Back in the 80′s John Naisbitt introduced us to Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives
Now, the Microtrends. Mark J. Penn, the guy that identified “Soccer Mums” as a crucial constituency in President Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign, recognizes that trends in society that reach a critical 1% mark have the potential to significantly influence the world around us. These sometimes counterintuitive, and somewhat invisible actions by small groups are shaping the world around us.
Now I’m not a numbers guy, and I’m certainly not a trend watcher, but I am fascinated by factors that affect business or stimulate new ideas. This is what lead me to read John Naisbitt back in the 80′s and 90′s and when I glanced at Microtrends in the airport bookstore I had to have a read.
I can rarely sleep during the 20+ hours of flying time between DC and Sydney, so I spent it with my head buried in Mark’s illuminating and entertaining explanation of about 75 Microtrends that really make you think about what’s happening around us and how we need to continually re-evaluate where we are going with our businesses and our lives.
A highly recommended read for anyone who wants to think and explore.
Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes
Here’s a few of the ‘microtrends’ that caught my imagination:
Cougars – Women who date Younger Men – With divorce rates up, life expectancies up, and women with successful careers means they are re-entering the dating market and looking for men with less developed careers. Once the domain of older successful men, women are now trading success and sexual attractiveness. Cougars need a community; not just for finding dates, but personal and financial security advice, guidance on what to watch out for and so forth – Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson!
Commuter Couples – Couples Living apart…but together – Between 1991 and 2005, the number of ‘Commuter Marriages’ doubled in the USA to more than 3.5 million. Technology has no doubt been a big player in this but think of the implications; couples have a footprint in two places, pay taxes in two states, run two homes, they travel.
Working Retired – Business or Part-time work after retirement – As I approach retirement age this microtrend hasn’t escaped me and I think we all realize that the boomer generation is aging the overall population. It’s somewhat accepted that at 65 you can retire. But do we want to? Should we? Think about what it means if the 2.5 million people turning 65 each year in America decide to keep working. Will the dire predictions of a failed Social Security system be turned on its head? One prediction suggests that if each person worked one year beyond their expected retirement age it could offset the expected shortfall.
Well that’s just a sample. It’s an interesting read and can definitely stimulate thoughts for helping your business.
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