THE POLARITY PARADOX - LS:N Global Trend Briefing SS14 - NYC
Thursday, 27 March 2014 from 08:00 to 13:00 (EDT)
THE POLARITY PARADOX
‘As austerity becomes tempered with a new sense of optimism, we are witnessing the rise of extreme trends and counter-intuitive behaviour in shopping, health, dieting, even eating and drinking, as these indulgences are countered with equally austere and controlling regimes.’ says The Future Laboratory co-founder Martin Raymond.
Simultaneously, and paradoxically, while we leap from end to end, from apex to vertex, the sectors we consume, the brands we buy, and the spaces we inhabit and shop in, are collapsing, blurring and converging into a melting pot, a free-for-all of no rules, freedom, experimentation and enticing new landscapes.
What does this mean for your brand? Your store? Your products? The new and next behaviour of Generation Yo-Yo as they shift from one extreme to another? At our half-day event The Future Laboratory and LS:N Global teams will reveal all.
: 8:00am – Registration
Coffee and cake for the bingers, green tea and celery for the fasters – the choice is yours.
: 9:00am – Introduction
: 9:15am – The Polarity Paradox
The shifting landscape of dualistic, but opposite needs and wants among consumers, their context and key drivers.
: 9:30am – The Convergence Economy
Data and the physical internet are enabling convergence between formerly disparate things in a new era of ubiquitous blurring. Convergence between the senses as algorithms translate data into visuals, visuals into touch and sound into objects. Convergence between datasets – objects that talk to each other and which use data about us to think ahead on our behalf. And finally, convergence between disparate fields, such as gaming and employment, fitness and storytelling, retail and weather, and analytics and cooking.
We will explore how these shifts are leading to the creation of compelling products, awe-inspiring retail and game-changing hospitality spaces.
Click here to watch a short video with The Future Laboratory partners Tom Savigar and Martin Raymond explaining The Convergence Economy.
: 10:10am – Tea Break
: 10:40am – The Flat Age Society
One of the most seismic, impactful demographic global shifts is under way. In this decade, the global population of elderly consumers is set to swell by 200m, and is expected to reach 2bn by 2050. But forget everything you thought about ‘old’ or ‘age’. Members of this powerful consumer group – far from being the decrepit, dependent, ticking economic time bomb – are embracing age with a new approach, a new energy and a new outlook.
Make way for Flat Age Living and Whole Age Marketing as we introduce you to the 50–80 set.
Click here to watch a short interview with Martin Raymond and LS:N Global senior journalist Sonia van Gilder Cooke on The Flat Age Society.
: 11:20am – The Polarity Paradox
Binge Consumption, Denial Diets and Benefactor Brands are just a few of the many trends we are witnessing as The Polarity Paradox kicks in. But what of the bigger culture and lifestyle issues these are hinting at in terms of consumer utopias and brand dystopias? Is this extreme behaviour a temporary response to five years of austerity, or an indication of darker, more extreme trends to come?
We will end the day with a look at the most decisive – or should that be divisive? – consumer trends of 2014.
: 12:00pm – Toolkits and Conclusions
: 12:20pm – The end of the day.
For more information, please call on +1 (646) 280-0437,
or email Kirsten@thefuturelaboratory.com.
Innovator tickets cost $700 (until 19 February)
Laggard tickets are $800 excluding vat (until 26 March)
Visit our Vimeo page for the first of our short interview films explaining each Macro Trend.
The Future Laboratory co-founder Martin Raymond talks to chief strategy officer Tom Savigar about what The Convergence Economy will mean for your brand.
The Future Laboratory's editor-in-chief and senior journalist Sonia van Gilder Cooke discuss the implications of an ageless consumer.
For information on our events go to : thefuturelaboratory.eventbrite.com/
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