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Consumer Engagement
5
Smart Teens
Today’s teenagers are dynamic, digital, agile and
adaptive individuals who have grown up with
accessible, portable technology at their fingertips.
Instant access to a vast wealth of information –
and opportunities – has furnished them with an
entrepreneurial spirit and a ‘just do it’ attitude to
life. Smart teens are proving themselves as major
players across virtually every consumer industry.
In a post-acquisitive era – where luxury products
and experiences are being redefined – food has
become the new cultural capital. From thrill-seeker
dining to eating-and-tweeting, millennials are leading
the way. Food start-ups that harness technology
and sustainable ideologies are rethinking traditional
production and distribution systems.
The decline of the conventional family unit has
spurred new templates for living.
Single households reflect society’s cult of the
individual, while multi-generational co-habitation is
symptomatic of economic challenges and an ageing
society. These revised set-ups generate demand for
evolved consumer products and services that offer
acute personalisation and a user-centred approach
to design.
Fresh approaches to spirituality are emerging as
individuals seek purpose in their lives, as well as
respite from the frenetic pace of modern society.
To this end, contemporary spiritual leaders, thought-
provoking academies and even intense sports
regimes provide a sense of belonging and community.
Thoughtful brands are tuning into this and building
thought leadership and authentic community
experiences into their strategies.
The rules of design are changing. Innovations such
as 3D printing are putting design skills in the hands of
consumers and disrupting traditional manufacturing
processes. Open-source designing and hacking
widen the potential for a design revolution
further still.
A growing number of consumers are seeking
uncomplicated products and objects with minimal
aesthetics – a kind of quiet design. These products
can create an emotional connection with the
consumer through use of traditional techniques and
materials. Designers are reusing common materials
with imperfect aesthetics to highlight authenticity.
Technology and the real world are merging
and connecting. New products embedded with
technology are changing how we communicate,
interact with things, and view the outside world.
The interface between analogue and digital is also
generating a new aesthetic, characterised by web-
driven visuals and computer-generated
production techniques.
It’s time to rethink what can be precious. Using
overlooked and recycled materials, blended with
technology and reinvented with purpose, precious
products can drive a new future for luxury.
The Brand of Me is a Stylus term that highlights how
brands can utilise new technologies to wrap their
experience around the consumer. It encapsulates
how consumers are transitioning into producers and
sellers in their own right. In the media and marketing
worlds, the Brand of Me captures how consumers
now expect a cross-platform brand narrative that can
begin and end anywhere.
Advertising and marketing roles are being redefined
in the drive to engage through content and multi-
media experiences. Newsjacking – the current buzz
trend in advertising – is encouraging brands and
agencies to work in a more agile manner, more like a
newsroom, to reach consumers in real time.
Retail, which has sometimes seen digital commerce
as a potential threat, is now embracing the
possibilities of technology in reinventing the shop
space. The new focus is on entertaining, amazing
and seeking convergence between bricks-and-
mortar stores and online. And edutainment – in
which stores become locations for consumers to
learn – offers a world of opportunities for brands to
offer added value to consumers.
Women are taking the lead online and a new
language of femininity is developing. Stylus
detects a shift in attitude towards a more feminised
world picture, with empathy at its core. Gender
stereotypes – for both men and women – are being
challenged by consumers and more forward-thinking
brands.
Executive Summary