Futures Coaching

Breaking the rules of consulting

Save your blushes - and your margins.

Consultancy is changing as client needs change - and as business practices modernize. 

This report breaks with orthodoxy and shows you the New Consulting pathways to agency success.

The report covers 10 rules and will take just 5 minutes to absorb. Find it here.

 

Surprising Indonesia

My father-in-law sold white goods in the 1960s in France. He literally opened up his order book and transcribed one 'sale' after another. Queues for the new ipad come close to this today but in most sectors this kind of sales excitement is a long-forgotten dream.

Unless you happen to be trading in a growth market, that is.  For example, take a look at this brief report on Indonesia.

Indonesia is on an accelerating growth path with huge potential for business into the future. And it could go even faster still if only some structural downsides were fixed.

How will the past change our future?

Trendspotters often focus exclusively on the future to understand change. But the past gives huge insights into how tomorrow's world will look.

Take Chinese medicine. Many of its ancient principles are now bang on trend and will shape the future of healthcare. How about the most revolutionary idea of Bill Gates - giving away his wealth? Sorry Bill but it's been done before. Canadian Indian tribal leaders already knew of the fantastic status to be gained by giving away all that you own.

How else can history help us understand what's coming next? Go back to the future here.

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Sponsorship of outdoor events

Sponsors of London's Olympics have spent £700million to be present at the world's greatest show. But just why do brands sponsor outdoor events?

My latest Slideshow presentation reveals some of the advantages of showing up. For example, brands who place their banners in front of a euphoric crowd can expect a subliminal connection. Next time the consumer sees the brand they will be transported back to that orgasmic emotional state. Talk about getting rooted in positive emotional memory structures!

Take 5 minutes to find out more.

Futures Coaching, March 2012: A typical month

Clients are constantly surprised by the variety of work we are engaged in. March 2012 will be typical. During the month we will:

- analyse social change amongst Filipino and Indonesian women and impacts on health marketing

- run deep-dive consumer research on social media

- present to a retail property audience on consumer futures and impacts on retail

- uncover future-facing insights in order to revolutionise branch formats for a retail bank

- blog on Asia, social media, outdoor events.....

Specialist in trends, social analysis, sector futures, Asian market evolution....Futures Coaching may be able to help you. Try us.

 

Social Media Success Factors

I spent the earlier part of this week running focus groups on Social Media. From a consumer viewpoint, Social Media is about staying relevant in the here and now. The big fear is of 'missing out'.

But consumers are not dupes and they are able to filter and able to spot dodgy brand activity a mile off. It's about "what's in it for them".

How do Brands get it right in Social Media? My latest 'Growth Story' blog covers 10 success insights. Read it and pass it on if you like it click.

PS I'm well on my way to 500 hits for last weeks Asian Growth Stategies' post - so thanks for reading and sharing!

 

Silent Retailing: How this is about to change

I was asked to look at the future of retailing by real estate services giant, Jones Lang LaSalle. My study took a couple of intensive months to complete and involved over 30 experts. One of the themes treated in the final report was The End of Silent Retailing.

Jones Lang LaSalle have put significant marketing effort behind the 'Retail2020' Report and I'd invite anyone wanting to find out more to visit their website retail2020.com

Meantime, as an appetiser, find out why I think retail has been silent over the years and why this is about to change fundamentally over the next 5 Download The End of Silent Retailing

 

Extreme Buying: one of the Growth Stories of our age

Consumers describe the feeling in many different ways: "a rush of blood to the head"; "a moment of madness"; "letting off steam". Whatever the phrase, the impulse is always the same - to forget about austerity and do something which feels sooooo good. 

In boom times, purchasing became a habit; today it's more a surprise! "I just popped in for stockings and came out with a new outfit and matching handbag". 

What Extreme Buying describes is a trend where a liberated social context meets human weakness. And brands can learn how to profit from these moment of madness.

The trend and its drivers are described here.

 

 

10 Levers for Growth in Healthcare Markets

Ever wanted to know more about the economic potential of silicon nipples? Or why growing new teeth will be the next new thing in dentistry? Ever wondered who might be the real beneficiaries of the ipad (hint: they generally have grey hair, poor eyesight and cannot manage those fiddly buttons on a mobile phone).

My latest 'Growth Story' focuses on healthcare and how to grow healthy profits in an industry which is currently under enormous cost pressures. To reveal 10 growth insights, roll over here.

 

Black Hole Marketing

We live in a world where, increasingly, winner takes all; being merely average or mainstream is the route to failure. Look around and we see this trend playing out everywhere. Celebrity culture, sporting heros, world cities, power brands, mega malls.....being the biggest and best (even by just a fraction) is enough to get disproportionate rewards. The rest are 'also rans'.

Marketers need to understand this new extremism and make decisions accordingly. Find yourself outside the Black Hole and you'll find your life's forces being sucking away.

Find out the dimensions of this trend - and some of the routes to growth here.