The annual presentation of Trend Monitor Forecast was on February 16th.
To get a video sum-up go on our youtube channel
The annual presentation of TREND MONITOR FORECAST report will be on Zoom platform on Feb 16th 5 pm.
Giulia Ceriani, baba President, will introduce the new scenarios. Maria Grazia Mattei, President of Meet Digital Culture Center will discuss the main findings.
A pre-registration is mandatory:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcO6uqTotH9cjYS705P5kGuf4Ei-8Qtdx
Let’s join us!
Choosing to combat the quarantine kitchen fatigue, the American food delivery app Postmates
launched the ‘Don’t Cook Cookbook’. The ironic take on conventional recipe books acts as a teaser
for the food delivery service. Every recipe includes an ingredients list, fun directions and most
importantly, a QR code that redirects customers to respective dining categories on the app.
In line with our scenario ‘Conversion’, always taken from baba’s unique TrendMonitor tool, this hardback cookbook is a fun way to re-engage with tired consumers.
Head to our YouTube channel and discover baba’s TrendMonitor 2021-22 presentation
the#MorphAge
To keep on celebrating baba’s 20th anniversary, on April 13th we kickstarted our webinar series ‘Lunch with baba’ with a session held by Giulia Ceriani on Trends and Research. Discussing how to approach market research opportunities and highlighting how the past 20 years of trend watching defined our current society, we finished by analysing current category trends through baba’s unique tool Trend Monitor 2021: the#MorphAge.
But how is Advertising moving on? To find out, join us on June 15th for our report on Advertising Futures!
baba‘s annual presentation of the 2021-22 main international trends map was a great moment!
We have been your host on a challenging travel behind the upcoming signals
to make you accelerate your strategic initiatives.
Or to slow them, following the opportunities. If we wish to have a look to a video recap of the presentation and to our trend movie, please follow this link on youtube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=babaconsulting
20 years along (2021 is our anniversary, do you remember? check our schedule for celebration’ activities) we have been supporting communication and marketing actions: merging trends and insights, semiotic analysis and data.
We cannot give up delivering bespoke and highly actionable reports and/or consulting.
Many international brands, such as Nespresso, Pandora, PMI, Luxottica, Ferrero, among others, have trusted our work.
Don’t miss to contact us (baba@babaconsulting.com), catch the opportunity to share a deep analysis on the morphing society, and probe our unique quali-quantitative and semiotic approach to research, strategy and consulting.
On December 14th, 5 pm, Giulia Ceriani in conversation with @Alessandro Diana-head of Accenture Interactive for @Accenture Italia to discuss #AI Conversational, on the main stage of #SIOS https://2020 winter.startupitaliaopensummit.eu/programma/
The topic is the change of language driven by the appreciation that #voice-enabled technologies meet more than ever in consumer behavior: to get information, to make a transaction, to operate and control, to have fun and entertain, as a recent research from #AccentureInteractive clearly shows. I would say that what’s changing in the language is not the code (verbal, as usual), but the relationship with the device to whom it is addressed. Moreover, the need from which it arises.
From a strictly linguistic point of view long established (cf.P.Grice, 1975), it’s difficult to call this a conversation: hard to respect speaking to Alexa or Siri, i.e., the principle of a good conversational interaction as per quantity (not to be reluctant or redundant), quality (to be sincere), relationship (to be relevant), mode (not to be ambiguous). Hard as well for Alexa and Siri and their homologous. Violation of norms is around the corner.
The change is elsewhere. In the attribution of an anthropomorphic profile to the device despite from a voice timber not always so politically correct (female/male/genderless? young/adult/mature? Etc.), in the necessity to settle a dominant relationship with a device that should be, in principle, passively adequate to the functions we are demanding for. Or maybe, simpler, for the need to connect to someone that is still there to listen to us.
A few points to discuss, during SIOS talk and further…
July 2nd, 2020, 5pm GMT +2, @GoogleMeet
register at the link: https://form.jotform.com/201762966045358
IMAGINE YOUR POSSIBLE FUTURES
DRAFT ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS
SELECT FIRST YOUR BRAND OPPORTUNITY
In a destabilized society, where pandemics and revolutions happen back to back, critical and #anticipation #thinking are more important than ever. And as pioneering #innovators are working to recreate new collective structures, the New Alphabet School launched the perfect habitat to start spreading the word. The self-organized school proposes to #unlearn our social codes and establish new ones, reorganizing how we think and relate to a community. And as to #PROVOKE becomes a school subject, we can expect nothing but newness from the #future.
#TREND #TRENDMONITOR #PROVOKE #INNOVATION #FUTURE #SCENARIO
#ENDGAME #BABACONSULTING
As physical contact is still forbidden, new creative ways of interacting with consumers are being created. One example? Ocean Outdoor’s touchless advertising. The media company has developed a mid-air haptic technology, functioning with a virtual technology that doesn’t involve any wearables. Placed in public spaces, the screens will be a hygienic, safe and innovative solution for post #Coronavirus brand experiences.
#CORONAVIRUS #TRENDS #TECHNOLOGY #TOUCHLESS #ADVERTISING #INNOVATION
#TRENDMONITOR #ENDGAME
#Pandemic prevention is about rules and we know that talking to people’s wisdom is rarely enough: laws and authorities strict directions may not overcome the #irrationality that the present moment (or, simply, human nature) can trigger. #SeineKongruangkit e #MatithornPrachuabmohChaimoungkalo’sproject, suggesting a spoiler billboard to prevent going out home, make us think about how to communicate on #risk. An invisible enemy versus a considerable-sized billboard, an impact on your and others’ health versus a suspence dispersion. Where’s the most effective dissuasion ?
Quantum computers could be a reality soon, as #Google’s #Sycamore demonstrated.
Quantum mechanics is the base of physics and its the field that discover what happens as well in situations of really small scale, the reign of #uncertainty and surely not of binary system, as normal computers process the world.
This possibility opens a range of existentialist question and scenarios, that sort of #scenarios that Asimov and others depicted. These new computers could open us a new world, will we be able to understand what quantum computers have to teach us?
For MilanFW the Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele has contacted the guests of his catwalk in a totally unusual way: through a vocal message on Whastapp. An idea so simple to seem almost banal, but actually nobody had ever thought of. Even if we send dozens of Whatsapps everyday. Michele has surely succeeded in amazing who has received the message.
He has succeeded in being 100% sustainable too. What can be the impact of a vocal on Whatsapp compared to the print of an invitation for every single guest?
Should be simplicity, sustainability and fashionability the winning combination?
From January the 13th to May the 3rd at Palazzo del Governatore in Parma will take place the exhibition “Time Machine. Vedere e sperimentare il tempo”. The theme will be the relationship between time and media and how the media have changed the time perception.
In fact, media have the potentiality to show us time in all its shapes: #NOW, #NEVER, either #BACKWARD or #FORWARD. Media can create a time that does not exist as for time-lapse and rallenting; they make us able to have extraordinary trips fixing what went wrong in the past and foreseeing what will be our future.
“Time Machine” will offer an immersive journey with photos and film extracts, thanks to an idea of Michele Guerra curated by Antonio Somaini, with Eline Grignard and Marie Rebecchi.
So are you ready to start this time travel?
To discover more: http://turismo.comune.parma.it/it/canali-tematici/eventi/manifestazioni-e-iniziative/mostre/time-machine-vedere-e-sperimentare-il-tempo
Giulia Ceriani –baba ceo- is going to give a lecture about Holograms in Bilbao, at the XVIII International Congress of the Asociación Española de Semiótica: “The Other, the Same. Figures and Discourses of Alterity” is the congress’ subject (LINK).
The holograms represent the next frontier of the interaction between real and virtual environments. Much more than a mere digital interface, they show the possibility of presence effects that put into discussion the modalities of the discourse construction, their perception, their effects of truth. At the moment still experimental exercices (Marina Abramovic on one side and Mélenchon at French presidential elections on another side…among many others), the holograms are going to be the symbolic node of a society in mutation, where a fluid way of existence is the main issue.
On Feb. 5th, in Milan, we are going to present the Trend Monitor® Forecast edition 2019-20!
The presentation will be @Accenture-ACIN piazza Gae Aulenti 8, Milan, at 5 pm.
Speakers: Giulia Ceriani (CEO baba), Alessandro Diana (Accenture Interactive Lead Italy, Central Europe, Greece), Maria Mazzone (CPG e Retail Lead di ACIN Milano).
For info and registration (mandatory):baba@babaconsulting.com
We will introduce the main findings from our international trendwatching (12 countries worldwide monitored, 9 market categories), in order to help your brand to face up #DARK! times.
Stay tuned and be ready to face the #DARK!
#DARK #forecast #TrendMonitor #babaTrendMonitor #babaConsulting #trendresearch #anticipation #innovation #future #GiuliaCeriani #Milanoevents
What have in common Spiderman, an alien and Mickey Mouse?
Saying that all of them move on JSM’s rhythm is a too-much-simple answer, but that’s a start point!
On Nov. 22nd baba CEO’s Giulia Ceriani will take a lecture on Transmedia brand fiction, analyzing and explaining how a brand’s multi-channel communication can be strongly built on narrative junctions: their clever connection through different shapes and media could certainly help to reach awareness, longevity and intensity, and moreover can be observed and studied to strategically anticipate the subsequent brand’s moves.
As you have already understand the speech will be supported by examples taken from the 2017-18 TIM adv campaigns, with a semiotic and expert eye on them.
The talk takes its place within the workshop “Transmedia Branding. Narrazione, esperienza, engagement” by DISPOC, Siena Univerisity.
The appointment is settled at Siena University, Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali, Politiche, Cognitive – via Roma 56.
See you on Thursday, Nov. 22nd, 11.30 a.m!
Meanwhile… let’s have Just Some Motion!
#FLOAT
After the most recent midterm election in the United States, President Trump and the Republican Party’s leverage over the US is being threatened by the Democrats. One of the most noteable occurences of this election however, was the voter turnout. The increasing polarization of the political parties has resulted in chaos, which has been the source of energy that has channeled through to voters. As a result, the year 2018 is up to 114 million voter participants compared to only 83 million in 2014. This phenomena strongly correlates to our upcoming trend #FLOAT, as leveraging obstacles turn into diverging shoves.
The two parties have been polarized on a multiplicity of issues since the previous presidential election and the proposed solutions to these factors have only increased unhibited feedback. The controversy of the Republican vs. Democratic debates will continue to unravel towards the next presidential election in 2020. Even on a global scale the discrepancy of beliefs and values in political systems are prevalent. There has been political unrest in many European and Middle Eastern countries, and it seems as if the entropic nature for the political zeitgeist of this era will not decrease in the near future.
#BABATRENDMONITOR #trendresearch #FLOAT
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/16/1742089/-Forecasting-the-Midterm-Elections-in-the-West
As society continues to progress towards a technologically advanced future, the boundary between the physical and virtual world is becoming more obscure. The dependence on electronic devices is causing people to feel more isolated, distracted, and is now the source of serious health problems. Recently, China has placed restrictions on the usage of certain video games due to over-gaming and addiction and their method of restriction is ironically, a tech-heavy initiative.
The #Virtuality trend (see our #THENOWAGE Forecast 2018-19) focuses on the experience of a parallel of world of which we cannot see, and the opportunities for what to experience are limitless. The manipulative designs of these games target ways to attract and retain a customer; often resulting in addiction which causes social and even physical harm. In China, the internet giant #Tencent has created an innovative way to limit the usage of its popular online game, “Honor of the Kings”, using facial recognition. Tencent is verifying players’ identities and ages by pairing their faces with government records. This virtual innovation can help change the users’ behavior for the better. Digital detoxing isn’t new, but combatting too much virtuality with another form of virtuality is the meta-level of technological advancements. Technology is not going away anytime soon, so looking to ways to shape users’ behavior for the better may be the answer to over-consumption and addiction.
#babatrendmonitor #virtuality #tencent #THENOWAGE
This week at baba, we are tracking about how the #Radicalism trend (see our #THENOWAGE2018-2019 Trend Monitor Forecast) is creating a new way for us to enjoy our favorite foods without destroying the environment. This trend is all about extreme views and not following the herd; two factors that are contributing to the movement towards sustainability in the food industry.
As consumer behaviors begin to shift towards ‘hard’ veganism due to the increasing awareness and concerns for the origins of food and its impact on the environment, an opportunity for the food industry to capitalize on exploring new territories is rapidly increasing. Many companies are experimenting with the interchanging of raw meat for raw vegetables on a global scale as many species of wildlife face extinction. With veganism and sustainability gaining momentum on a global scale, the preservation of certain species can simultaneously coincide. One company in particular , #OceanHugger has developed the world’s first plant-based alternative to raw tuna and its name is #Ahimi. Due to overfishing, the tuna population has dropped 97% from its historic levels, but the good news is that innovations like Ahimi can allow the tuna species to recover, over time of course. This unique innovation supports the conservation of many marine species that are at risk for extinction, without sacrificing the taste. Is the future of food proteins plant-based alternatives?
#THENOWAGE #babatrendmonitor #trendresearch #OceanHugger #ahimi #sustainability
We at baba are closely watching the #Fading trend (see our #THENOWAGE 2018-2019 Trend Monitor Forecast) especially in its relation to the cosmetics industry. This trend deals with the elimination of hard frontiers between market categories (food vs beverage, mobility vs technology, etc.), as for their targets (young vs adults, women vs men, etc.), towards an idea of immediate accessibility and multipurpose seductivity. No age, no gender, no class, no limits.
As for cosmetics, it challenges the rooted idea of gender specific categories products, as genderless offer a new potential and possible renewed attention. We have seen a general shift throughout the industry, with a slight implementation of a new pattern towards genderless fragrances and soaps. One company in particular has caught our attention, the brand new @goovi.com: a clean and positive range for gender neutral soaps that are intended for the whole family to use, even gentle enough for babies. Naturality, becomes the crosscategory (and crosstarget) principle, for an offer including house cleaning products and supplements as well. Notice particularly the dialogic branding “life is hard enough”, etc.), addressing to a fresh and female house holder, with a touch of irony; and a visual identity naive and bright coloured, with a tactile connotation.
#THENOWAGE #babatrendmonitor #goovi #trendresearch
This year is all about being in the here and now, everything needs to happen immediately, any small inconvenience is seen as disastrous. We at Baba are closely watching the #VIRTUALITY trend as it continues to rise in new markets every day.
The #VIRTUALITY trend is starting to reveal itself in the realm of personal assistants through Google’s latest innovation. Recently, Google showcased their newest technology, which has a robot, call service retailers to set up appointments on behalf of consumers. The service creates realistic sounding calls with the robot utilizing small quips that would happen in a conversation; such as when a reservation time is rejected the robot would audibly sound as if it is contemplating while it is waiting for consumers new time. The interesting thing about the robot is inherently that the person on the other end of the line may not know that they are actually speaking to a robot. The service comes out of this year’s constant trend of companies utilizing automated intelligence to make offer greater convenience to the consumer.
As we have detailed in our #THENOWAGE report, consumers have become obsessed with having services in the moment and are gradually losing their will to wait. This presents a problem to businesses as they now must innovate to keep up with the consumers instant demands. This idea of innovation has more recently come in the form of automated intelligence like Google is doing currently. While efficient, automated intelligence takes away the human component of services and continually steps closer to humans losing their sense of reality. This is the core of our #VIRTUALITY trend, consumers are losing themselves to robotic intelligence as it gives them an outlet to remove themselves from any human interactions.
Google’s reservation robot makes almost every restaurant operate on the same values that the application OpenTable does. OpenTable is an application that allows for the consumer to book a table reservation at a restaurant without ever interacting with anyone from the restaurant itself. The app is extremely popular but evidently does have some issues in more rural areas where restaurants may not have the money or will to put themselves onto the it. Google’s innovation does away with that issue as it is physically having the conversation with the restaurant confirming the reservation.
The news of automated intelligence making its way into the world of everyday tasks is nothing new, in fact it has been rising fairly steadily. Recently an automated locking company, titled August, partnered with popular home renting service Airbnb to offer hosts a way to give their renters access to their homes without ever meeting them. The lock service works via an app which makes the renters own smartphone the key to the home, pushing the idea of reducing human interactions in favor of a more automated process.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/what-is-google-duplex/
https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/26/august-can-now-generate-smart-entry-codes-for-airbnb-guests/
The VIRTUALITY trend (see our #THENOWAGE 2018-19 Forecast) is becoming more prevalent in the social media realm with the idea of influencers being one that encapsulates virtual avatars. These virtual avatars are used on the social media platform Instagram to promote fashion brands and some cases advocate for social issues. The influencers are digitally designed, with real humans behind the scenes. Virtual influencers is a trend in the social media posts. Traditionally social media is a concept that we all use as a tool for human beings, to share our emotions and feelings through pictures or posts.
The idea of a virtual entity posting its opinions and emotions to social media is one that most likely frightens a lot of people. When you post to an issue or promote a product it is much easier for the viewers to pin the opinions to the person to the post. Digital avatars blur the line of responsibility for the opinion
In terms of the influencing itself, they can be used in any of the clothes the animator desires. This allows companies to easily collaborate with them without having to set up.
While this concept excites, we are interested in the social media world. Human beings are all different and as a result only certain influencers can wear certain brands, whereas animations can be changed to fit any aesthetic desired by the brands .
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180402-the-fascinating-world-of-instagrams-virtual-celebrities
VIRTUALITY trend (see our #THENOWAGE 2018-18 Forecast) is impressively rising to feed the empowerment expectations of the “Unlimited” target.
Virtual Reality has been conventionally thought to be used in the market of video games; but it is now going into the territory. Fortune Magazine showcases its virtual realities limitless possibilities for implementation and reports that consumers are all for it – in fact – they’re eating it up.
Virtual Reality As A Trend
The Virtual Reality trend is one that we at Baba are watching closely closely for the 2018-2019 year. With its widespread integration into myriads of different markets, it is a crucial concept for businesses to consider in their new investments for advertising. As well as in social media scenes where consumers are using the technology to post their respective platforms. From an advertising standpoint, virtual reality is an investment that should be quickly considered.
http://fortune.com/2018/05/15/virtual-food-is-coming-to-a-menu-near-you/
On February 8th at Accenture Customer Innovation Center in Milan, our CEO Giulia Ceriani has introduced the main trends for 2018-19, matched by Accenture Interactive with social personas.
If you want to know more click here for the sum up or head to baba@babaconsulting.com
#BCM17 – GIULIA CERIANI ABOUT BIG DATA AND GOOGLE TRENDS
Google is twenty years old: how our life and the future are changing as a result
Take part to the new book presentation: “Nella rete di Google”. Strategie e dispositivi del motore di ricerca che cambiato la nostra vita”, and listen to the Giulia Ceriani contribution, baba CEO, together with Isabella Pezzini, Vincenza Del Marco, Giovanni Boccia Artieri, Ruggero Eugeni, Federico Gennari Santori
Friday Nov. 17th 6.30 pm at Book City Milan, Museo della Scienza Tinkering Lab, Via San Vittore 21
We live in a society where gender differences are no longer so marked. Starting now from very tender ages: John Lewis department store (UK) has just launched a gender neutral production dedicated to kids. A trend talking about an idea of sex neutrality that drives another way to think body, love, and socialization under the umbrella of digital world. Giulia Ceriani (baba CEO) has dealt with this topic on D_Repubblica pages. Here the link to her comments.
Maybe we are about to find out the answer to this question. On September 21st, Anouk Wipprecht will be at “Meet the Media Guru” and we will be there too to hear about her experience. Her work mix Fashion with IoT and wearable technology. A new way to think about fashion is coming, and we are seriously considering its implications. Can clothes be a support in people’s daily life supplying, for example, handicaps and physical problems? Fashion is no longer only an esthetical fact.
Not such an easy-going attitude to be adopted, apparently. Tech dominance does not hold the grip, and we are all compliant with that mood. Have a look to a few and not even unexpected cues about what our suitcases full of tech gadgets consist of. No inversion on going on tech addiction.
See more at: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2017/07/28/gadget-obsessed-travellers-suitcases-full-of-technology
The food market is moving as fast as the other market categories, and we see a strong #INVERSION from pleasure food towards smart and functional nutrition.
Finished products, raw materials, applied technology, services for allergies and food intolerances, this sector has seen a huge raise in the last twelve months. Particularly for dietary supplements, there is a record increase of+ 6,7 %.
The World Allergen & Smart Food Expo will be runthe November 25, 26, 27th 2017 at Fiera di Padova: baba is partner of this event and Giulia Ceriani, CEO of baba, will conduct the workshop’s program regarding emerging trends in alimentary styles and smart food.
Do you want to know more about the event?
Let’s check out the website here at http://www.worldallergenfood.com
Are equally opportunities Olympic Games next to come on running track of politically correctness? Beyond featuring 15 new events from Rio 2016, the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo will encompass a surprising mix-genders relays in a wide variety of disciplines (i.e.: archery, fencing, table tennis,), including well-established and most reputed Olympics sports (i.e.: athletics and swimming).
Hence, women’s participation to Games is expected to stand at 49%.
See more at: http://news.sky.com/story/olympic-bosses-announce-mixed-gender-relays-for-tokyo-2020-10910536
The party first secretary He Junke recently announced the so-called “Medium and Long-term Development Plan for Youth, 2016-2025”, claiming that “The League will guide young people in the quest for the soul mate”.
Since lifestyle has radically changed over the recent years and looking for a satisfying job definitely stands out as the priority, socializing, meet the ideal partner and start a family have become more and more difficult for the youngsters.
As a result 200 million of singles were counted all over the country in 2015.
Might the slow downing Chinese economy be recovered without a serious U-turn on birth-rate policies?
Milano has just hosted Hermès and 11artisans of the renowned french Maison for “Behind the scenes”, an exhibition where the Hermès artisans have shown how they realize their masterpieces thanks to top quality materials and their manual work. The emphasis of the importance of high-end craft and an elegant gesture of resistance towards digital stream.
Still #INVERSION: as the opportunity to regain control, as a passionated reevaluation of uniqueness..
See more at: https://www.institutfrancais.it/milano/hermes-dietro-le-quinte
JUST PUBLISHED!
Have a look to the new book “Nella rete di Google. Strategie e dispositivi del motore di ricerca che cambiato la nostra vita”, where you can read the semiotic contribution of Giulia Ceriani, baba CEO, about “Big data and Google Trends”.
MILAN DESIGN WEEK IS BACK, and of course we won’t miss to catch new ideas through the exhibition spaces of #FUORISALONE 2017.
baba’s trend watchers are already crossing Milan to observe the forward-looking signals, the new concepts and the upcoming ideas of the #Home industry as well as the looks and the comments of who will be involved in Milan Design Week.
We are going to share with you our notebook, day by day…stay tuned and don’t forget: the trend key word this year is #INVERSION, be ready to be amazed 🙂
Are we living in the future? It seems! According to the latest innovations in robotics, in addition to technological development, what is really changing is the real availability of robots, that we have only imagined for a long time. In some countries we can buy them, in other we will do it very soon.
An Italian example: in Amsterdam, during the GPU Technology Conference Europe, a small robot prototype has been presented: R1.
“R1 is a humanoid robot and we created it with the goal of making a robot that is affordable in terms of price. R1 has been designed with applications in the domestic environment and the household to be helpful initially maybe to people that have disabilities, who may need help and later to everybody,” says Professor Giorgio Metta.
R1 is improving its skills learning from its experiences, and it will be launched on the market in a year and a half.
Since 2014, in Japan, you can buy Pepper, an humanoid priced 1500 euros. This robot may serve as a waiter, salesman and customer service in about 500 companies, including Nestlé and Nissan.
The technological field of automatin can consider different drives: see the California-based company Abyss Creation, that has produced “RealDoll”, the most expensive dolls with an artificial intelligence in the world, whose prototypes are ready with the goal “to expand sensory possibilities related to sex”. This is the ultimate sexual objectification.
Although this matter could result disturbing, robots should make life easier for sick people and the elderly, proving to be an help for the society.
Are we ready for the future?
VALORI DI CAMBIAMENTO_Un confronto sui Fjord Trends 2020