2. We knew that 2019 wouldn’t be an easy year
and that polarization would mark the agenda
from start to finish. That all the issues would
be divided by the groups on the left and the
right, and that this confrontation would
permeate the social, cultural, environmental
and technological agenda. As we will see in
the report, many of these divisions will
become even more profound.
The years marking the start or end of a
decade tend to be perceived as breaks, and it
is expected that they will represent great
transformations. However, many of the topics
in reports from previous years continue to be
valid: anxiety, the search for truth, single-
person families, and opportunities that arrive
with advances in artificial intelligence and
data. Questioning masculine and feminine
labels also continues to be relevant, as well as
the awareness of using social media more
carefully.
Perhaps the issue in last year’s report that
produced the most headlines was the
environment. We knew that citizens would
take over the leadership of the transformation
of habits and that people (not governments or
NGOs) would be the ones who would
dominate the agenda for change. In 2020, we
will see more vehement statements, marked
also by fear for the planet’s future. It will be a
year that will require a lot of negotiation, dialog
and empathy so as not to add gasoline to the
fire of an already conflictive and difficult world
reality. This is a year that will test our ability to
reconcile.
This is a year to become a better person.
CLASS
OF
2020
3. ENVIRONMENTAL FEAR8
TIME FOR COMPASSION7
SOCIAL FOR REAL6
PRIVATE UNIVERSE5
MONEY REIMAGINED4
MIND RENEWAL3
MAXIMUM IMPATIENCE2
IMPOSSIBLE NEUTRALITY1
THE 8 FOR 2020
4. The American presidential race will greatly mark
the global environment and will irradiate the
political and economic climate around the world. It
will not only be a confrontation between the two
parties, but for the first time in recent history, it will
be a campaign preceded by the president’s
impeachment. This will make public opinion feel
even more pressured to move toward one side or
the other. And although signs of exhaustion and
the search for more center-leaning positions
(particularly in the nomination of the Democratic
candidate) are beginning to appear, 2020 will
certainly be a year of great confrontation.
One of the most complex factors will continue to
be the issue of truth, which, as we have seen, has
been weaponized. For some people,
‘disinformation’ should have been the word of the
year that just ended. Most of all, because it’s a
good prediction of what is to come.
1. IMPOSSIBLE NEUTRALITY
Last year, we understood that being neutral
was impossible. Truth no longer meant
objective facts but was the product of many
possible interpretations. In 2020, new ways to
fact-check will arise, in a necessary search for
truth. In a world of factions, individuals,
brands and institutions will end up choosing
sides.
5. As we saw in recent years, with their
enthusiastic use of social media, it is the
citizen who is spreading and giving diffusion
to fake news. In 2020, we will see new
initiatives to teach citizens to fact-check
information before copying it, but, above all, to
understand that sources are not necessarily a
guarantee of truth in a society where we all
seem to have one side or another.
The problem is that identifying what is true
and what is false is increasingly more
complex. A year ago, we discussed the risk of
software tools that allow the very accurate
creation of any well-known person’s voice and
images, to manipulate their message. In 2020,
we’ll hear a lot about these ‘deepfakes’. In fact,
Facebook, as well as non-profit organizations,
are creating tools to detect this type of content
in order to warn users before they spread it.
But perhaps the greatest impact that all this
will have will be the inability to remain neutral.
The Economist says that in 2020, due to
pressure from citizens, we will see CEOs of
major corporations end up commenting on
issues with political implications. This
practice, which breaks a tradition of corporate
neutrality, will generate much discussion and
the great risk of being judged.
It will be citizens, through their attitudes and
wallets, who will put the most pressure on
them to choose a side. A study by Morning
Consult showed that 29% of consumers would
boycott by no longer purchasing brands due to
a political position they did not agree with. At
the same time, 15% said that they would
“buycott,” namely, they would buy a brand only
because it took a political position matching
their own view. So, in 2020 things won’t be
easy for neutrality and truth.
FOR BRANDS:
Many have said that we’re in the era of
‘marketing with a purpose’. One year
ago, a study produced by Accenture
determined that 62% of consumers
wanted companies to take a position on
social, cultural, environmental and
political issues. In 2019, many did so,
with generally positive results, even
though they ran great risks. The most
important thing is not just what flag to
take up, but, above all, how and when
to do it. Many brands have seen that
timing and form (leading by example,
doing it in a humble tone…) is key to
gaining credibility and transforming an
ideological point of view into a deeper
emotional connection with their
consumers.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/fakenewsfight
http://bit.ly/disinformationword
http://bit.ly/deepfakefb
http://bit.ly/mixingpolitics
http://bit.ly/boycottbuycott
http://bit.ly/purposemkt
6. 9
Technological transformations have influenced
many of our attitudes and behaviors. Devices have
become a tool to manage anxiety and have shown
us that almost everything can be obtained in real
time. With self-checkout registers or even stores
without cash registers, we have learned that there
is no reason to stand in line. According to a study
produced in the United Kingdom, the time we are
willing to wait for a page to load or for a product
we purchased online to arrive in the mail is shorter
and shorter. Three companies (one of them will
begin sales in 2020) are working on offering cars,
like drones, that transport people. So the flying car
(‘urban air mobility’) will be the antidote to the
impatience traffic jams generate in us.
One of the phenomena which marked 2019 were
the demonstrations led by youth who feel
economically and politically frustrated, and who
want to fight for a world with more equality and
less corruption.
2. MAXIMUM IMPATIENCE
With the demonstrations and protests that
have plagued the planet, we have understood
that we are facing citizens who want changes
and transformations. But, most of all, they
want it all now. Without waiting for the regular
channels, democratic processes, without
taking the time for reconciliation and
negotiation. We want everyone to move at the
same speed to which technology has
accustomed us. The inability to wait will
generate many tensions in this new year.
7. But perhaps the most important feeling that we
got from those social mobilizations is that we
are facing a generation that wants changes to
occur much faster, and this involves questioning
principles such as the electoral system or the
separation of powers, which no longer work for
many. We will wonder more and more about the
future of democracy as a system. For issues
requiring emergency measures, going through
the legislative process and different corridors of
power, means that actions are taken very late or
end up being ineffective when attempting to
reconcile different petitions.
Education is another issue impacted by
impatience. 61% of Americans think that higher
education is going in the wrong direction. More
and more, voices are questioning the traditional
systems that involve going through college.
Today’s job environment requires learning skills
much more dynamically. There will be more talk
about ‘microcredentials’ or ‘nanodegrees,” small
certifications on specific skills in a short time.
Traditional universities will continue to be
essential institutions, but many will seek
alternatives to achieve employability in the short
term.
The way we consume content today is perhaps
the clearest example of a world that lives
impatiently. Mostly because the supply is
growing exponentially while people’s time
continues to be a limited resource. The
Japanese colloquial term Tsundoku, used to
express the act of piling up books with the
intention of reading them someday, could also
be used today for the never-ending lists of series
or podcasts that we have pending. According to
a Hubspot study, more than half of people
acknowledge that they skip parts of podcasts,
blogs and online courses. Sometimes it is due to
time limitations, but often, it is because we are
living in an era in which we are not willing to
waste even one second.
FOR BRANDS:
What is predictable in an impatient
world is that brands are working to
shorten the time needed to access,
purchase and deliver their products to
the max. And this is valid. However, we
will again be hearing about ‘delayed
gratification’ which refers to people’s
ability to abstain from what gives them
pleasure in the short term in order to
gain a greater reward in the long term.
In this 2020 dominated by impatience,
there may be bigger profits and
improved emotional connections for
brands which teach their consumers to
control their short-term impulses (for
instance, in categories such as food or
snacks), or wait to spend their money
smarter (in categories such as finance
or tourism, for example).
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/techimpatience
http://bit.ly/urbanairmobilityte
http://bit.ly/democracyissues
http://bit.ly/dissatisfieddemocracy
http://bit.ly/doubtsuniversity
http://bit.ly/disruptionuniversity
http://bit.ly/skimcontent
http://bit.ly/delayedgratific
8. Blue Cross Blue Shield published a report a few
months ago on the mental health of millennials.
The diagnosis is particularly alarming. In the last
six years, there has been a 47% increase in the
diagnoses of major-depression. Many think that
the employment issue is one of the main causes of
this fact, which also extends to other population
groups. Forbes recently published a study
affirming that two out of every three employees
experienced burnout in the past year.
Viewing mental health with the same or even more
importance as physical health is one of 2020’s
trends. We will see new ways to ensure that
employees have a better life balance. New
companies have joined the initiative of having
shorter work weeks. Microsoft reported that after
an experiment this past August, in which
employees at its Japanese offices worked only
Monday through Thursday, productivity grew 40%.
3. MIND RENEWAL
Individuals and companies will assign more
importance to mental health, will begin
questioning many of the patterns that have
marked their lives until now, particularly
regarding work. We will see citizens seeking
new ways to reinvent their routine and
escaping from everything that means high
voltage, less ambitious about their
appearance and with better-defined priorities.
9. There is growing interest in ensuring that
bosses and managers take a more humane
approach. One of the best-selling books on
Amazon in 2019 was ‘Radical Candor’ by Kim
Scott, published a couple of years ago and
whose author, after holding leadership
positions at Google and Apple, explains that
the ability to care personally with deep human
feeling, while directly setting challenges for
them, is key for the most successful bosses.
This is a year to question priorities and make
positive life changes. According to
Dictionary.com, ‘existential’ was 2019’s word
of the year. For the most part, due to the
search for a purpose in life. Also due to what
it means to exist and how we want to build
our reality. According to Twitter, posts on
mind and mental health have grown 122% in
the past year, while those discussing about
body and physical fitness have fallen 75%.
The conversation on wellness which for many
years was marked by physical appearance
has been overtaken by rewards with values
that are much more emotional, such as
helping others, self-care or controlling anxiety.
The LSN Global trends portal talks about
‘conscious deceleration’ as one of the key
trends. It says that the increasingly fast-pace,
partly imposed by the desire for a better
appearance and fitness, will make people
explore more measured options, and with a
long-term approach. The Danish term ‘niksen’
which translates as ‘the art of not doing
anything’, will inspire many to take more time
for real rest away from work, physical activity
and all those stimuli that today’s world
imposes on us.
FOR BRANDS:
Although marketing based on the good
employer ratings a company has is not
new, consumers seem to be more and
more interested in purchasing from
those companies that treat their
employees well. The Glassdoor
website, where current and former
employees rate companies’ work
environments, published a study
demonstrating that when employee
satisfaction increases, consumers’
satisfaction also grows. The
correlation between these two
variables becomes an opportunity for
companies to ensure that affection for
the brand is experienced first on the
inside so it can also be strengthened
on the outside.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/millennialsmental
http://bit.ly/forbestwothirds
http://bit.ly/mentalhealthemploy
http://bit.ly/4dayworkweekms
http://bit.ly/twitterwellbeing
http://bit.ly/consciousdeceler
http://bit.ly/dictionaryexistential
http://bit.ly/emplcustomersatisfaction
10. 9
In the year that just ended, the Pew Research
Center conducted a study to understand views on
capitalism and socialism in American society. One
of every three persons has a negative view of the
capitalist system because they say that it only
benefits the few and because its nature is based
on the exploitation of others. Although there are
more people who continue defending the system,
what is certain is that, in those under the age of 29,
socialism is more popular than capitalism. In this
year’s American presidential election, criticism of
capitalism will be a central theme, mainly in
defining the Democratic candidate who will
compete against Trump.
But the discussion will inevitably be global. Pope
Francis is organizing a summit in the Italian town
of Assisi in March under the name ‘Francis’
Economy’ which will have students, professors and
businessmen meet to discuss alternatives to the
free market. It will be a sort of contrast to the
Davos summit, and will certainly generate much
discussion.
4. MONEY REIMAGINED
Many of the factors that have marked the
definition of business success will continue
being reassessed. After a year in which the
share value of some of the most admired
icons of entrepreneurial world went down, the
concept of success in business and in life will
be looked at much more cautiously, and along
with it, making money. Capitalism, with its
virtues and risks will be at the center of the
political and social discussion.
11. Capitalism will not only be questioned by the
Pope or American Democrats. There are
businessmen talking about the subject. In the
year that ended, statements by Ray Dalio,
founder of one of the world’s biggest
investment funds, became popular. He said
that capitalism today no longer works for
most Americans because, in his opinion, it has
not meant real growth.
In 2020, we’ll hear very critical views on the
famous unicorns, those ventures reaching a
billion dollars. According to Time magazine,
many entrepreneurial companies, which until
now had made acquiring a large user base
their priority, will now face much more
cautious investors who will demand
profitability. Likewise, we will hear a lot of talk
about zebras as a figure opposite unicorns.
That is to say, ventures that want to promote a
business culture that is more realistic, but also
more inclusive and ethical, with the goal of
sustainable prosperity based on cooperation
and development of communities where
everyone wins.
In this same context, we will continue hearing
much talk about entrepreneurship as a life
change and a way to repurpose professional
careers. One of 2019’s bestsellers was ‘Don’t
Keep your Day Job’ by Cathy Heller, who has
become famous with her podcast which talks
about how to convert passions into a
profitable business. The creation of audiences
for subjects on which everyone can become
an expert, as well as the ability to make one’s
knowledge profitable can not only make
individuals successful, but also happier. It’s
what some have called the end of the ‘gig
economy’ and the beginning of the ‘passion
economy’. Career reinvention will be a part of
this new world in which money will have a
much broader and diverse meaning.
FOR BRANDS:
One of the trends the Fjord’s 2020 Report
highlights concerns changes in how we
are experiencing our relationship with
money. One of the points it highlights has
to do with how companies outside the
financial world are performing financial
roles. In the year that ended, Apple
launched a credit card which, although it
is issued by Goldman Sachs’ bank,
captured great attention for having been
sold as a card launched by Apple, not by a
bank. Brands could take advantage of
opportunities for innovation with direct
financial services, and furthermore, to get
in sync with the new views on money,
exploring how passion, participation,
sustainability or cooperation can have
real value as part of the transaction.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/capitalismsocialism
http://bit.ly/socialismyoung
http://bit.ly/economyoffrancesco
http://bit.ly/endunicorns
http://bit.ly/zebrasnotunicorns
http://bit.ly/dontkeepdayjob
http://bit.ly/gigtopassioneconomy
http://bit.ly/applecardlaunch
12. One of the issues that will get the most headlines
in 2020 will be privacy. Starting on January 1st,
California implemented the regulation offering
more guarantees to consumers on the data that is
collected on them. This will motivate many
companies to begin applying the same standards
in the rest of the markets where they operate.
This is happening at the same time as two great
currents are rising in the world: While China is
achieving record levels of coverage (200 million
cameras) with over 95% facial recognition
capacity, San Francisco banned the use of this
technology in public surveillance cameras.
Citizens will be in a dilemma. While they will enjoy
being able to make payments or boarding an
airplane by just showing their faces, they will begin
wondering about the risks that being identifiable
anytime, anywhere may bring.
5. PRIVATE UNIVERSE
The world of content, especially video games,
has become a way to build individual
universes. Advances in connectivity will
strengthen the possibilities for the
consumption of more and better content. But
they will also make us wonder about privacy.
Escaping to live on our own islands with a
growing interest in being anonymous.
13. But the debate goes very much beyond the
issue of privacy. We’ll hear talk about the
dangers that artificial intelligence in China’s
hands entails. The popularization of TikTok as
a social network involves the creation and
consumption of a large amount of content in
the West, which is processed by Chinese
algorithms. The coming debate on China’s
impact on technology due to 5G, will mean a
new ‘Cold War’ for many if the United States
and China operate with different platforms,
splitting the world in two technologically.
In 2020, we’ll see citizens increasingly
interested in creating their own worlds.
Facebook’s big bet in 2020 appears to be
Horizon, a universe that emulates ‘Second Life’,
the platform that became popular over a
decade ago, where people could live parallel
lives. Horizon will be a virtual reality space from
Oculus, where people can create their own
avatars, play, compete, get informed and
socialize with other users. These ‘metaverses’
will become more and more popular with
milestones such as Marshmello’s concert,
which more than 10 million Fortnite players
were able to virtually attend last February.
A research study published by Quartz in
November determined that young American
between ages of 18 and 24 spend 70% more
time at home than general population. This is
one of the factors that is driving consumption
of content the most. PwC says that spending
on media and entertainment will grow 5%. The
video game industry is already bigger than the
movie or music industry. That’s why Google
(Stadia) has forcefully entered to compete with
Sony and Microsoft. Amazon will also certainly
do so. In regard to audiovisual content, Disney+
will try to capture more users while Netflix will
seek to retain its base by investing 15 times
more than Disney in the generation of new
content.
FOR BRANDS:
In a world where citizens opt to stay home
to consume the content they like or live in
these new ‘metaverses’, brands have great
opportunities to cover their needs and
wants. For many restaurant or
supermarket chains, home delivery has
become the primary source of sales
growth. At the same time, people’s
interest in growing their own food or
brewing beverages with probiotics for their
own consumption is rising. This is just an
example of the opportunities that now
exist to supply tools, teach and go along
with many citizens’ desire to build their
own universes in their homes, which they
won’t want to leave.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/californiaprivacy
http://bit.ly/chinafacialrecog
http://bit.ly/tiktokrisks
http://bit.ly/horizonfromfb
http://bit.ly/marshmelloconcert
http://bit.ly/youngsathome
http://bit.ly/pwcentertaingrowth
http://bit.ly/stadiaamazonsony
http://bit.ly/disneyvsnetflix
http://bit.ly/growyourownfoodtg
14. 9
In the last decade, social media as a concept was
transformed in many senses. New platforms
arose, creating their niches and displacing
Facebook’s monopoly regarding attention and
interactions. But its definitive transformation has
been to go from being public, mass market and
open to being a more closed interactive space
(messaging rather than posting). In fact,
Instagram announced at the end of the year that it
would conduct an experiment by hiding ‘likes’ for
posts in order to relieve pressure on the
performance of shared content. This, in their
opinion, may mean more postings, so use and
participation increases.
Generation Z, with its interests and lifestyle, is
shaping social media and media in general.
Younger people value authenticity over popularity.
A study published by Inc. demonstrated that only
19% of Generation Z members admire someone
because of the number of followers they have on
their social media.
6. SOCIAL FOR REAL
If the future will be private, as Zuckerberg has
said, social media will keep reinventing itself
to become a much more authentic experience
where real interaction will be more valuable
than vanity metrics. Commerce will be at the
center of priorities and social platforms will
seek to strengthen themselves in each one of
the phases of the ‘journey’ so as to continue
being an indispensable ally for brands.
15. Instead, the overwhelming majority says it
most admires those who demonstrate loyalty
to their values and beliefs. In this sense, as we
have seen in recent years, the figure of the
influencer has evolved. Instead of the
‘microinfluencer’, now we’re increasingly
talking about the ‘nanoinfluencer’. Namely,
those with a small base of followers, whose
credibility rests precisely on the fact that they
are not well known, but have a strong bond
with their audience.
Social media will keep seeking to service each
one of the phases of the consumer journey as
it becomes a more important ally for brands
and advertisers. Video will continue growing
as a format. According to Social Media Today,
81% of businesses that are on social media
use video as part of their media mix. This
represents a 63% increase compared to the
previous year. But what is giving social media
a new look is that it has become an
increasingly more commercial space.
Early last year, Instagram advertised its
‘shoppable posts’ which allow products to be
purchased in the app itself. So the potential
for brands to post their messages, capture
interest and even close the sale is increasingly
greater. In a recent study by Bizrate Insights,
31% of users stated they had made a
purchase through social media, a 45%
increase compared to the previous year. Even
TikTok, which lets brands sponsor challenges
in which users make videos with the brand’s
products, now offers a section where the
products advertised can be purchased. From
communication to interest and to the
purchase, social networks seem to be more
and more a place for tangible, real and specific
things.
FOR BRANDS:
As has occurred other times with the rise
of new platforms, brands that first
venture to experiment on them can
capture the audience’s attention, while
getting emotionally close to the
youngest users. In TikTok’s case, several
brands such as Chipotle, Washington
Post, Kroger or Guess, have managed to
stand out in their categories with videos
using music from well-known songs,
memes or proposing challenges for
users. It has worked for them because
they understood the platform’s language
and entered naturally. In 2020, many
brands could gain by being the first to
experiment with TikTok within their
categories or markets.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/hidinglikesig
http://bit.ly/genzsocialinc
http://bit.ly/nanoinfluencernyt
http://bit.ly/statistasocialpopul
http://bit.ly/socialmediavideostats
http://bit.ly/tiktokcommkroger
http://bit.ly/brandstiktok
16. At a recent conference organized by Kantar
Futures, J. Walker Smith presented very striking
data taken from the U.S. Monitor study: Today
those under the age of 40 are the generation who
say that they feel more isolated, more ignored and
that they lack companionship more. Perhaps for
the first time in history, it is not the elderly who feel
lonely but precisely the young, millennials in
particular. We will hear much talk about
‘sadfishing’ or seeking attention and affection
through messages on social media where moods
are exaggerated so friends and followers offer
their support and company.
In 2020, many will begin to reassess the value of
the pointing finger. We will certainly keep seeing
cases where people are judged for comments or
posts, but many social leaders will invite us to
change that attitude.
7. TIME FOR COMPASSION
Surely as a result of the polarized and
confrontational environment we have lived
through in recent years, we are seeing the birth
of attitudes and initiatives that demonstrate a
spirit of compassion and which seek to restore
the connection between individuals. Solitude
and isolation are spreading like an epidemic in
some segments of the population, which
motivates new ideas for socialization and
support. There will be a constant invitation to
judge ourselves less and help ourselves more.
17. In a video that went viral last October, former
president Obama invited young people to be
less judgmental. He said ‘call-out culture’ is
not activism. He criticized the constant
attitude of finding errors in others. “If all you’re
doing is casting stones, you’re probably not
going that far”, he explained.
Along the same lines, we will hear questioning
of ‘cancel culture’ the attitude of blocking a
user (typically a celebrity) because of some
comment they made. We will begin to
understand that what is ‘canceled’ is not an
account but a person, with the emotional
implications this involves. It’s time to be more
understanding and less aggressive. Last July,
Instagram announced a tool that used
artificial intelligence to alert people when they
were about to post something deemed
offensive so they could reconsider it.
Two of last year’s best-sellers show us
people’s interest in learning how to converse
and solve problems: ‘Why Are We Yelling’ by
Buster Benson discusses the benefits of
learning how to debate, and ‘How to Have
Impossible Conversations’ by Peter
Boghossian is a practical guide to learn how
to achieve reconciliation in a world where it is
hard to avoid confrontation. There will be
greater awareness to plant values such as
compassion in children through education.
We will talk a lot about enjoying moments and
people more than things. The Danish term
‘hygge’ which has become so popular on
social media exactly expresses that idea of
creating enjoyable moments and
environments. It’s time to create positive
atmospheres even in the midst of difficulties
and attacks.
FOR BRANDS:
Although it is not a new topic, there are still
many options for brands to offer their
support on issues as sensitive as ‘bullying’.
Direct invitation toward empathy and
reconciliation can be a great opportunity in
2020. Sprite achieved global recognition
for its ‘I love you hater’ campaign, initially
launched in Argentina with a video in which
victims hug and forgive those who had
bullied them on social media. It’s an
inspiring example on how a commercial
brand can forge a connection with its
consumers by leading this cause. Sprite
also created a campaign with the theme
‘You’re not alone’ which seeks to handle
polemical issues that concern young
people and invites them to chat on Reddit
as a way of offering companionship and
empathy.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/millenniallonelyness
http://bit.ly/sadfishingbbc
http://bit.ly/obamavideoyouth
http://bit.ly/instagramoffensive
http://bit.ly/whyareweyellingbook
http://bit.ly/impossibleconversbook
http://bit.ly/compassionforbes
http://bit.ly/hyggeconcept
http://bit.ly/loveyouhater
18. According to Trendwatching, 2020 will be the year that
we go from ‘eco-status’ to ‘eco-shame’. Namely, until a
short time ago demonstrating awareness about the
planet’s future made us look good socially, but shame
is what predominates as a motivator today. Some will
say that with polarization, the environmental issue
had to end up being placed on only one side of the
ideological spectrum. In a recent article, The Guardian
blames Trump for having politicized the
environmental issue and recalled that a few years ago,
the Democratic and Republican parties voted much
the same in favor of the environment. Instead, today
the environmental issue is more polarizing than
abortion. That type of confrontations is what we will
see in this year’s presidential election.
We will hear much talk about the so-called ‘Extinction
Rebellion’ movement that some professors created in
the United Kingdom at the end of 2018, and which
seeks to act through civil disobedience to confront
governments and make them take effective measures
to try to slow down the catastrophe that is putting life
on the planet at risk.
8. ENVIRONMENTAL FEAR
One year ago, we said that we were finally
taking the environmental issue seriously. Many
more citizens committed themselves to
making changes in their daily lives and
pressured their governments to take action to
defend the planet. With Greta Thunberg, the
tone of the conversation changed. From a
discussion on a better future for all, we’re
going toward confrontation-based activism.
Deep down, this hides a generational struggle
between youth and adults.
19. For many, there are already signs showing that
the Earth is beginning a sixth mass extinction.
Namely, a collapse in the number of living
species, which occurred when the planet was hit
by an asteroid 66 million years ago.
The conversation on the environmental issue is
going from being motivated by a struggle for
well-being to a fight for survival which is now
being driven by fear. And, although many have
warned that it may be an extreme vision, some
documents such as the one produced by the
National Centre for Climate Restoration in
Australia state that human civilization could
disappear by the year 2050. The UN has said
that a million species are at risk of disappearing
in the coming decades, which would mean an
unprecedented deterioration in life on Earth as
we know it.
This apocalyptic outlook generates ‘eco-anxiety’
as the American Psychology Association calls it,
warning that it is a real problem that generates a
feeling of grief and anxiety, primarily in children.
Behind the environmental conversation, there is
a generational issue. Younger people are
blaming older populations for the damage they
have done to the planet. This is interesting
because 2020 is also the year when, for the first
time, the average age of humans will be over 30
years old.
The Economist says that the decade that is now
beginning is the decade of the ‘yolds’ (young
olds). Those who are over the age of 65 will have
a great impact due to their increasing numbers.
They will fight to continue to have job
opportunities, to live comfortably and to stay
healthy and active. And although they appear to
be different issues, age can become a sign of
polarization. It would not be strange for political
decisions in many countries to pit youth against
adults. The environmental issue may be one of
those issues that accentuates this split the
most.
FOR BRANDS:
It is increasingly difficult for brands to
innovate when it comes to demonstrating
their commitment to environmental issues,
even more so when they are facing citizens
who are increasingly critical and better
informed. The best thing they can do is to
ensure that the consumer experience does
not at any time generate feelings of guilt
and gives consumers the chance to learn
about the environmental impact generated
by their purchases. Since last November,
the Finnish payment platform Enfuce allows
users to learn about the CO2 emissions
generated by their purchases in six different
categories, based on the lifecycle of the
product. So consumers can make informed
decisions on an issue they increasingly
deem more critical.
REFERENCES:
http://bit.ly/ecostatusecoshame
http://bit.ly/polarizedenvironment
http://bit.ly/extinctionrebels
http://bit.ly/massextintionsigns
http://bit.ly/endhumancivilization
http://bit.ly/onemillionspecies
http://bit.ly/ecoanxietykids
http://bit.ly/medianhuman30
http://bit.ly/yoldtheeconomist
http://bit.ly/enfucecarbon
20. Vice-President of Strategy and Innovation at DDB Latina,
the DDB Worldwide division that includes Latin America,
Spain and the US Hispanic market. He writes regularly
for his blog www.juanisaza.com.
He lives and works in Miami.
Reports from previous years since 2010 are available on
www.slideshare.net/juanisaza
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
juanisazaplanner/
Twitter: @juanisaza / Instagram: @juanisaza
Design: Pablo Dávila
This document can be totally or partially reproduced
provided that its source and authorship are adequately
cited.
JUAN ISAZA
21. The compilation of trends included
here is the result of capturing,
filtering and evaluation of many
direct and indirect sources. Among
them worth mentioning:
www.adage.com
www.adweek.com
www.aifoundation.com
www.bbc.com
www.bloomberg.com
www.businessweek.com
www.businessinsider.com
www.buzzfeed.com
www.cbsnews.com
www.cnbc.com
www.cnn.com
www.dictionary.org
www.digitaltrends.com
www.economist.com
www.emarketer.com
www.entrepreneur.com
www.euromonitor.com
www.facebook.com/business/insights
www.faithpopcorn.com
www.fastcompany.com
www.fjordnet.com
www.forbes.com
www.forrester.com
www.fortune.com
www.fya.org.au
www.gallup.com
www.hubspot.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.iconoculture.com
www.independent.co.uk
www.kantar.com
www.lsnglobal.com
www.luckie.com
www.mashable.com
www.marketing.twitter.com
www.media.mit.edu/
www.medium.com
www.mintel.com
www.morningconsult.com
www.newsweek.com
www.nielsen.com
www.npr.org
www.nytimes.com
www.pewresearch.org
www.psfk.com
www.richards.com
www.singularityhub.com
www.slate.com
www.smithsonianmag.com
www.sparksandhoney.com
www.springwise.com
www.ssir.org
www.statista.com
www.techspot.com
www.theconversation.com
www.thecoolhunter.net
www.thedrum.com
www.thinkwithgoogle.com
www.kantarfutures.com
www.techcrunch.com
www.thememo.com
www.theverge.com
www.time.com
www.trendcentral.com
www.trendhunter.com
www.trendland.com
www.trendoriginal.com
www.trendwatching.com
www.verywellmind.com
www.vice.com
www.vulture.com
www.washingtonpost.com
www.wired.com
SOURCES