TREND VS TRENDY:  Why It's important toUnderstand the Difference By Irma Zandl, President The ZandL Group www.zandlgroup.com

Furniture World Magazine

A trend is driven by demographics, lifestyle, technology - it moves forward steadily and relentlessly.  It provides the foundation for building businesses and new brands/categories. Trendy phenomenon or fads - often seem to spring up overnight, burn intensely and then die out just as rapidly e.g. scooters, swing dancing, gin martinis.  "trendy" looks good but generally does not fit into the pattern of people's lives. Examples of trend vs. trendy: TREND Living large is a trend, e.g. 60 percent of Americans are now overweight; this is becoming a global trend with over one billion adults overweight and 300 million obese.  Implications: for fashion retailers (e.g. in the US, the only apparel category with increasing sales is the large size sector) designers of furniture, cars, airplane interiors, restaurant chairs have to rethink sizing to accommodate the growing girth of consumers (young and old). big food:  the new tobacco.  Packaged goods food companies and fast food restaurants are finding themselves in the crosshairs as lawyers move from tobacco to food.  Food manufacturers will need to rethink ingredients, manufacturing, positioning, advertising.  Also represents opportunities for "fresh, healthy food" sector e.g. subway, baja fresh. TRENDY Swing was a trendy phenomenon a few years ago in the US.  The gap very successfully tapped into this with their "swing" TV campaign but they cleverly avoided creating the kind of retro clothes that the hipsters were wearing to swing dance events. Implications: using what is "trendy" (i.e., of-the-moment) for advertising and promotions can maintain a brand's cool factor.  It is not however recommended that large companies use a "trendy" foundation for new brands or categories unless their business model allows for a very short lifecycle. TREND DIFFUSION: the new paradigm The paradigm has shifted from the pyramid to the Petri dish model. The pyramid model built on the theory that trends trickle down from the top of the pyramid (where the trend elite is the first to be involved) has become largely irrelevant - especially for mass-market products.  However, many companies still operate as if this was the best way to move their brands to the mainstream Å] generally with unhappy results. Examples: the Ford Focus marketing plan was built on this theory and including giving cars to stylists and dj's in the hope that this would give the focus some cachet. We have yet to meet a single young adult who considers the Focus cool or aspirational.  The recently released Toyota Scion is following a similar path and will undoubtedly wind up with similarly unremarkable results. The Petri dish model of trend diffusion is built on the theory that trends spread organically, e.g. "eastern/Asian" is a growing trend in the US as well as in Europe. Examples would include entertainment like pokemon and dbz, movies like crouching tiger, foods like sushi and Thai, beverages like green tea, people feng shuing their homes and offices, martial arts, yoga, bamboo decorations.  We've been strongly influenced by Japan and china, and the newest in the US and Europe is India.  One development influences the next. TRENDSETTERS,  who are your brand ambassadors? The trendsetter model, similar to the model for trend diffusion, has been changing noticeably. Key trendsetter groups today: 1. hipsters: these are the "cool" Indy types that marketers frequently assume they need to target as a first step in making their product aspirational for the mainstream.  Most of the time, this ends up in failure, e.g. Levi's (targeting hipsters has lost the company 50 percent of its market share over the last five years).  The hipster group is recommended only for esoteric niche products that have limited appeal to mainstream tastes.  Do not assume that this group's endorsement of your product will guarantee mainstream adoption. 2. Celebs, especially accessible ones, can take a brand to sizzling new heights. Examples: the Cadillac Escalade, given a jump start by its popularity amongst rap stars, e.g. ludicrous.  MTV's cribs show has had a major impact on what young people buy. Nike's air force ones have taken off because of Nelly's song Patron tequila took off after tom cruise drank it in vanilla sky (movie) 3. popular/ outgoing types - these are generally the more socially adept, good looking, more affluent people who have the financial means and confidence to adopt new looks or brands, e.g. Abercrombie & Fitch was propelled to success by them several years ago.  4. buffs/whizzes: the "go-to" people who are passionate about cars, technology, food, restaurants Å] whatever.  They are generally known by their peers as the experts Å] the people you check with because they've done all their homework.  They are particularly key to non-impulse categories that require research and a sizeable monetary investment like cars, computers, videogame systems. In underestimating the power of this group, marketers do themselves a great disservice because this segment is on the forefront of important movements and trends that the mainstream does adopt. For example: street racing and tricking out cars organic foods online shopping online gaming About The Zandl Group, New York City, provides trend analysis and marketing direction for manufacturers and advertising agencies, including The Coca-Cola Company, Bacardi-Martini, General Motors and IPG.   The Zandl Group also publishes THE HOT SHEET, a bi-monthly trend report covering developments in the youth market, including lifestyle, entertainment, fashion, food and beverages. Visit: www.zandlgroup.com