December 2023
Looking back to see further
Some of us are old enough (and ugly enough, as the saying goes) to see trend cycles coming back. Meaning, the way we wear our jeans today is the same as 20 years ago. Baggy. While most of us are thankful the skinny jeans era is over - for now - we are amused by the reinterpretation of a trend from the past in today’s life.
So let’s look back, and see if we can envision our future through the past.
MUST-READS
Is Spotify dead?
Remember when burning a CD was an act of love? When iPod battles were a thing? When we hung out at record stores instead of our parents’ basement?
Without (fairly paid) artists, what is Spotify?
Hype words. In 2022, it was the Metaverse. In 2023, was the year of AI. What lingo will the year of the Dragon bring? Our answer: creativity!
Tech tools are increasingly accessible and free up some space for real value creation. We therefore envision 2024 will be about building on all great technologies that have been thrown at us, and moving away from AI Hallucinations and generic productions and using what we do best to rise above a sea of sameness.
2024 will be the year of creativity.
Social commerce is the future
We love geeking about different market reactions to a phenomenon (that’s the beauty of having boots on the ground in Asia, Europe and North America). Social commerce is one of those phenomena we like to track. In a nutshell, Asia created it, Europe rejected it, North America carefully embraced it. We however see an uptick in some European countries (welcome to the future 😉) and China has pushed live streaming to a whole new level (3 seconds per article, for 8h straight, what?).
We’ll be bold here and say no matter where your market is, social commerce is not a thing from the past, it’s rather the opposite. B2C brands should strategize the integration of social commerce to stay top of mind and seduce those Z’s.
SNAPSHOT
A timeless classic or a symbol of premiumization?
We helmed a mouthwatering photoshoot in Beijing for Bridor. Tell me how you perceive macarons, and I’ll tell you where you’re from.
A classic pastry → Europe
A premium sweet → China
BY THE NUMBERS
52%
Is living in the moment overrated? About half of the consumers indulge when they feel nostalgic.
EARWORTHY
An unlikely controversy
An incredible (and true) story, starring some of our beloved artists from the 80’s & 90s: Kenny G and Jackie Chan. An unlikely controversy, taking place in Hong Kong.
