As the world’s first global experiential advertising agency that prefers doing over talking, Momentum Worldwide brings you a more interesting selection of Ten Top Trends that we believe to be actually useful to brands wishing to make meaningful connections with the consumer class of 2018.

2. As 2018 dawns, the worldwide communications community tends to focus its
collective attention on predicting what trends, memes and themes are going
to have the greatest cultural and commercial impact over the coming year.
For buzzword lovers, there are the somewhat obvious tropes dropped by multitudes
of future gurus from every marketing conference podium and online opinion
portal from Los Angeles to Ljubljana (…it’s in Slovenia). All collectively
eulogizing that the keys to 2018 brand supremacy will be AI, Blockchain,
and the ever-eponymous Millennials.
All well and good, but as the world’s first global experiential advertising
agency that prefers doing over talking, Momentum Worldwide brings you a more
interesting selection of Ten Top Trends that we believe to be actually useful
to brands wishing to make meaningful connections with the consumer class of 2018.
That’s not to say Momentum isn’t invested in Millennials, Blockchain and AI.
Quite the opposite in fact, which is why — in this little trend-tapping
tome — we bring you what we think of as new news for the new year.
Enjoy it. Interrogate it. Share it.
Happy 2018!

3. True Self: evolving comfort levels of using
one’s own image
Fast Forward: technology moving with intense
speed & convenience
We spend every waking moment reading
facial expressions for signs of
attraction, hostility, joy, sadness,
trust and deceit. And as the selfie
generation is already comfortable with
the capture of their image, consumers
are set to better understand and accept
the rise of Facial Recognition and Facial
Tracking technology. This means early
adopter brands already using facial
coding to read and readily react to
consumer emotions will reap the benefits.
FACIAL
FRONTIER

4. Experiencification: increase in the consumer want
to have experiences in all areas of their lives
Foodienomics: continued need for food brands to
up their game in an increasingly crowded market
Unexpected physical experiences in food
and beverage will be a whole new area
for brands to tackle in 2018. No longer
satisfied with just uniquely delicious
flavors, consumers are now seeking out
longer-lasting, multi-sensorial experiences
that they can share with their peers.
Whether it’s the sizzle of something spicy
or an unexpected element in an otherwise
expectedly smooth drink, brands will have
to become more imaginative throughout 2018
if they want to break through the overflow
of hashtags on social media.
TEXTURE
PLORATION

5. Fast Forward: technology moving
at intense speed and convenience
HOT FOR
BOTS
First there was Siri. Then came Alexa.
The rest is about to become history.
In 2018, we’ll see consumers opening up
to the idea of having a connection or
relationship with virtual bots. Not just
taking orders from us; but entertaining,
educating, and even being a meaningful
companion. And scarily, Tech firm Gartner
has said that by 2020, the average
consumer will chat more with bots than
their significant other!

6. ZEDIFICATION
OF THINGS
Generational Divide: realization that each generation
is unique unto itself
Focal Social: continued push toward more social-driven
content in order to engage consumers
In 2018, Generation Z will cease to be
just “the generation that follows
Millennial,” with brands trying to better
understand them as they start to come of
legal drinking age and many taking tentative
steps into the workplace. As a mobile-first
generation, more content in 2018 will have
to be formulated as Gen Z friendly. Short,
snack-sized content weaving itself not only
into social media, but also into how they
consume all communication and entertainment.

7. OPEN DOOR
POLICY
In this day and age, the last thing
the vast majority of us think about
is allowing strangers to enter our
homes without us being there. However,
with online retail, click to collect,
and delivery sales reaching all-time
highs, companies like Amazon and
Walmart are challenging the marketplace
ever further by offering in-home
delivery services where the deliverer
unpacks groceries, stocks the fridge,
and places packages safely inside the
purchaser’s home. This is also likely
to lead to brands coming up with their
own variation on the concept to offer
a competitive edge.
Convenience Culture: the need for brands to
solve consumer pain points before, during,
and after a purchase

8. Experiencification: increase in the consumer want to
have experiences in all areas of their lives
Enlightenment Era: the progressive nature of topics
and areas that were once considered taboo
CANNABIS
CARTE
BLANCHEWith stress levels at all-time highs and some
71% of Millennials supporting the legalization
of recreational marijuana, it should come as
no surprise this is a high (ahem) lighted trend
for 2018. Already, savvy brands and marketers
have begun to mobilize. From cannabis-enhanced
beauty products, “bud and breakfast” B&Bs, and
some Canadian chefs hosting “pot-ups,” brands
need to start putting their cannabis strategies
together now.

9. Experiencification: increase in the consumer want to have
experiences in all areas of their lives
Foodienomics: continued need for food and drink brands
to up their game in an increasingly crowded market
GUILTLESS
GUZZLE
What could be better than to
enjoy your favorite cocktail with
little guilt, knowing that you
were consuming something healthy?
While drinks that better your
health were popular in 2017,
they’ll continue to be so in
2018 — with a twist. From cold-
pressed juices, kombucha, and
activated charcoal, mix-ins that
contain healing properties are
making consumers eager to order.
With these additions we’ll also
see “culinary cocktails” appear
on menus. Chefs and mixologists
are taking their favorite garden
vegetables and other kitchen
ingredients and incorporating
them into drinks. Sea urchin,
heirloom tomatoes, and carrots
(called the “Jessica Rabbit”
cocktail) are just the beginning
of what we’ll start to see.

10. Experiencification: increase in the consumer want
to have experiences in all areas of their lives
INNER
CHILD
INDULGENCEAs adult life around the world becomes
increasingly stressful and hectic, and times
are uncertain and unpredictable as they are
likely to be throughout 2018, appealing to an
adult’s inner child can be pretty lucrative.
Nostalgia-driven activities, like summer camps
and big ball pits will allow brands to uniquely
engage adults in experiences that reconnect
them with their fondest memories, helping to
build meaningful engagement and emotional
connections with their consumers.

11. Experiencification: increase in the consumer want to have
experiences in all areas of their lives
Convenience Culture: the need for brands to solve consumer
pain points before, during and after a purchase
RETAIL
E-VITALIZED
Many believe that e-commerce may lead to
the demise of physical retail. However,
paradoxically, it may be e-commerce’s
expanding expedition into physical retail
that will save the bricks and mortar sector.
With the focus in 2018 turning to in-store
experiences and utilizing physical space
to engage with customers, rather than using
the space as a sales-driving channel.

12. Experiencification: increase in the consumer want to have
experiences in all areas of their lives
Convenience Culture: the need for brands to solve
consumer pain points before, during and after a purchase
TRAVEL ON
THE TAB
As Millennials and Generation Z seek to
maximize their traveling experiences,
companies are rising to the challenge of
making dream vacations more accessible to
young adults with low cash reserves. US
travel agents Affirm and Uplift have already
stepped up to the mark following a recent
survey by Atmosphere Research Group finding
that 41% of travelers surveyed expressed an
interest in using installment payments for
trips that cost $2,000 or more. And so, 2018
will be the start of more young travelers
experiencing the world in the same way as
their older, more cash ready counterparts.

13. © Momentum Worldwide 2018.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical (including photocopying, recording or storing it
in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without prior written permission from the publishers. The greatest
care has been taken to ensure accuracy, but the publisher can accept no responsibility for errors or omissions, nor for any liability occasioned by relying on its content.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.
MOMENTUM WORLDWIDE’S
TOP TEN TRENDS FOR 2018.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
info@momentumww.com