Dentsu launched its inaugural consumer vision research report on March 4, 2021.
As the world tries to grapple with the turmoil of the past year, from global health and supply chain crisis, environmental disasters, to political upheavals and social justice, we seek to understand the long-term consumer trends and chart what the brands and marketers must master today to thrive in the brave new world.
The research is based on in-depth interviews with a panel of 20 world-renowned futurists, academics, authors and experts; multiple proprietary consumer surveys from more than 20 countries; a comprehensive technological patent and innovation scan of the next decade; and extensive secondary research and case study analysis. It is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand consumer behavior and the implications for brands through to 2030.
“My hunch is that we are going to see a new stock market in the next decade, which measures factors besides only economic growth and profit.”
Gerd Leonhard, futurist and author
The output of the research provided a new perspective on the drivers of long-term, sustainable brand growth. It identified four over-arching themes that will shape the next ten years in terms of consumer behavior and brand response. Each is underpinned by three key trends and proposes a variety of recommendations for brands across each trend. Together, these can help brands develop what we call ‘inclusive intelligence’—the ability to incorporate new views, values and behaviors into their value proposition against a backdrop of widening inequality, societal dislocation and ethical complexity.
“In the future inequality will happen not because of money but because of gene editing, where we have super humans who will be able to afford to get the best traits and the others that don’t.”
Victoria Alonsoperez, tech entrepreneur
The four macro themes are: universal activism, synthetic society, bigger bolder brands and the human dividend. The report also included an imagined pathway with hypothetical key events between now and 2030, to illustrate how we may get there.
Building inclusive intelligence starts with superior consumer understanding. Since last year, dentsu Americas’ strategy team has been tracking consumer sentiment and behavior on a weekly basis and publishing a series of consumer trend reports to help brands navigate the turbulence. The launch of our first Consumer Trends report is another milestone and an invitation to continued conversations, debates and exploration of our shared future.
We believe only by understanding humans, learning from the past and constantly looking forward, can we make meaningful progress within our business, our industry and our society.