2. 50 Predictions for 2011
• Some educated guesswork on some of the
things we might see in 2011
• Inspired by posts written on Influx Insights
in 2010
• No specific order or structure
• Just some thought starters
3. 50 Predictions for 2011
Facebook as End of Status Quo, Brand Educators,
corporate icon, Explosive Rise of Banking
Recovery, China as Skype, Census Revolutionized,
Innovator, Emerging Impacts, Old Curators Rule, Uber
Markets, Not Made Society, Behavioral Luxury, Cultural
in China, More Experiments, Google Cage Matches,
Leaks, Walled Meltdown, Business Intelligence
Gardens, Social Underground Revolution, In Love
Media Management, Massive, Brands Like with Analog, Power
Mobile Power, Data Media Cos, Brands Unleashed,
as Marketing, Amateurs will The Sharing
Generational Strife, Continue to Economy, More
Peak Travel, Peak Surprise, Re-Use and Start Arounds, The
Water, Peak Oil, The Recycle, Gaming Rise of Cultural
Rise of Reputation Everywhere, Change Agents,
Management, Hybrid Extreme Local, Brands will be Real-
Creative, London, Labs,Brand Time Relevant,
Brazil, Publishers Re- Universes, Work will Be
Think, iPad Customer Service Reinvented, Taste
Explosion, Returns, Graphs Matter
5. 1. Facebook as Corporate Icon
• Facebook will rise from corporate newbie
to be the envy of Corporate America
• Companies will seek its magic
• Its internal culture will be studied and
written about extensively- with a best-
seller by the year end
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/article/2654/facebook-s-culture--all-
7. 2. Recovery
• The “R” word will be everywhere this year
• Things will be turning around in a number
of categories, but not all and the craziness
of the past won’t return
• Some things will take longer than others-
unemployment and housing
• Reference: http://seekingalpha.com/
currents/post/65007
9. 3. China as Innovator
• Look for China to look for a new path of value add
• Not content to copy- it will have to innovate
• Look for world class design talent emerging from
China
• Look for technological innovation
• As labor costs rise - China will be looking for
phase 2 of its miracle to kick in
• Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/
business/02unboxed.html?_r=1
11. 4. Emerging Markets
• With slowing growth in the West- the corporate
titans will look to emerging markets for growth
• This could mean moving their best people
overseas
• Marketing in emerging markets will become
increasingly sophisticated with new tools, channels
and new audiences
• Reference: http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/
Business-News/City-Unilever-to-enter-a-decade-of-
growth
13. 5. Not Made in China
• Increasingly people will look to find ways to
bring local manufacture to prominence
• Rising labor costs in China will be the
excuse to look elsewhere
• Not having anything made in China will be a
status symbol for certain stores, hotels and
restaurants
15. 6. Retailing Re-Thought
• Greater transparency on pricing will prove to be a
huge challenge for most retailers
• Only way to compete will be to re-think the
experience
• How can they do something different?
• What role can service play?
• How can mobile promotions impact?
• Reference: http://influxinsights.com/blog/article/
2659/retail-hacking.html
17. 7. More Leaks
• Leaks will become more widespread
• People who’ve been done wrong will find allies in
hacker culture
• Companies will try to spin the leaks and minimize
damage with aggressive lawsuits
• Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/
business/03wikileaks-bank.html
• http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/2664/
brands-and-wikileaks.html
19. 8. Walled Gardens
• Consumers will be building their own
“Walled Gardens” and be more careful
about who they engage and interact with
• They want to create and manage their own
spaces- social spaces, media spaces, etc
• Marketers will have to work so much
harder to gain access
• Reference: http://www.getnewstoday.com/
getit/2684
21. 9. Social Media
Management
• Users will become savvier about how they
manage their social networks
• They will optimize their friendships and
better organize the layers
23. 10. Mobile Power
• Phones will be getting more powerful
• Cameras much more sophisticated
• Video functionality enhanced
• Location based opportunities expanded- limited only by imagination and
creativity
• We will see a very big idea in this space by the year end
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/2666/with-smarter-
phones--all-mobile-ads-will-be-like-iads.html
25. 11. Data as Marketing
• Look for marketers to share more data
with their users
• Anything that can help enhance the
relationship
• Help users better understand themselves in
contrast to others
• Visualization will make it accessible
27. 12. Generational Strife
• It’s already started, but the Boomer
backlash is just beginning
• See it Europe with student tuition fees
• What looks currently like a happy co-
existence is likely to change
• Reference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
books/2010/feb/07/the-pinch-david-willetts
29. 13. Peak Travel, Peak
Water, Peak Oil
• Much discussion about “peaks” in limited
resources
• Won’t be widely understood, but many will
try to grabble with the challenges of finding
solutions
• PR management will be key here
• Reference: http://www.wired.com/autopia/
2011/01/study-suggests-weve-hit-peak-
31. 14. Reputation
Management
• Everyone will have a transparent reputation
• Brands, employees
• Reputation is everything so how it’s managed is key
• Brands will be looking to generate increased volume of user comments and
review, but also manage and control them
• Reference: http://thesocialpenguinblog.com/2010/11/25/social-media-
interview-joe-fernandez-from-klout/
33. 15. Hybrid Creative
• Look for more creative ideas that combine
multiple media
• Video and HTML code
• Out of home and mobile
• Mobile and performance
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/
article/2582/communication-hybrids--
interesting-or-die.html
35. 16. London
• As London readies itself for the 2012
Olympics look for more creativity to come
out of the city
• Greater focus and attention, world class
design and art schools > exposure for new
ideas
• Digital creative talent will continue to shine
• Reference: http://www.economist.com/
node/17581635
37. 17. Brazil
• Brazil’s rise from the BRIC will be startling
• Companies now cash rich and looking to
expand
• More Brazilian brands will make their mark
• Focus on the country in the lead up to the
World Cup
• Reference: http://www.reuters.com/article/
idUSN0526454820110105
39. 18. Publishers Re-Think
• Publishers will continue to struggle
• Core print publications will shed readers
• Experiments in micro-payments and walled
gardens will be problematic
• iPad experiments will fail
• Reference: http://www.mondaynote.com/
2011/01/02/ipad-publishing-time-to-switch-
to-v2-0/
41. 19. iPad Explosion
• Not that it hasn’t already happened, but tablets will be bigger and better
• More features and more technology will mean more capable machines and
therefore more opportunities for interesting experiences
• Past efforts in understanding tablets will pay off for those with patience and
discipline
• Reference: http://www.onlinesocialmedia.net/20110105/ces-2011-tablet-
frenzy-%E2%80%93-sales-forecast/
43. 20. End of Status Quo
• CEO’s of broken brands will be hoping that
the recovery will happen fast to drive some
growth to their bottom line
• Reality is that weaklings will be found out
and culled
• If you don’t have a POV or a point of
difference, get one, fast.
45. 21. The Explosive Rise
of Skype
• Skype will become a power brand in 2011
• It will be widely used
• It’s platform will become more
sophisticated
• Corporations will embrace it
• Brands will find interesting ways to partner
with it
47. 22. Census Impacts
• By the middle of the year, we will have all
the census data available
• It will chronicle a population who’s growth
is slowing, is getting older and more diverse
• Smart marketers will meta-analyze the data
and work out the real implications
• Reference: http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB100014240529702042040045760499524
49. 23. Old Society
• Old age in America will become more pronounced as a cultural phenom
• Boomers are getting old at a faster rate
• Healthcare will be the issue
• Retirement will be delayed
• Look for culture to cater even more to those aging boomers
• Reference: http://www.slashgear.com/witlings-blood-pressure-monitors-
plugs-into-your-iphone-05123278/
51. 24. Behavioral
Experiments
• Agencies fresh from lunches and dinners with Behavioral Economists will
start putting their ideas into action
• Agencies “Behavioral Experiments” will make great case study films and
document how a brand tried to change the behavior of an Alaskan village
• They will win awards and demonstrate the new generation of smart creative
• Reference: http://www.ddb.com/ddblogs/creativity/the-fun-theory-idea-
winner.html
53. 25. Google Meltdown
• Google will have had enough of Facebook’s fame
and try to deal with its own problems
• “Google has become a snake that too readily consumes its own keyword tail. Identify some words that show up in profitable searches -- from
appliances, to mesothelioma suits, to kayak lessons -- churn out content cheaply and regularly, and you're done. On the web, no-one knows
you're a content-grinder.The result, however, is awful. Pages and pages of Google results that are just, for practical purposes, advertisements in
the loose guise of articles, original or re-purposed. It hearkens back to the dark days of 1999, before Google arrived, when search had become
largely useless, with results completely overwhelmed by spam and info-clutter.” -Paul Kedosky
• It will try to do something big to make up the
“gap”
• Could be an acquisition
• Could be a focused initiative
• Could be a big cultural change
55. 26. Underground
Massive
• The unmentioned underground is huge
• Sites like BitTorrent might be the “no go” zone for
brands, but they have 20 million daily users
• Environments like 4Chan might have been off the
radar, but their power is undisputed
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/
article/2565/inside-the-souls-of-young-
males--4chan.html
57. 27. Brands More Like
Media Cos
• Brands will look more and more like media
companies
• They will look to develop and create
content at every opportunity
• Some content will be developed in-house,
others will be collaborations with outside
parties like bloggers
59. 28. Amateurs Will
Continue to Surprise
• With low-cost technology, some knowledge
and a lot of time- amateurs will continue to
surprise us
• Recently a British amateur astronomer
discovered 4 planets- without a telescope,
but used his spare time to analyze
University data
61. 29. Re-Use and Recycle
• New markets will emerge for new product forms
made from old
• If companies are recycling and re-using, questions
will be asked
• Reference: http://www.carloversmagazine.com/
index.php/2010/12/21/chevrolet-volt-recycling-gulf-
of-mexico-oil-spill-components/
63. 30. Gaming Everywhere
• Games will play a more important role in
unexpected areas
• Energy efficiency, car fuel efficiency, dieting,
exercise, nutrition
• Look at SCVNGR- location based, but game
focused
• Reference: http://www.mobile-ent.biz/features/308/
Interview-SCVNGR-talks-social-location-brands-
and-check-in-competition
65. 31. Extreme Local
• Restaurants will follow NOMA- Copenhagen
• Looking to create the best dishes from ingredients
found in their backyards
• Restaurants will hire foragers to help them find
ingredients
• Creativity will come from constraints
• Reference: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/
2010/07/10/urban-forager-from-sidewalk-cracks-a-
side-dish/#more-195553
67. 32. Labs
• Demands for new technological solutions aren’t
going away
• Labs are going to be need to help companies stay
ahead of the advances
• Some will take the form of internal teams of
technologists- inspiring the current process-
others will be skunk works-like and external
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/
article/2636/why-agencies-need-labs.html
69. 33. Brand Universes
• Instead of thinking about media as
networks, sites and publishers think of your
brand universe
• If brands are now “media”- what brands
compliment yours and how could you best
work together for mutual gain?
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/article/2662/think-beyond-media-what-
s-your-brand-s--brand-universe-.html
71. 34. TV to Dominate
Media
• Not only are more people watching TV in more places, other media is
becoming more like TV
• Established publisher brands are looking to develop TV properties
• Web properties want to be more like TV
• Demand for TV ads isn’t going away, but they will need to evolve-shorter,
more interactive, etc.
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/2660/internet-media-
will-be-television.html
73. 35. Customer Service
Returns
• Companies will pay more attention to customer service in 2011
• They will remember what a powerful differentiator it can be if its done right
• It won’t all be about people, but the unison of people, technology and self-
service to deliver excellence
• Reference: http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2011/01/next-generation-
check-in-qantas.html
75. 36. Brand Educators
• People are keen to learn new skills and
learn about new things?
• Could you brand help them to become
better drivers, cooks, mothers, fathers,
athletes?
• How can a brand go beyond information
and educate instead?
77. 37. Banking
Revolutionized
• Look out for the launch of start-up
BankSimple
• This company is trying to challenge the
status-quo of traditional personal banking
• Its focus will be on customer service
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/article/2658/changing-the-face-of-
banking.html
79. 38. Curators Rule
• The role of the curator will become even
more important
• They will help select music, food, fashion
• They will have their own stores,
restaurants, web experiences
• They will have followers and fans
• They will help launch new careers and new
brands
83. 40. Cultural Cage
Matches
• The power of two
• The power of juxtaposition
• The power of collaboration
• Bringing the unusual and iconic together
guarantees interesting results
• Think Banksy and The Simpsons
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/
article/2609/expression-of-the-day---cultural-cage-
match-.html
85. 41. Business Intelligence
Revolution
• Think real-time data correlations
• Smart brands will simply become more
intelligent than their competitors
• They will know more, faster and be able to
take competitive advantage
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/article/2597/the-data-intelligence-
87. 42. In Love with Analog
• As the world gets more digital, analog will
become more important
• Old technology will acquire new value and
will return to culture- think Polaroid
• Don’t forget reading real books
• Watch out for new analog experiences-
new book formats and new newspapers
• Look for new technology with old design
cues
89. 43. Power Brands
Unleashed
• Brand owners will wake up
• They will realize the power brands they
have sitting in their portfolios
• They will “shine them up” and unleash
them into new categories and territories
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/article/2588/p-g-s-practical-
91. 44. Sharing Economy
• Forget buying and think renting and sharing
• Car sharing of course, but what about land
and tools?
• People will start thinking about what they
really have to buy
• Reference: http://
www.collaborativeconsumption.com/
93. 45. More Start Arounds
• Tim Armstrong of AOL coined the term
• It’s all about how you take a dying brand and
breathe life into it
• Infuse some of the key elements of discipline of
start-up culture and see if it works
• Others will try it, but success will be hard to
achieve
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/tag/
startaround.do
95. 46. Thought Leadership
Returns
• Nothing wrong with a brand having a POV
and some leadership
• Pepsi- thinking about health, environment
and technology
• Levi’s- rebuilding community- teaching and
educating
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/tag/braddock.do
97. 47. The Rise of Cultural
Change Agents
• Corporate America’s biggest problem is its internal culture
• CEOs will get frustrated with the challenge of cultural change- can’t make
change happen fast enough
• New breed of consultants will emerge to fast-track culural change
• Inspire, inform, give people new codes to work by
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/2538/wanted--cultural-
change-agencies.html
99. 48. Brands will be Real-
Time Relevant
• Brands will need to think in the “now”
• They will have conversational calendars
• They will also be able to respond and
contribute to the conversation
• It’s not about the campaign- it’s about what
you are doing right now
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/
blog/article/2339/a-new-communication-
space.html
101. 49. Work Will be Re-
Invented
• Everything is up for grabs
• What the office looks like
• What constitutes a productive meeting
• How we collaborate
• How we use technology
• Reference: http://37signals.com/rework/
103. 50. Taste Graphs Matter
• Everyone knows about social graphs, but what
about Taste Graphs
• Can we have a better understanding of what we
might like- based on the experiences of others?
• Take a look at Hunch and see what you learn
about yourself
• Reference: http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/
article/2470/the-taste-graph--the-future-of-
ecommerce-.html