Future Concept Lab

The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption

Francesco Morace, Future Concept Lab, Copenhagen, April 2005
Future Concept Lab A C T I V I T Y 2 0 0 4
Origin
Vision
Mission
Scenarios
Methodology
Mindstyles Program
Happiness Program
Genius Loci Program
Street Signals Program
Cool Hunters
Examples of application
Clients in progress
Future Concept Lab O R I G I N
In the late 80s, in the field of research and advanced marketing there was
emerging the need to work on innovation and the creation of new paths of action
and thoughts, both inside the Research Institutes and Companies.
Future Concept Lab was born out of the intuition to substitute in a certain way the
trends followed passively, with the creation of concepts that are new worlds of
reference that suggest new modes of thinking and behaving.
How the idea of creating Future Concept Lab was born?
(the original name from 1988 till 1995 was Trends Lab)
Future Concept Lab M I S S I O N
The activity of the international observatory, continuously tested, was launched by
Future Concept Lab in the early 90s and has demonstrated to be increasingly
useful and necessary, as an integration to the traditional research outcomes, that
can be strengthened by the data and interpretative hypothesis produced during the
ethnographic observation from below.
What contribution of research, knowledge and
consultancy can we supply to our clients?
Future Concept Lab M I S S I O N
Our challenge is the demonstration that the quality of thinking and the peoples
normal life can be supported and integrated by the creative and innovative activity
of the Companies that follow the 6 R of relational marketing: relevance,
resonance, reciprocity, recognising, and above all the responsibility and the
respect towards the intelligence and the sensibility of people.
What contribution of research, knowledge and
consultancy can we supply to our clients?
www.futureconceptlab.com www.geniuslocilab.com www.mindstylemagazine.com
Future Concept Lab S C E N A R I O S
It is possible to choose the right tools for understanding the signals and the
occasions of the present: the future is today and the traditional scenario-making
takes the risk of being inconclusive and misleading, limiting itself to imagine the
ideas figured today into the future. Our way of working with scanarios is on the
contrary a reconciliation of the markets context with the Companys character,
successfully reaching the definition of concrete indications and hypothesis.
Why dont we believe in traditional scenario-making?
Future Concept Lab M E T H O D O L O G Y
Starting from the concept of strategic innovation, we began to integrate all the
research methodologies used in this challenge and we began to consider the way
that all the disciplines (from sociology to social psychology, from antropology to
semiology) could have an important role, contributing in this direction.
This way we have formed a interdisciplinary and regular group of 20 professionals
that participate in the specific projects: Global Concept Positioning, Trend
Analysis, Company Check up, Genius Loci Profile, Brand Equity Study,
Concept Test, U&A: use and attitude, advertising pre and post test, product test.
In which way is the methodology of FCL different?
Future Concept Lab M I N D S T Y L E S P R O G R A M
for brand positioning
The way we define a brand DNA, its potential target and competition is by employing
a research program called Mindstyles. The program is formed by 16 behavioural
areas devided into 76 concepts related to peoples needs, expectations, imagery,
actions and reactions to the market.
How do we work on brand and its positioning?
Mindstyles Program
Deep & Daily
Banal Extra
Future Concept Lab H A P P I N E S S P R O G R A M
target analysis
In order to understand the life context of the consumers of all ages and social
conditions, we use the international research program dedicated to the happy
moments of daily life, described through photographs and written diaries by the
subjects themselves. The Institute bases its studies on a data base that contains few
thousands happy episodes.
How do different generations behave?
Which are the references and the values?
Future Concept Lab G E N I U S L O C I P R O G R A M
foreign markets analysis
In order to interpret the globalization phenomena in cultural and commercial level,
identifying the threats and the opportunities in each market, we have been following
the evolution of the consumption patterns in 20 countries, underlining the
uniqueness and character of each country and market.
How do global and local meet together?
Which are their dynamics?
Africa
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
China
Holland
Iceland
India
Israel
Japan
Colombia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Russia
Spain
Sweden
UK
Usa
Future Concept Lab G E N I U S L O C I P R O G R A M
foreign markets analysis
In this way, our clients can recieve precise indications for the consumption trends of
the country and the specific market they are interested in, and can define entry
strategies and strengthen their position in the very specific market.
How do global and local meet together?
Which are their dynamics ?
Future Concept Lab S T R E E T S I G N A L S P R O G R A M
consumption trends analysis
Listening to peoples spontaneous messages is the best way to explore the consumer
world and this is also why Future Concept Lab refers to the word societing rather
than marketing.
Is it possible to work on weak signals of change?
Bombay
Boston
Buenos Aires
Cannes
Helsinki
Amsterdam
Anversa
Bangalore
Barcelona
Beijing
Berlin
Bilbao
Brussels
Bogot
Bologna
Hong Kong
Istanbul
Johannesburg
Lisbon
London
Los Angeles
Lubiana
Madrid
Marseilles
Miami
Milan
Montreal
Moscow
New York
Paris
Tel Aviv
Tokyo
Valencia
Vienna
Zagabria
San Francisco
San Paolo
Seoul
Shangai
Sidney
Future Concept Lab S T R E E T S I G N A L S P R O G R A M
consumption trends analysis
In order to give voice to peoples expression of emotions we have been collecting
thousands of images that capture what we call street signals. The spontaneous signs
coming directly from street observation. More than 50,000 high quality images come
from our corrispondants from 40 diffrent cities around the world.
Is it possible to work on weak signals of change?
Future Concept Lab C O O L H U N T E R S
It was back in the 1994 when we started to deploy young professionals and
researchers around the world who would be able to become those highly sensible
antennason a specific territory for us, participating to our projects of observation
and international research. We started with the observation of 5 metropolis
(London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo and New York) and each year ever since we are
inserting new cities up to the present number (40). Therefore, we consider our
correspondents like our windows to the world scene.

What is a cool hunter or a cult searcher?
Future Concept Lab
A cool hunter reads in a spontaneous and direct way Street Signals and Body
Signals, present in a specific city: everything that is fresh and interesting (cool) of
the expressions emerging in daily life, related to the world of young and adults with
a particular attention to the 4 P of new marketing: the people (photos taken in the
streets), the places (as for instance the new stores and bars, described and
photographed), the plans (for instance new cultural tastes, films or magazines of
success, events) and the projects (as for instance the activities of universities and
institutions, during working or leisure time). The cult searcher - older than the cool
hunter whos usually around 25 y.old - are young researchers who work for us not
only for gathering the trendy signals, but also participating to ad hoc projects
that the companies entrust us to bring in conclusion.
How does a cool hunter or a cult searcher work?
C O O L H U N T E R S
Convivial and Shared Consumption
Arche-typical Consumption
Transitive Consumption
Consumption as Vital Memory
Consumption for Occasions
Decontractive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Sharing experiences of life and
consumption becomes a priority for a
number of people.
Also in the domestic environment and
living, one searches for the new
balance that can be struck between
subjectivity and sociality, between
personal consumption and shared
fruition, between customisation and
elective affinities, between new
manifestations and tribalism and an
ancient sense of community.
Convivial and Shared Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Convivial and Shared Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Oki-Ni is a unique concept of showroom. Located in the very
heart of Londons fashion area (Old Bond Street), its a place were
people can see and touch products that are sold exclusively on-
line. Each product is unique and comes from the partnership of
Oki-Ni with famous brands, such as Adidas, Evisu, Levis.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Oki-Ni Oki-Ni
Convivial and Shared Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Spamshirt is an original project of collaboration between
customers and producers. Their T-shirts are decorated with
sentences taken from the bothering spam E-mails. People can
send their favourite sentences and receive them as clothes at
home.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Spamshirt Spamshirt
Arche-typical Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Refers to everything that originates and develops in history, that
repeated experience of a people, a country or nation. In this
perspective tradition and typicality, radication and radicality, more
than phenomena of consumption, demonstrate themselves to be
powerful signals of a new mentality that is making a great deal of
headway in the advanced societies in which the force of
character is emerging.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Arche-typical Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Tangible excellence
The quality essence, the tangible excellence of the
uniqueness, are enjoyed in a close proximity with the
product and its imagery.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Arche-typical Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Sardinian designer Antonio Marras is the new designer at Kenzo.
In the past seasons, he showed a new concept of ethnic style,
mixing up different kinds of textile traditions, with fabrics from all
over the world and local manufactures.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Kenzo Kenzo
Arche-typical Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
The Italian tradition of shoemaker Pollini has recently met the
creativity and craftmanship of Rifat Ozbek. The result is a style
made of different European times and spaces, with quotations of
different ethnicities and fashion decades.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Pollini Pollini
Transitive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
With this trend can be underlined the
role that a product can play in filling a
transitional space in which the
individual ask for an affective
compensation through objects, that
enables him to re-estabilish a relation
of trust with the outside world, a
sphere that otherwise proves to be
complex and alienating.
In this context, the dream-space and
the experience that the subject makes
use of a shared playful dimension,
become the engines for new forms of
consumption.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Transitive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Shift Generations
The universality of the transitive
object makes it possible to cross ages
and identities.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Transitive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Contemporary Classics
The contiguity of the future of an object with its past
enable it to become a contemporary classic, regardless of
gender and of its market context.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Muji Emporio Armani
Transitive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Munich is a well known brand among soccer players, both
indoor and outdoor. For the launch of the leisure line, they
decided to focus on a few styles, but with a wide range of
playful colours. In terms of target, there is no distinction of
gender and ages.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Munich
Consumption as Vital Memory
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Reflects peoples desire to constantly
reprocess their own personal
experience, to not look at the past as
simply a reservoir of memories, but
also a rich terrain to be rediscovered in
terms of stimulation, inspiration and
creativity. Through the imagination and
vital re-elaboration of memory and
lasting past, the consumer can become
familiar easier to the idea of the idea of
change.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Consumption as Vital Memory
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Blend Vision
References and inspirations of the past
are re-employed in a different way,
generating new syntheses.
Miu Miu Herms Casadei
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Consumption as Vital Memory
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Multi-Layered Personality
Multi-Layered Personality: eclecticism and an
intuitive and combinatorial capacity that mixes
mental skills and open-mindedness.
Yoox Madonna
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Consumption as Vital Memory
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Aquascutum and Pringle of Scotland are two traditional British
brands, with a long history of style and elegance. In the past few
years, in different ways, they have both pursued an innovation
based upon the re-design of their icons, such as the trench or the
Scottish check.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Aquascutum Pringle of Scotland
Consumption as Vital Memory
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Giles Deacon and Sophia Kokosalaki are considered to be
among the most creative designers of their generation. They are
innovative in terms of design, but they always pay homage to the
tradition of their Countries: Deacon revitalises the Victorian style,
while Kokosalaki is often inspirred by ancient Greek costume.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Giles Deacon Sophia Kokosalaki
Consumption for Occasions
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
The lifestyle is being replaced by life-
occasions that becomes an
increasingly important requirement for
the people.
Therefore it is necessary to identify
new occasions or re-interpret the
existing occasions. The new occasions
of consumption become the new
grammar that assigns a major role to
novelty, curiosity and everyday
happiness.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Consumption for Occasions
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Friday Style
Inventing Rites
Creating new occasions that become new rites, that
consolidate the mechanisms of membership and
belonging.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Consumption for Occasions
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Brixwear 1000 is a T-shirt conceived by American designer Tomi
and sold on-line. Thought for iPod Shuffle users, this product uses
a magnetic clasp system to secure it to the shirt. The first
production of 300 units was sold in only 18 minutes.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Brixwear 1000
Consumption for Occasions
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Serpica Naro made a sensation during the last Milan Fashion
Week. Though she was in the official calendar, the mysterious
Japanese designer does not exist. The catwalk and the collection
actually exist, but they are made by people belonging to the No
Global movement and are intended to be a protest against the
fashion system.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Serpica Naro
Decontractive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
The new concepts of relax and
serenity become of major importance
in terms of consumption.
In this case the quality of the space,
place and body form the base of the
experience, a starting point for those
who want to decontract the everyday
life muscles and find a new balance
in terms of life quality.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Decontractive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Vuitton Lazy Afternoon
Absolute Comfort
the priority of comfort in the
everyday life usage.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Decontractive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
The footwear industry is increasingly focused on
comfort and relax issues. From Spain to Australia,
Camper and UGG based their recent success on their
added value of physical and mental decontraction.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Decontractive Consumption
The 6 trends of Emerging Consumption
Car Shoe is renowned for shoes that make driving
more comfortable and safe. In the past few seasons
they launched a new line of more formal shoes,
keeping in mind their leadership in the area of comfort.
Convivial
Consumption
Arche-typical
Consumption
Transitive
Consumption
Consumption as
Vital Memory
Consumption for
Occasions
Decontractive
Consumption
Car Shoe