As we hurtle towards the end of the year, overwhelmed with present buying, Christmas parties and end of year admin, I thought we would take some time to reflect on the past year’s highs and lows, trend wise. But, last week it snowed in London (a rare thing) and as children and adults alike, took to the streets to throw snowballs and revel in the quiet, bright light that transcended on the city, it made me re-think.
Living in a city is intense at times and anything that changes the mood is welcome. The pandemic brought a quieter, slower pace, nature was more important and communities came together. Along with the obvious anxiety and health concerns, local shops, neighbours and social services became central to our existence as our lives became focused around a few streets, like living in a village – in the city.
Hop on a bus or a tube into central London and wander (or rather weave in and out of hundreds of people) down Regent Street and one couldn’t be further away from the urban neighbourhoods we Londoner’s call home. When out-of-towners come to the city, they visit central London and can’t comprehend how normal people live here. Fact is, they don’t, they visit central London, but they live in one of the many boroughs – each with it’s own identity – that make up the city.
Along with amazing history, culture and diversity, one can’t ignore to the hardship, loneliness and inequality that surrounds us. City living can be frustrating and difficult, but also life enhancing, bringing all kinds of emotions to the surface on a daily basis.
Walking down Carnaby street looking at the Christmas lights, cycling through Ridley road market enjoying the banter between the stall holders and the old ladies buying their ox tongue, and seeing the way my community has come together to get presents for local kids and collect for the food bank – have all made me feel emotional over the past few weeks. As well as taking part in our local pantomime which could not have been more fun and emotional – and tiring – but the chance to wear a Cruella De Vil wig for five days non-stop, more than made up for the lack of sleep.
Living in the real world versus the virtual world can be something of a dilemma – especially if you are a parent and see how technology is affecting your children. We have talked a lot about AI and the Metaverse in 2022 and many have heralded these new ways of connecting as the next big thing. There is no doubt, there is huge potential for change through technology (not all of it good), but how we use it will be key to its success.
After seeing the Abba Voyage show recently, which was mind blowing, I was aware that something was missing from the experience. Although the band looked incredibly life-like, their eyes were dead and their mouths moved weirdly. I tried not to be cynical, but after a few days, I realised what it was. Live music involves an exchange of emotion between the act and the audience that creates a visceral experience, impossible to experience unless you are actually there. Like a football match, or a party (no-one felt anything but frustration trying to have a party on the House Party App did they) it’s about being in the moment and feeling all the feelings. We could see and hear Abba but we couldn’t feel them.
Some Trend Forecasters would have you believe that there is a lot of methodology and science behind what we do. Yes, there is often data to back-up an idea – but that usually means it has already happened or is currently happening – and that’s more about tracking, than forecasting. Predicting the future is about getting to the heart of what makes people tick, what drives them to behave in a certain way and ultimately what taps into their emotions.
We are a close team who share what we think and feel on a regular basis. Many of our conversations – ranging from what’s on at the National Theatre to Julia Fox‘s latest outfit – start with “I feel like“. Over time we have come to trust our feelings and let our intuition lead us into the future. The older members of the team also have history and context to add and the younger members are tapped into the newest and most directional ideas.
As numbers, data and algorithms increasingly drive business decisions, there is a greater need for creativity and intuitive thinking in our industry, and we are determined to continue to be interested and interesting, future-facing and focused on emotion. Feeling all the feelings and making sense of them, is what we do.
In the words of Edward De Bono…
“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns“.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and an amazing 2023.
Love Jane and all of the USP Team x
