How Businesses Can Make the World a Better Place
Conscious BrandsSpring 2013
8 Exponential Trends That Will Shape Humanity
6 of 8
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"Companies can't hide anymore”
- Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's
We live in a time of great abundance and unparalleled possibilities fueled by
exponential growth from the impact of technology. Our job at sparks & honey is to
understand the accelerators, balancers and patterns that are driving exponential cultural
change in the near term and foreseeable future. Our team of cultural strategists and
curators works with leading brands and thought leaders to apply these trends and use them
as a catalyst for disruptive innovation.
We eat culture for breakfast in order to understand the value of emerging fringe signals,
cultural shifts and explosive doubling patterns. While monitoring thousands of inputs
and mapping and scoring them, we have identified 8 rapidly accelerating trends that will
shape institutions, governments, businesses and everyday consumers.
We have consolidated these trends into short vignettes in order to share a curated snapshot
of what will either create great opportunities or unexpected challenges. This report
covers Conscious Brands. We hope you engage us in the debate and exploration of how
these exponential trends will shape your business and the world.
Please enjoy and share this fifth of eight free reports. The discussion will also continue in our
core social channels - @sparksandhoney, www.bigthink/blogs/amped and
www.facebook.com/sparksandhoney.
Our blind spot comes from the fact that we have lived in a linear world.
But today’s changes are exponential.
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Exponential
Linear
1. Century of City States
2. Future of Education 4. 3D Printing3. Citizen Doctor
7. Ancient Wisdom 8. Cyborg Marketing6. Conscious Brands
Conscious BrandsPart 6 in the Series: 8 Exponential Trends That Will Shape Humanity
5. Quantified Everywhere
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1. Conscious Brands
In a world where everyone knows everything, there is no room for secrets. As social media and a hyper-connected populace demand accountability from the brands they support, companies need to have a higher purpose above profits.
With the understanding that everything is connected, conscious consumers and businesses are making sure that every stakeholder is treated fairly; a shift is underway from “me” to “we”.
Conscious Brands
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72% of consumers would recommend a brand that adheres to a higher purpose beyond just profit.
- goodpurpose 2012 report
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Business as if People Mattered: Increasingly, consumers care about where their goods come from, how workers are treated, and if the products they buy are sustainable. Brands have taken this to heart, embracing some version of Whole Food’s CEO John Mackay’s principles of “Conscious Capitalism.” Other businesses, such as Sweetgreen and GoBank.com, have adopted a “pay what you wish” transaction model that museums have relied on for years.
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Not Every Decision is an Economic Decision: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has attracted notice from the blogosphere following a shareholder meeting recently during which he inadvertently waded into political waters by rebuking an opponent of same sex marriage. Google also garnered positive sentiment and buzz from slipping a gay right’s message into the video embedded into its Mother’s Day homepage picture.
conscious brands
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Reduce. Repair. Reuse. Recycle: Patagonia’s Common Threads initiative encourages consumers to buy less and recycle more, while simultaneously boosting the longevity (and shareability) of their products.
conscious brands
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142 Years of Social Entrepreneurship: The Indian multinational conglomerate TATA is a pioneer when it comes to stakeholder welfare. The company culture promotes social good and employee welfare, going so far as to give hundreds of millions of dollars in support to the families of victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
conscious brands
Give Back to the Community: Some brands foster one-for-me-one-for-you consumption. For example, Naked Juice donates 1 pound of fresh produce to an underserved community for every $1 off coupon downloaded. The Millennial generation is especially drawn to brands which demonstrate social accountability. image source
conscious brands
25%of Americans are consumers of goods and services focused on healthy, the environment, social justice, personal development
and sustainable living.source: LOHAS Journal
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Decisions Based On Love, Not Fear: Kip Tindell’s philosophy of business is very straightforward: treat people well, and the rest takes care of itself. For The Container Store, putting people first begins with employees. “One of our Foundation Principles is 1 great person = 3 good people.”
conscious brands
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Companies that Practice "Conscious Capitalism" Perform 10x Better-
Tony Schwartz
700%
600%
500%
400%
300%
200%
100%
0%
-100%3 yrs 5 yrs 10 yrs
Investment Performance of Stakeholder-Centered Companies
S-C firms
S&P 500
conscious brands implications Communicate the “Why” Not the “What”: Conscious marketing begins with a business moving from a sole focus on corporate profits to a belief that an organization can achieve something larger than making money. In the past, brand communications focused on “what the product is,” but this is shifting. Consumers are seeking a higher brand purpose beyond “reasons to believe,” forcing brands to articulate “why” they exist. Marketers are challenged with defining why that company exists and how it makes a positive difference in the world.
Embrace Oneness With A Whole Ecosystem Approach: Conscious Consumers recognize that all things are connected: they think of life as layers of “ecosystems.” Consequently, a marketer’s job is becoming more complex, managing dynamic “brand ecosystems,” as well as the brand’s impact on suppliers, stakeholders, employees, customers, community and the world at large. Additionally, anticipate that brand “touch-points” (one-way) are replaced by brand “engagement points” (two-way and interactive), bringing brands closer to consumers.
Be More Than Relevant, Be Present: Brands need to evolve or they will die. This requires companies to constantly reflect and assess where they are. In order for brands to keep up with changing consumer demands, they need to stay in tune with the day-to-day conversations of customers and other stakeholders. In addition, brand managers increasingly need to be fluent in culture and trends in order to have the contextual intelligence to navigate a brand.
OUTsumers Demand Transparency: In an on-demand HiDef world filled with always-on information channels, privacy commands a premium. Americans who share too much (we’re a “TMI nation”) are like “open APIs” are evolving from CONsumers to live-out-loud “OUTsumers.” The ante has been upped and manufacturing and distribution transparency are now table stakes. Brands will increasingly open up about their practices as they learn that the truth always find its way out.
Implications
Job of the Future?Conscious Leaders Holding MBCs, Not MBAsA degree of the future, the “Masters of Business and Consciousness” (MBC), offers would-be executives a more holistic, well-rounded worldview than an MBA. Students who seek a MBC degree will learn to consider “oneness” (how our world is completely interconnected) along with business, empathy, and conscious capitalism principles to create winning strategies for all stakeholders.
p.
Conscious Brands Topic Clusters Content
NetworkTopic
Cluster Manifestation
Millennials Spur Capitalism With a
Conscience
EKOCYCLE
Stocksy, A Co-op That Puts Artists (And Quality) Before Profits
How to Change the Fashion Industry? Ditch the 'One for
One' Model
Social Entrepreneurship With Grandma
Companies that Practice "Conscious Capitalism" Perform 10x Better
H&M Launches New Conscious Partywear
Collection
Starbucks CEO Tells Shareholders To Invest Elsewhere If They Don't Like Company's Stance on Gays
Net Zero Energy Retail Store by Walgreens.
Naked Juice Coupons Give Back 1lb of Produce to People in Need
Walmart's Next Big Move
Google Unveils Plans For New Campus Complex
Mindfulness Making its Way Into the Mainstream
SPE Certified
This Super Local Brooklyn Whole Foods Will Have A 20,000-Square-Foot Rooftop Greenhouse
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Local Sourcing
StakeholderFocusedBusinessLocal
Sourcing
Mind-Body Balance
ValuesBeyond Profit
Brand Permaculture
CONSCIOUS BRANDS
LIFE LOGIC
ONENESS
MORAL IMPERATIVE
ECO-BOOSTERING
LOCAL PATRIOT
NEW COMMERCIAL
MODELS
At sparks & honey we track and analyze thousands of cultural data sources in real time, incorporating live data feeds from numerous APIs as well as hundreds of offline sources. Using a proprietary Culture Mapping Platform, we monitor cultural bursts, identify clusters of activity and trends, score their energy levels, project their lifespans and analyze their cultural resonance. This intelligence helps brands understand and connect with popular culture in order to make more strategically informed business decisions.
Our platform incorporates three different frameworks to structure and contextualize raw data:
CONTENT NETWORKS
ENERGY SCORE&
PREDICTION SCORE
DNA
A mapping system used to model dynamic, interconnected webs of cultural activity.
The Energy Score is rated on a scale of 1-5. It reflects the speed of reach and volume of buzz, and incorporates a ranking of influencer activity that includes reach, resonance and relevance.
A unique set of attributes that describes the core concepts of each trend.
same-sex marriageequalitycorporate supportloveacceptance
ENERGY PREDICTION
The Prediction Score is rated on a scale of 1-40. It reflects anticipated duration of a trend.
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Methodology
1. Century of City States
2. Future of Education 4. 3D Printing3. Citizen Doctor
7. Ancient Wisdom 6. Conscious Brands
5. Quantified Everywhere
Stay tuned for “Cyborg Marketing” the last installment in our “8 Exponential Trends That Will Shape Humanity” series.
Follow us @sparksandhoney to keep up to date with our latest free reports.
8. Cyborg Marketing
Some of the other trends that we are tracking:
Digital DetoxIncognitoLife Logic
New New HollywoodNanotechnology
SnackMediaNew Wave of Big Data
“This Omnicom-backed "newsroom"-oriented agency starts each morning with a cultural briefing for clients such as Hyatt, Jarden and Life is Good, for whom it developed six "culture-to-commerce" T-shirts. In 2013 it grew from two to 17 clients and quadrupled its staff to 20.”
SPARKS & HONEY NAMED AS 1 OF 10 TOP AGENCIES TO WATCH IN 2014 BY ADAGE
1 Sa
Space in the Air
2 St
Shock & Transgress
3 Pl
Play
4 Mm
Memory Management
5 Ab
Absurdism
6 En
Enchanted
7 Rc
Refreshed Classics
8 Cx
Codex
9 Sm
Snack Media
10 Ax
Armchair Explorer
11 Nh
New New Hollywood
12 Bi
Binge
13 Rt
Radical Transparency
14 Ob
Open Brand
15 Pr
Premiumization
16 Le
Life as Entertainment
7 Cc
Convergence Culture
1 Uf
Unfat Generation
2 Nm
New Masculinity
3 Pw
Power Woman
4 Tg
Third Genger
5 Rr
Redefined Retirement
6 Hy
Hyper Culture
8 Ss
Second Skin
9 Si
Singletons
10 Mf
Modern Family
11 Sq
Squealing
12 Ex
Exponentials
13 Ft
Flattening
1 Rt
Real Thing
1 Dd
Data Divinity
2 Sc
Screen Culture
2 H
Hack Design
3 Gc
Geek Chic
4 Te
Ephemeral
5 Ki
Kidult
6 Sm
Small-scaling
Sm 7 Sp
Slow Perception
8 Ti
Tangible Intangible
15 Dc
Decay
9 De
De/re-materialization
D 10 Fh
First Hand Look
11 Ra
Raw
12 Lm
Living Matter
13 Wt
Warm Technology
14 Gl
Glitch
22 72
1972
16 Ne
Neo-psychedelic
17 Na
Nano World
18 Ma
Mashup
19 Hd
Hand Drawn
20 Ie
Immersive 360°
21 Fl
Flat Design
1 Ic
Icognito
2 In
Inwards
3 Ru
Rurban
3 Ru 4 Us
Made in the USA
5 Ec
Ecoboostering
6 On
Oneness
7 Lw
Living Without
Rs
Restoration
8 9 Ss
Startup Society
10 Mi
Moral Imperative
11 Rb
Rise of the Believer
R 12 Ll
Life Logic
13 Cq
Crowd IQ
14
Provenance
15 Se
Sharing Economy
16 St
Strangify
17 Io
Insumer/Outsumer
13 Mg
Mood Geisting
14 Fq
Focus Quotient
3 Sh
Super Human
4 Qs
Quantified Self
5 Sn
Sensor Network
6 Qe
Quantified Everywhere
7 Fl
Frictionless Life
8 Mg
Mind Gaming
9 Sf
Social Flares
10 We
Wearables
11 Mi
Micro Manufacturing
12 Cs
Cyborg Singularity
S&H CORE OFFERINGS
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INNOVATIONCULTURAL INTELLIGENCE CONTENT & AMPLIFICATION
• Macro Trend Identification & Quantification
• Projecting Segments into the Future (Consumers of the Future)
• Product, Service & Packaging Development
• Business Model Design & Reimagination
• Business Context Analysis
• Futurism
• Whitespace Identification
• Brand/Partner & Acquisition Recommendations
• Social & Cultural Listening
• Competitive Intelligence & War Gaming
• Segment Analysis & Tracking
• Topic Deep Dives
• Event Tracking
• Issue Monitoring
• Real-time Burst identification
• Channel Analysis
• Content & Influencer Strategy
• Editorial & Cultural Calendars
• Pre-Planned (70/30) Content Production - Online and Off Line
• Real-time Content Production
• Real-Time Commerce
• Social Media Content (short and long form) - posts, tweets, vines, videos, blog, etc.
• Community Management
• Influencer Outreach
• Channel Optimization & Fan Base Development
• Analytics & Measurement
• Real-Time Media Amplification
CULTURAL STRATEGY
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SYNCING BRANDS WITH CULTURE