;-) E), but about sele
cted, random

Trendwatching.com is a London-based independent perspectives, to think about Hiltunen, a specialist in weak signals. company’s intranet. This is done for No one has heard of it before.
One of the world’s
trend firm that scans the world for the most promising leading trend firms, how new developments can Weak signals are strange, surpris- example at Finpro.
consumer trends, insights and relevant hands-on trendwatching.com, be applied and adapted. All in ing things that are indicative of big future “I read a lot of blogs. But collecting It is commonly understood that
sends its free
business ideas. They rely on a global network of You are reading a PDFmonthly Trend Briefings all, trend watching is all about trends. weak signals is not only about social media. no one talks of it (a taboo).
version of “RA
hundreds of spotters in more than 120 countries. to more thanNDOM ACTS OF KINDNES
asking why?
S” (www.trendwat
ching.com/trends/ra
k/)
“Let me clarify the matter a little. I do plenty of traveling, go looking
160,000 subscribers
Trendwatching.com has a long list of all the trends they worldwide. “The one piece of advice Weak signals are perceptions of something around in cities. It is also a good idea to Hiltunen, Elina. 2010. PhD thesis.
have spotted over the years. They are divided in main and we would give is to look cross- that you see or hear today. They are signals follow underground publications, Weak Signals in Organisational
sub-trends. industry. The most successful innovations often of something new, like a trend or a new alternative movements, and the youth. Futures Learning.
“Because we have been doing this for a while, the emerge when businesses take existing practices emerging issue that might take place in Talk with friends who work in different Aalto University, School of Economics.
majority of our observations easily fit with one of our and apply them to new products, markets or the future.” sectors,” Hiltunen says.
existing trends, which means that if a handful of them do industries. Show us a visionary who has not taken
not, we know we may be onto something genuinely new,” at least one element of their ground-breaking ideas
Mason says. from somewhere else.”

You can use Toolbox materials at work, to link In slides:

with your blog, when giving a presentation – www.slideshare.net
The entire
magazine:
or forward it to colleagues. The background ideas In pdf-format: www.issuu.com
are available in a variety of web sources. www.scribd.com
 Tips from the experts
– How to keep up to date Sleep
with the newest trends? more
– and 7
Daniel Siegel. Focus on one
thing at a time. Create five min-
Chris Brogan. In software
trends, Mashable is the best site
who are already engaging
in social business; seek them you
utes, at least, to reflect on the
internal experience of your own
going. In usage and business
trends, read people like
out and learn from your peers.
will see
If you knew mind. This could involve fo-
cusing on the breath, or using a
Jeremiah Owyang, Mitch Joel,
Valeria Maltoni, and maybe that
Arto Miekkavaara.
Get to know your brain and the the big
everything simple “wheel of awareness”
–exercise (see DrDanSiegel.
Chris Brogan guy (sure, I said it).
But beyond that, DO. TRY. LAB.
way it functions. It is advan-
tageous to have fundamental picture
about com for a free streaming of this Make things, use them, and see knowledge of your way of

Harness
audio practice) that enables what happens. Do not chase perceiving the world, solving

tomorrow...
you to review how your mind is
structured. This “time-in” of
what would
reflection is a way of keeping
EVERY new social net, but try
a few things every few weeks.
problems and working under
pressure. As we know what
happens in our brain, we can
“A way to a more productive,
more inspiring and more joyful
life is to get enough sleep,”

the chaos,
states Arianna Huffington,

you do
your brain healthy and strong. Christopher Carfi. Spend control it to a greater degree the co-founder and editor-in-chief
Much like brushing your teeth a few minutes setting up a blog than has been known to date. of The Huffington Post.

differently on a daily basis, this is a way reader such as Google Reader Instead of bragging about sleep

change the world

of “brushing your brain” and follow blogs from industry Eeva-Maria Kytönen. deficits, Huffington urges us to

today? and using “mental floss,” so

that your brain and mind are
optimally functioning.
sources or mainstream outlets,
get a Facebook account, or even
check out a few of the conver-
Brain research brings new
viewpoints on the leadership
of change that brings fresh
close our eyes and see
the big picture. We should sleep
our way to increased productivity

Disney, CNN, MTV, Hyatt, Microsoft,

4
sations taking place on Quora. insights. Self-initiated realiza- and happiness – and smarter
David Rock. I think the best, From an individual’s perspec- tion and the subsequent zeal to
Apple, Fortune, GE, and Hewlett-
decision-making.
most time efficient and valuable tive, following a few conversa- act are imperative to successful “Discover the great ideas that

Packard were all created during resources for busy executives

are spending time with peers.
periods of chaos. Sharing learning, whether
tions that are taking place and
engaging in discussions via
commenting or interacting on
change. Neuro-leadership is a
new branch of science that gives
lie within us. Shut down the engine,
and discover the power or sleep.”
new ingredients for the growth

6 in a coaching, mentoring or
informal setting, is such an
the existing social media
outposts of others is a great first
and blossoming of individuals
and organizations.
See more at

www.ted.com/talks/
Faith Popcorn’s
Exploiting Chaos (Gotham Books, 2009) is
a business survival guidebook for all those looking Order important and useful resource. step. There are undoubtedly
thought leaders in your industry
arianna_huffington_how_
to_succeed_get_more_

trend news
BrainReserve is a sleep.html
to change the world. It gives 150 ways to spark
well-known strategic
innovation during times of change.
trend-based marketing
consultancy in The book’s author Jeremy Gutsche is an innovation
to your Top 5 blogs – What to follow
New York. Click on to
www.faithpopcorn.com
and have a look at their
consultant and founder of TrendHunter.com,
a site that tracks emerging trends.
In 2010 Exploiting Chaos received the Axiom
inbox
A free monthly
Check out these
trend bank. Futurist Faith Business Book Award, one of the most respectful American entrepreneur, Journalist, author,
trend briefing:
Popcorn summarizes business book awards in the world. author and public speaker, associate professor at
blogs to pick
http://trendwatching.com/
today’s trends in short A free weekly Seth Godin: City University of
video clips. eBook available at: exploitingchaos.com

up on changes
trend report: sethgoding.typepad.com New York’s Graduate School
http://www.trendhunter.com/ of Journalism, Jeff Jarvis:

in society and
Director of the Havas buzzmachine.com
Media Lab, Umair Haque:

business: blogs.hbr.org/haque Author, Editor-in-chief

Personal Tips provided by Henry Mason,

Head of Research & Analysis
at trendwatching.com.
Founding executive
editor of Wired magazine,
of Wired, Chris Anderson:
diydrones.com/profiles/
blog/list?user=zlitezlite
author Kevin Kelly:
kk.org/thetechnium/index.php