Upshot Releases 2011 Trends Report

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In many ways, the anxieties and uncertainties engendered by the recession over the past two years have spurred Americans’ embrace of new and empowering lifestyle changes, including their rapidly accelerating adoption of novel technologies.

Chicago, Illinois (Vocus) December 6, 2010

Chicago-based marketing agency, Upshot, has identified the most relevant and actionable consumer and marketing trends for 2011. The latest trends report was compiled by the Source, Upshot’s Market Intelligence Group, and is now available for free on The Awesome Blog (theawesomeblog.net).

“In many ways, the anxieties and uncertainties engendered by the recession over the past two years have spurred Americans’ embrace of new and empowering lifestyle changes, including their rapidly accelerating adoption of novel technologies,” said Liz Aviles, Upshot Vice President of Market Intelligence. “As a result, they feel smarter and better equipped to navigate the marketplace.”

With the new year approaching, brands and marketers continue to look to The Source for trusted guidance about the top trends for the forthcoming months. Old marketing mores have been in upheaval for some time, but today’s changes are happening faster than ever. Significant transitions in social media, mobile technology, demographics, shopping strategies and responses to the recession have each upended traditional marketing practices. When taken as a whole, these shifts have created an unfamiliar and volatile landscape for brands as they head into 2011.

Upshot’s trends for 2011 are diverse thought-starters that apply to just about any brand or industry, giving marketers a guide to create marketing that remains on the cutting edge—or, better yet, redefines that edge—throughout the course of the year. Here is a quick taste of Upshot’s trends for 2011.

Sized Right. Consumers are making a big deal about smaller solutions, and it’s influencing ideas about everything from convenience to curation to consumption.

Game On! Brands are discovering the significant motivational power of gaming mechanisms, and consumers are happily playing along.

Driven by Data. The future of show-not-tell marketing is using clever, compellingly curated data to enable new experiences, solutions and opportunities.

Find Your Place. Real-time location data provides a world of new opportunities for brands to delight consumers with enticing occasion-based marketing.

Demographic Divergence. Growing gaps between demographic groups will require inclusive strategic ideas, implemented with laser-targeted precision.

Future Fear. As Americans begin to temper their eternal optimism about the future, marketers must be there to offer reassurance.

Cause with Effect. With a possible “cause bubble” threatening the legitimacy of cause marketing, it’s time for brands to make a more significant impact.

War on Whiners. Now that consumers have found their voices, self-assured brands will learn when to react, when to ignore and when to respond with their own two cents.

Life in the OOC. Online-Offline Convergence—a.k.a. The OOC—is no longer on the horizon; we’re living in it.

Primitive Simplicity. What was once a vague preference for simplicity has now (d)evolved, with consumers increasingly believing that our sophisticated society creates more problems than solutions.

Brand Patronage. As creative industries collapse, more artists will turn to marketers for innovative, mutually beneficial promotional partnerships.

“These trends expose a number of potentially unsettling realities for marketers, but they also demand that the industry innovates in order to succeed,” said Upshot Senior Manager of Innovation and Market Intelligence, Brian Asner. “Fortunately, the brands that proactively address these trends will be rewarded with an enormous advantage over their more cautious, follow-the-herd competitors.”

PR Contact: Kristie Ritchie
VP, New Business & Communications
312-895-6151

Market Intelligence Contact: Liz Aviles
VP, Market Intelligence
312-895-6258

ABOUT UPSHOT
Upshot (upshot.net) is a Chicago-based marketing agency that strives to engage consumers through simple ideas brilliantly activated with a focus on brand marketing, integrated promotion, retail marketing, regional marketing and interactive marketing. Clients include Procter & Gamble, Crown Imports, Tremor and Kraft Foods to name a few. Upshot is a division of EMAK Worldwide (emak.com).

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