Trend report 2011 - K-MB

SPECIAL REPORT:
YEAR:
KMB-TC-1011-C
SPECIAL REPORT
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TREND-CHECK 2011
CONTENT
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D
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SSTTRRI C
I CTTLLYY TTRRAANNSSPPAARREENNCTY
STATUS
5
SOCIETY
MUSIC
ENTERTAINMENT
BRAND
PEOPLE
SHOPPING
TRAVEL
FASHION
SPORTS
DIGITAL
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AUTHOR
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Welcome to the new decennium.
Totally transparent:
the composition of our
trendcheck
The subject areas of this trendcheck are due to our fields of activity
public relation, brand communication and brand consulting which form the
actual consumer culture. This year we added the important topic ‘Digital‘ to our former nine subjects society, music, entertainment, brand,
people, shopping, travel, fashion and sports. As humans living in a generation of ‘digital natives‘, we also want to keep an eye on trends and
possibilities in this area. We will make forecasts for 2011 for all of
these subjects and we will retrospectively analyse the incidents of the
past twelve months.
Besides our experiences of six years of our agency‘s history by now,
we trust on opinions of 500 journalists and opinion leaders to evaluate our findings. Transparent like the superior trend of 2011 they deliver
insight in their personal expectations for the upcoming year which are
often of international validity.
Our reviews on 2010 are useful to divide long term trends from short
term ones. That is where we show transparency: we analyse our forecasts
of the former year for each subject and rate them in percentaged hit rates. Furthermore our trendcheck helps to show developments which grew in
the past and will become more important in the future.
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
Twelve months passed. A worldwide economic crisis lies behind us, we are still
struggling with a crisis of the Euro and the winner of the football world cup was
only arranged between European countries. It has happened a lot since we asked
for the tendencies in European consumer culture the last time.
The new decade will be rapturous. After times of depression, economic data
will increase vehemently and unemployment will be out of the medial focus. On
the other side, citizens will be furious about their government, worldwide climate
protection will only be in low gear – and we write about the new trend to show
more transparency.
When we asked over hundred European opinion leaders in September 2010 for
the new trends in 2011, Wikileaks has only been a side note. However, our central
trend of consumption for 2011 doesn‘t have a lot to do with the media circus
concerning this website. Our results which we found out because of qualitatively
analysing and compressing all the answers in October and November 2010 can
be found on the next pages: a forecast on the tendency of consumer culture in
2011. These trends will keep us busy during the next months of our communicational work in these categories with their different target groups. All findings are
absolute qualitative reviews and don‘t claim quantitative objectivity.
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
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SOCIETY REVIEW 2010
[ Èric Cantonas ]
[ Margot Käßmann ]
Social Applications
It has always been part of the human nature wanting to be the best, the first and the fastest. But if you
started from scratch and achieved something, can you connect to people who are not that lucky? Unfortunately not. Nowadays, it‘s allowed to be megalomaniac again. And if it‘s statutory that one manager
should not earn that much money, the next manager gets it. The realities were just delayed, problems
weren‘t solved that way. But there have been also positive counter-examples: co-operation became more
important in 2010, not only in the world wide web. Online platforms like Foursquare are no closed communities but a help for the real world with real friends. And the society worked together in politics, too. In
November, thousands of people protested against the transport of reactor material in Germany, and many
inhabitants of Stuttgart fought the plans of building the expensive new main station.
Muhammad Junus, an Indian banker, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his idea to give micro credits to
poor people in his country to enable a better life for them which they didn‘t have before. Thus, the world
isn‘t that bad.
Trade something, with someone
After the depression in 2010 many people didn‘t have a lot of money to spend but a lot of old things
they couldn‘t use anymore. The solution? Exchanging the old for something usable! A lot of swapping
platforms evolved in 2010. What has already been there before was launched on a grand scale during the
last year. Maybe someone else wants the yellow wind-breaker grandma gave me last christmas? Maybe
he or she has the new CD of the Stooges to trade it with! The exchange of flats has also been more present in the media but we didn‘t really have the heart to give our home to complete strangers. We were too
scared to be robbed and to find our flat emptied after leaving it with some foreign people. But at least we
shared a lot of music on the Internet. It was just too easy to download our favourite songs no matter what
laws there are. Though the music industry tries to fight sharing of music on the Internet, they discovered
new ways to earn money in other categories of their business.
[ Muhammad Junus ]
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The Dinflation Complex
The world printed more money in 2010 – which didn‘t really reach the people worldwide. Scared by
the depression, the society began to hoard food in their storages to be ready for a general collapse of the
world because they were sure this would happen in 2012 at the latest. The ones who didn‘t do that but
were also afraid had the opportunity to follow Eric Cantona. The former football player of the French
national team asked all inhabitants to withdraw their money from their bank at the same time. In his opinion
this would have caused a ‘revolution of clearing the bank accounts‘ and thereby a revolution against the
whole banking system. While Germany survived the crisis quite well, other countries like Greece, Spain and
Ireland had a lot of problems. The banking institutions in these countries allowed a lot of credits during a
lot of years which couldn‘t be operated anymore and thereby abolished all of the money. The gap between
rich and poor became even bigger than before. Now the European Union tries to help these countries with
billions of Euros and reduction of costs to stabilise the Euro again. Splurging was exclusively reserved for
the Russians and also courteous in 2010. As it is well-known: feasting on hard times is the best.
[ A.1 ]
[ A.2 ]
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The new transparency
Salary? Reveal it! To pass a bill? Referendum! Secret documents? Present them on the Internet! Soon
Facebook will have over a billion members though its privacy protection has been criticised a lot during
the past year. Google Street View is online, and though some people don‘t want it, we all like to present
ourselves on the Internet. And one personality to present ourselves is not enough: GoogleME will destroy
Mark Zuckerberg‘s empire because of its possibility to create a lot of different profiles for oneself. This
way you can be the lovely son for your family, the hard-working employee for your co-workers and the
gorgeous king of all parties for your friends. The new transparency seems to offer a whole new and honest
world but appearances are deceiving. A lot of the campaigns on the Internet which try to show transparency are fakes and very detailed marketing campaigns of these organisations. It doesn‘t matter whether
we ourselves try to have a clean record or if big companies perform their greenwashing online. The society
pays more attention to environmentally friendly companies after the oil pollution in Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
But most of the companies can‘t or don‘t want to afford new and more environmentally friendly ways of
producing that is why they try to win new customers with ‘green and clean‘ campaigns. We can be anxious what will happen next.
[ A.3 ]
SOCIETY 2011
[ Facebook ]
[
Avignon
]
I am not able to know everything…
… but I want to have this possibility. This will be the most important determinant tenor of the upcoming
year. We don‘t have to know where the apple in the supermarket comes from, but we love the idea of
being able to find it out immediately. Back in the days apples came out of grandma‘s garden or at least
from the neighbouring countries. Nowadays, in times of globalisation, we can‘t be sure where our food is
coming from. We love to be blinded by ‘Organic‘-labels because in the end we really don‘t want to know
whether our food is really organic or not. This kind of tendency can also be found in the media section:
gigantic media centers like the platform Hulu go online which all people can access at all times. Thus, we
are able to watch everything we want to watch, but don‘t have to. The new great future looks like this:
being able to see everything, eat everything and know everything. But the chance of these possibilities
is sufficient to make us happy. The bad news in 2011 will be the announcement of thousands of secret
documents of American banks which will “change the world and demolish the banks“ (Julian Assange).
Julian Assange himself will come to the fore of the society and will be confronted with massive smear
campaigns against himself because of these documents.
Tradition rules!
In the past, everything was better. Or at least not as bad as we all think. 2011 will be the year of tradition. We will put emphasis on old traditions again. We all love to hear grandpa‘s stories of the past and
remember the time when family was the most important thing during christmas, not presentss. In the past,
we were respectful! Back in the days, we also had quality TV with good TV programmes! We want all of it
back. We want to have a wife or a husband, two children, a house with a big garden and a Volvo estate.
The neo-tradition is born. But without forgetting about our new environmentally friendly state of mind. Not
Coke but tradition light. After the second middle-rate achievement of German students in PISA, we dream
of a generation with a better education. And if we make a mistake, we stick by it! That is why persons like
Margot Käßmann will be mostly liked by the society because of their honest behaviour. Assumed loyalty
and honesty pays off. Gerhard should think about that, too.Schließlich trinkt man bei Gazprom auch gern
mal einen…
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
TREND-CHECK
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Video Music Award
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H I T R AT E 2 0 11 MUSIC
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REVIEW MUSIC 2010
New H.
Minimial music has taken a back-seat in 2010 though acclaimed artists like Matthew Dear published
new records and songs. Last year‘s focus was on other acts such as LCD Soundsystem who were hyped
by the society because of their new and last album with its mixed sound of dance and punk. Music labels
like Ed Banger records with Justice, Birdy Nam Nam and SebastiAn and also Kitsuné with Simian Mobile
Disco and Digitalism ruled the industry and the sound on the dance-floors. Hip Hop on the other hand
wasn‘t the music which made the crowd go wild in 2010.
[
Grammy
]
90s are back
2010 was the year of the 1990s: Lady Gaga hit the musical jackpot with her song ‘Alejandro‘. We heard
this mix of 80s-Madonna-sound and 90s-Coco Jambo-beats everywhere in 2010. Take That, the famous
boy band of the 1990s, had its reunion with Robbie. Ace of Base performed with two new and younger
women again and recorded a new album. But the actual newcomers in 2010 were The Drums and Hurts
who relied on the well-known music of the 1980s with a completely new sound. They made it possible to
repackage old music and thereby creating a better and different new sound.
It’s a (Wo)Man’s World
2010 has been the year of strong women. Acts like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and M.I.A. were the most
discussed women in media during the past year. Lady Gaga won eight fabulous awards at the MTV Video
Music Awards 2010 in L.A., overbid Beyoncé‘s win of six awards at the Grammy Awards and thereby
established a new record. Fever Ray has been the best act at the Berlin Festival, but also the last of it
that night. Because of the happenings at Loveparade in Duisburg where 19 people died because of a
mass panic, the organisers of the Berlin Festival shortened all gigs. Loveparade in Duisburg was the most
shocking and saddest event happening in the music scene during the past year. Showing sorrow wasn‘t
that possible because of the fight between politicians and organisers about whose fault it was a mass
panic evolved and which caused the death of 19 people. This has definitely been the last type of this way
to celebrate Techno.
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MUSIC 2011
Ordinary Stars
Your favourite star, your best friend. We don‘t want megastars with fake identities and bombastic shows
anymore. 2011 will be the year of more quiet sounds. Artists who became famous because of their exaggerated attitudes will be replaced by authentic acts. This year, we want real artist with whom we can identify
ourselves and not unreachable popstars who are out of their minds. Young songwriters like Colin Caulfield,
also known as ‘Young Man‘, fulfil this need as a prime example. Besides his vita which contains a normal
and quiet life and growing up in a suburb of New York, he uses all digital forms of commerce and distribution a young artist should use: Facebook, Soundcloud, Youtube, an own blog and Twitter. That is why he
is able to reach his fans worldwide than only at small concerts and never loses the personal contact. But
also female artists like Florence and the Machine, who tries to reach her fans physically by stage-diving
through her audience at concerts, will have their break-through in 2011. After her gorgeous gig at the MTV
Video Music Awards in 2010 she will become more and more famous over the next year.
mp3 sucks.
2010 was the year of exchanging, uploading and downloading music. Unfortunately this possibility was
almost exclusive with mp3-datas. This made a lot of things easier but was also connected with disadvantages: we miss the spectrum of sounds which can only be delivered by other audio formats. To hear
the complete spectrum of sounds again we will attend a lot of concerts in 2011. We don‘t want to see
spectacular choreographs and pyromaniac effects with fake playback sounds there but are excited to see
our favourite bands on smaller stages. We want real musicians who can play instruments, sing on their
own and give us the creeps by playing their songs. There is no better place to move closer to one‘s idols
than on those concerts. That is why we are hoping for Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and Atlas Sound to
come to our cities and perform there in 2011!
Viva la Rave!
We are sick of uninspiring and already known sounds in clubs. We want great dance music with deep
sounds! SebastiAn was 2010. Forget him! 2011 will be Alan Gray‘s year! The DJ of Young Gunz publicises
a new kind of rave. Hipster-kids cool their heels in their colourful neon skinny jeans to be part of his parties
at Social Club in Paris. In his causal uniform existing of a normal polo shirt and Ray Ban Wayfarer glasses,
Alan Gray preaches a whole new rave-hedonism without the known neon-aesthetics. If you close your
eyes and listen to the sound you can even imagine to be at the famous club Hacienda. His DJ-sets are
a mix of Madchester Rave, Acid House, and Mr. Oizo on crack. Furthermore we will listen to synths and
strings again during partying in all kind of clubs next year. Artists like the Parisian duo Acid Washed will be
the next big thing in 2011. They will be Metro Area‘s musical brother with their mix of Koyaanisqatsi and
Lindstrom & Prins Thomas. Thus, forget all of the Ed Banger Acts - let‘s rave like it‘s 1989!
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REVIEW ENTERTAINMENT 2010
The local pub
Yes, we were absolutely right. The typical local pub didn‘t die last year but it didn‘t become our
favourite watering hole either. We always ended up in these places after a wild night of clubbing, but we
prefer other places like a normal beer garden or the small Italian restaurant around the corner for drinking
our beer after a busy day of working. The local pub was and will always be a place for old workers and
retired men where we don‘t go that often. But if we do, we do it with respect. We know how much these
local pubs are worth in our society. Honest beer for honest workers – and sometimes we want to be one of
them and order beer and chaser. Then we start to discuss topics like tax increase and retirement pension
at the age of 72 with men like Manfred and Herbert. We are glad to eat sausage with mustard for only one
Euro and enjoy the simplicity of this world where everything can be divided into black and white. Dior,
iPad, and GoogleTV are far away from these places and we leave the pressure of the society outdoors. We
wouldn‘t meet our cool friends from New York, Tokyo or Rio there but choose to go to a cool bar where a
cool DJ plays cool music. But this isn‘t the real world, it‘s a fake one existing of status symbols and exaggerated attitudes. Thus, we love to come to Manfred and Herbert a few days a year and enjoy our honest
beer and chaser.
Neo-Biedermeier
There has been a lot of cooking, celebrating and watching TV with friends at home in 2010. No matter what: we
loved to spend time and meet in our own flats again. Maybe it was of the depression that brought back our favour to
eat self-cooked meals at home instead of spending a fortune for a meal at a restaurant. Or maybe we realised that our
perfectly arranged and designed flats can be more than only a place to sleep. Home, sweet home: that is why we invited friends via Facebook to cook at our flat and were proud of it! All of this doesn‘t have anything in common with our
mom‘s Tupperware parties though: we drink red wine, talk about Tom Ford‘s latest film, and the advantages of the iPad.
After a summer spent with Public Viewing during the football world championship we loved to meet at our houses,
watch TV, and play Wii. Our flat became the central meeting point and we enjoyed listening to our friends‘ compliments
about our new wall paint or interior. We realised that our flats reflect us as a person and that we want to spend more
time in it with our friends. And if we had the urgent need to go somewhere else we went to small and almost illegal
restaurants friends told us about. Flats only for cooking at home. This way it also felt like being at home again and we all
know: home is where the heart is.
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Classic Cuisine
No hyped sushi, no vegetarian and organic bits and pieces, no exotic meals with unpronounceable names – we had good and solid food at feasts of our companies, or of our friends in 2010. We wanted to eat
meals which reminded us of our childhood: red cabbage with dumplings and goulash or potato soup with
vegetables and sausages. We wanted to feel like staying at grandma‘s when we were young. According
to the principle ‘Roast pork and schnitzel instead of sushi and soy‘ we asked our mother to give us her
special recipes, ate meals in restaurants named ‘Schwarzwaldstuben‘ and spent time in other old taverns.
‘Classic Cuisine‘ has been our secret but favourite way of cooking over the last year, after all we know that
food at grandma‘s always tasted best.
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We love to entertain you for seven more days!
How awesome is that? I miss the news and my favourite soap opera, but I am able to watch it again
days afterwards in the media centres of the public TV channels online. There is nothing better than
knowing that one can have anything at any time. But what about the series on the private TV channels? In
2011, German private TV channels want to start their own media centres online – and not only desperate
housewives will be pleased because of that. Like Hulu in the USA the big German TV companies
ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG and Mediengruppe RTL also want to satisfy their audience by putting their
series and shows online – for seven days after airing and for free! That‘s the service we have been waiting
for! The two big companies will try to fill the gap of missing popular, German series on Hulu and fight
Hulu‘s plans to conquer the European market. That will be exciting! YouTube and Hulu share their empire
of films and series for free on the international basis. We are glad about all of the new gimmicks and life
streams of our favourite soap operas.
ENTERTAINMENT 2011
Party Transparenz
3, 2, 1: party marathon, GO! And everyone on the Internet can be part of it! Events worldwide are published on internet platforms like Facebook and visitors can confirm their coming with only one click. We no
longer have to wait for our crush to arrive at a party, we can just look it up on the Internet! The bouncers‘
omnipotence, who defined the guestlists all over the past years in front of clubs, ends in 2011. Facebook
will be the new bouncer and friends who get an online invitation are in. Thanks to Facebook more and
more parties become public events to which everyone can come. There is no Sample Sale, no gallery
opening and no simple party of flat shares which doesn‘t have its own event page on Facebook. These
attracts a lot of people to come to the event and think about it weeks beforehand. People think that they
know every other visitor because of skipping through their profiles online. Anonymity and spontaneity are
out of fashion - we want to know with whom we‘re going to party and spend our precious free time with.
An event is just as good as its number of ‘likers‘. Eventually, we don‘t want to spend an evening with three
losers sticking to their Coke on the dance floor but we want to have a great night with the right crowd.
Smartphone & Tablet-PC
For sure, the Americans are one step ahead of us: smartphones and iPads are workaday products in
the land of opportunity. But we are going to strike back in 2011! At the moment European citizens are not
that confident using smartphones and iPads but we will do our best to conquer this market. After being
used by elitist design fans only, smartphones will become an essential gadget of every man and woman
in Europe and take over the world. All of the big telephone providers will try to attract customers with
stunning prices and all-in-one flat rates. New technologies will support this trend. Bigger displays and
3D-techniques will assure smaller prices and cheaper offers. The hunt for smartphone shopping is definitely on! And nobody will be able to hide. In 2010 even our parents will ask themselves how they could
have ever lived without a miniature PC. Telephoning will become a minor matter – multimedia is the key!
Rumours about a Facebook-smartphone quicken our appetite for more and newer technologies. At the same
time Blackberry and Apple begin their fight – Playbook versus iPad. The launch of the second generation
of the iPad will be introduced in the beginning of 2011 – and will start the competition. 2011 will be the
year of the tablet PC! No matter whether Blackberry or Apple, we will be equipped with every technical
gadget you can imagine. HD-TV, Windows 7, and Android OS will attract us and we will make sure that the
companies‘ tills are ringing. The future can start – NOW!
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
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TREND-CHECK
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H I T R AT E 2 0 11 D
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5 3 % 4 7
REVIEW BRAND 2010
Apple‘s triumphal procession
In 2010, Apple was again the big winner of all brands and continued its triumphal procession. On
the sideline of computer gaming, Apple seemed to lose because of Windows‘ empire but after this year
the brand also dominates on this sector. Other companies tried to follow but IPods and iPhones stay
the ultimate benchmarks. The iPad brought the success during 2010 though. Apple‘s tablet computer
made a dream come true for hipsters as same as for rich housewives: the housewives don‘t have to be
overextended because of problems with their PCs anymore and hipster have a new and stylish toy to play
with. Besides the iPad is seen as salvation for the media industry. Finally all of the big providers of digital
contents found a new way to earn money. Thank you, Apple! Many people believe that Apple‘s Apps can
reanimate conventional journalism and make it more attractive besides all of the new blogs and Twitter.
We will see if journalism can succeed. A few other companies try to fight Apple with their versions of tablet
computers though it will be hard for them. But Apple also has to take care not to lose control over the rest
of the computer industry in this immense market of gadgets, applications and devices. Neither the iMac
nor the MacBook was really renewed over that past few years and Apple‘s Social Media platform Ping
leaves more an impression of a helpless and loveless way to oppose Facebook.
Sweden sends his knights
The Scandinavian brands were the most important brands in the world of fashion over the past couple of years.
A never ending and good mass of new ideas and great creations came from Scandinavia to our stores. It didn‘t
matter whether it was Swedish minimalism or Danish romanticism – fashion from the north of Europe was the
ultimate thing. New niches were opened, optimised and created for all people. Acne‘s cold arrogance, Fillipa K‘s
shy retention or WeSC‘s sympathetic attitude – they were all brands of high importance same as Nudie and Cheap
Monday. The department store Weekday combined all of this and also succeeded. No question, 2010 was the year
of the Scandinavians!
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Made in Germany
Until now Germany surprisingly hasn‘t been that badly effected by the depression in 2010 but was
hyped as ‘New Germany‘ by the American Business Week. Against all expectations the unemployment
figure decreased, the export rates increased and the demand for products ‘Made in Germany‘ grew – even
in China! Where does that come from? On the one hand, the label ‘Made in Germany‘ stands for highest
quality and reliability. German engineering isn‘t that sexy but extremely successful. On the other hand,
Germany is eager to best in the development of regenerative energy like wind energy and solar power. This
market isn‘t only important for Germany anymore but for the whole world. By now even China concentrates on alternative ways to produce energy to create growth in an enduring and effective way. German
companies like ALTUS AG and Pure Carbon Services are acknowledged as a positive example in the USA,
a country which smiled at the European phlegm and thoughtfulness. The old Europe strikes back!
TREND-CHECK
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Authenticity of transparent communication
During the last couple of years many companies didn‘t stint using words like ‘transparency“, ‘authenticity‘, ‘trust‘, and ‘sustainability‘ to win new customers. Often these words were not used honestly and that
was one of the factors which caused the depression in 2010. If we are really honest, we know that there
are a few unwritten laws which rule the economy: fighting for the company‘s survival, power, sales and
reckless increase in profit. The perfect example for these methods is greenwashing: companies try to put
themselves in a good light to achieve a good image in society. Thus, greenwashing assumes the companies‘ duty to show social engagement and thereby provides competitive advantages like a more positive
image or growth of power. These methods evoke the impression of transparency but are often only used to
manipulate people. McDonald‘s is the leader of companies which show transparency. After being accused
of customers‘ obeseness in the beginning of this millennium the company tried to renew its philosophy and
upgrade their image. ‘Self-generated transparency‘ was McDonald‘s new claim. They didn‘t only want to
be seen ‘greener‘, they also wanted to prove it. After widening the product range with ‘Bionade‘, salads
and fruits they also developed programmes to assure a high quality of their food. With its transparency
campaign McDonald‘s achieved the goal to be seen as a good company after years of negative headlines
and that is why we are ‘lovin it‘ again even if we don‘t know the truth.
In 2011 exactly this honesty and authenticity will be imitated by a lot of other companies. Nowadays,
negative news about firms are published fast because of the Internet and our good communication system
and exactly those firms have to show more transparency. Honest transparency, please.
BRAND 2011
Labels of tradition are high in market
New trends, materials and designs were the „Must-Haves“ of every year in the past: that is how the
fashion industry keeps going on. Nowadays, this will change. In 2011, we will entertain some doubt in this
ever-turning wheel of progress and clean chic. We recollect old traditions like the histories of brands again.
Brands which don‘t only have a story to tell but also create authentic products of high quality and perfect
craft will be respected by the consumers. Levi‘s tries to do so with its new label ‘Levi‘s Made & Crafted‘
which is designed besides the Vintage collection of Levi‘s. It‘s an assortment of goods which is inspired
by American classics. The philosophy of the new line is to provide a range of clothes that picks up and reflects the spirit of American workwear. Particular attention is paid on high-quality manufacture and original
materials of the chosen epochs. Another ambassador of this trend is Moscot, a traditional American company for eyewear. The company is led by the Moscot family itself over decades and offers classic glasses
of different epochs and styles which reflect the company‘s spirit. By wearing Moscot eyewear one thinks
back of old times and feels the history of this company. An after all these times of ‘higher, faster, further
and newer‘ we want exactly this kind of feeling!
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An appeal to rationality
2010 was the year of the mineral oil disaster. The worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the
USA began with the explosion of BP‘s ‘Deepwater Horizon‘ in Gulf of Mexico. After its sinking a thick oil film
expanded more and more and lead to dramatic consequences. None of the responsible persons was able to
stop the oil from leaking and control the growing pollution. The cover-up of the catastrophe‘s dimension made
it even more obscure and threatening. The American government assured that no secret information could be
published: neither journalist and bloggers nor photographers were allowed to come near the scene of action.
Do we want this kind of transparency? Do we want governments not to tell the truth? No! This catastrophe
showed that we need another way to produce energy, and ways to be mobile than using oil and that is why
this topic will gain in importance during the upcoming year. We don‘t want ‘lifestyle‘ anymore, we want ‘green
urban mobility‘. The automobile industry also recognised that and wants to show responsibility by inventing
new cars. Mercedes Benz uses its smallest but cutting-edge car smart to show electric mobility. They have
been doing researches on electronic motors for years by now and engineered the perfect ‘green‘ car. The new
emission-free smart fortwo electric drive which can be charged by putting its cable in a normal electrical socket
at home promises environmentally friendly mobility which is unaffected by oil, and a new alternative for staying
mobile but also ‘green‘. We can use these kind of cars without forgetting about our children‘s future. A lot of
developments will come up the next years. We only have to take a look at the automobile industry in Japan and
not stop evolving new ideas. ‘Green‘ doesn‘t mean sneakers and knitting anymore but the future protection of
our business location.
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REVIEW PEOPLE 2010
[ VON DER LEYEN ]
Les Grandes Dames
2010 was the year of great women who convinced us with their style and classiness. They don‘t have
to show their emancipation in an obvious way, but they are simply women of the 21st century. We all love
Michelle Obama, the female star of politics. Whether she wears casual clothes or a beautiful dress by Narcisco Rodriguez. Our heart belongs to Michelle and her message ‘I am one of you!‘. She easily plays her
role of being married to the most important man of this world same as being a loving mother and an engaged women who fights the injustice in this world. She has neither been invasive nor only the president‘s
wife and thereby became an idol for a lot of young women worldwide and inspires a whole generation.
In Germany Ursula von der Leyen convinces the German public with her innovative ideas for our social
politics. Like Michelle Obama she also stands out because of her conscious actions and her engagement.
In this political area ruled by men she is the one who even takes a firm stand to displeasing questions and
topics which these men often don‘t like. She stands her ground and is known as an example for a lot of
young female politicians. Merci beaucoup, mes dames!
David Mayer de Rothschild
Commited visionaries ruled 2010: David Mayer de Rothschild crossed the pacific ocean on a float
made of plastic bottles to draw attention to the global environmental catastrophe, and Nicolas Bergruen
saved as the ‘green grasshopper‘ visionary the whole employees of Karstadt. These two men ruled the
media with their engaged actions and showed the world that one can do more than golfing because of
being raised in a rich family. David Mayer de Rothschild presented himself as the saviour of our planet,
enthused masses of people for his actions via Facebook and created public relations for environment
protection. Thereby he didn‘t only act environmentally correct but very modern by uploading videos of
his actions on the Internet. The beautiful ecologist has already been to the Ecuadorian rain forest to show
how much of the nature there is destroyed by the oil companies‘ borings. This man isn‘t too above to
sort things out by himself. Nicolas Berggruen‘s credo is ‘Make good things with good investments but
also earn money by doing so‘. He is the anti-cliché of an investor. He doesn‘t look like a proper businessman because of his unshaven face and his wild hair. He is thoughtful instead of only smart, and reserved
instead of being loud. Yes, he wants to make money – but in a good way. His investments are a big search
for a greater purpose. The buying of Karstadt isn‘t his only investment where he showed social responsibility. He points out the right questions which we miss in economy and politics like “How can I make a
difference?“
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THE Home-Manager
The great depression in 2010 didn‘t only assured countries‘ problems but was also at fault of many
men not going to work every morning but to the playgrounds to take care of their children. Dismissals
worldwide made sure that more and more men stayed at home being househusbands who were only
smiled at before this development. Househusbands were relicts of the movement in 1968 and didn‘t fit into
our world concentrated on power and success. But in times of depression, male breadwinners became
rare. Also because of the women‘s higher education during the past years. The number of working female
graduates had increased by 70 percent between 1991 and 2004. That is why more and more men decide
to stay home and take care of the children. In 2010 Twenty-one percent of all fathers called on their right of
parental leave. Every fifth man takes a break after his child‘s birth by now, and thereby becomes a model
for a lot of other men instead of being laughed at. In Europe, Norway and Sweden are ranked number one
with the highest number of househusbands. In 2011, many men will be using their vacuum cleaners more
often than their laptops.
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PEOPLE 2011
William & Kate
2011 will be the ‘William & Kate year‘. We have been dying to see this British wedding and our dream
will come true in 2011! After their break-up in 2007 and the comeback of their relationship in 2008 which
was acclaimed by the public, the two of them now dare the next big step: getting married. Prince William,
the heir of the British kingdom after his father Prince Charles, and his long term girlfriend Kate Middleton
met during their studies at St. Andrews. They have been in a public relationship for years now, and there
have also been many rumours about an upcoming wedding – in 2011 it will really happen. While William
wasn‘t that eager to get married, Kate couldn‘t wait to become a princess and was called ‘Waity Katie‘
by British yellow press. Now her waiting is over. The wedding will take place on 29th of April 2011 and is
already ruling the media worldwide. Where will it take place? Which designer will create Kate‘s wedding
gown? How much money will this event cost? William‘s and Kate‘s wedding will be the event in media
next year and will have millions of viewers on TV and on the Internet. Experts even forecast a bigger
audience than the 750 million people who watched Prince Charles’ and Princess Diana’s wedding. Royal
commentator Margaret Holder said: “I think this is going to be a very, very good and successful marriage.
And I think this will take the monarchy through well into the 21st Century. I think Kate is very modern, she‘s
very relevant.” We reserved the front row in front of Buckingham Palace and are longing for the 29th April
to come. Until then we have to wait and see and drink a cup of English tea – out of our ‘William & Kate’
wedding mug, of course!
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Eric Schmidt
The Internet and Facebook taught us that privacy isn‘t existing in this digital world anymore. Everyone can find out everything about everyone in the world wide web, and some of us love to show their
personalities online, too. But this transparency also meets with criticism like Google‘s Street View. Google
is accused of lacking protection of people‘s privacy and Street View has been criticised all over the media
over the past year. Eric Schmidt, Google‘s CEO and manager blessed with success, wants to change the
world and even has new plans. As the company‘s head he tries to develop more and more new technologies to assure the full power over the digital market. He also wanted to conquer the Chinese digital market
but failed and had to bend to China‘s censorship. Though he himself doesn‘t want to show an insight into
his private life for the public, he wants the public to be totally transparent. He isn‘t impressed by all of the
negative discussions about him and his ideas and wants everyone to show more of their privacy on the
Internet. Schmidt is certain that someday every adult human will have the right to change his name to cover
their sins when they were teenagers. Many critics denunciate Schmidt for being too eager to become a
monopolist than taking care of the consumers. One thing is for sure: this man will polarise in 2011.
Ex wives
They always existed in the past and they will always exist in the future, but 2011 more and more ex
wives will follow Elin Nordgren’s example. They will be strong enough to break up with their famous but
unfaithful husbands. In 2010, Elin Nordgren started as one of those examples when she broke up with her
husband Tiger Woods with lots of publicity. Uncountable and perky affairs were the reasons for her decision. Though Tiger Woods cried on TV, promised to be a better husband and wanted her back she stood
to her point and showed hundreds of women what emancipation really meant: not giving in and bowing to
the bad husband but being on her own as a strong woman.
Also Cheryl Cole broke up with her unfaithful husband, football player Ashley Cole, after more and more
rumours about his affairs. Though she was mostly known as the most famous wife of a British football
player in England. We are excited for more of these women to come in 2011! Women who set boundaries
for their husbands. These women are proud of their strengths and not afraid of the involved medial hunt of
public divorces. We are thankful for this truth and honesty!
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
[ SERVER FARM ]
[ Cheryl Cole performing at Battle Abbey, Battle in 2008 ]
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Vintage-Online-Shopping
Good-Life-Applications reigned the market in 2010 and cleared the way for new strategies of consumption. But simultaneously also the return of traditions and old values has been a trend. Though
platforms for shopping vintage clothes online boomed, Tanya Bednar, owner of the online store ‘Das kleine
Schwarz’, also opened a boutique on Mulackstraße, the coolest street with small designer shops in Berlin
Mitte. Our need for vintage things, no matter if clothes, interior, or other accessories, is still there – maybe
even stronger than before.
[ Kostas Murkudis ]
The King‘s new clothes
Our need for individuality didn‘t only imply to wear vintage clothes but also manufacture of new articles.
We didn‘t want to buy mass products anymore, we wanted to do something good and support small
retail dealers. Designer Kostas Murkudis also said so in an interview: “Anyone who emphasises crafts and
manufactures needs one thing: time.“ Is our need for handmade individuality combinable with our rhythm
of life right now? The Internet enables it! Platforms with self-made fashion, accessories or interior like
dawanda.de in Germany and etsy.com in the USA became more and more famous over the past year. It‘s
so easy: surfing the web for unique pieces, click, buy and have it delivered in a few days: that is individuality – but in a comfortable way.
Where is my label?
Though we love online-shopping sometimes we want to try on the clothes we would like to buy. But
where can I find the label and dress as seen in the new issue of InStyle? We can‘t imagine how it was when
we searched for small boutiques to find the right piece of clothes by foot because we have TheLabelFinder.com
now! This online platform lists up all designer and where to find them in real life – a real blessing! By downloading the app on our smartphone we are able to find any designer we want to find and don‘t have to lose
orientation in unknown districts to get the beloved dress. Thank you, TheLabelFinder.com, you saved our
lives from aching feet and unnecessarily spent money!
Though we wanted to go into shops again and try clothes on before buying them online-shopping was
also a big success in 2010. Asos.com and the online-shop of Urban Outfitters became more and more
famous and no day passed without seeing a box of Germany‘s successful online-shop Zalando in the
streets of Berlin. We want to have everything and the Internet gives us the opportunity to get it.
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Go shopping - an obituary?
Lack of free time, laziness or geographic aspects give us more and more the reason to shop online
than going outside. Online-shopping is a big subject and almost became understood. We are surfing the
web, buy clothes on asos.com and MyTheresa and thereby create our own individual and international
wardrobe. We use Bloomsbury‘s delivery service to get food and order interior of Ikea online without
endless waiting in queues in front of the cash register. But what happens to all of the stores in the streets?
Big stores like H&M and Zara went online, too, but others have to think about new strategies to attract
people to come into the real shop. The display windows become more and more important. Sisley even
build up a small supermarket in their displays to win new customers - well done! We want something
special and adventurous if we‘re making the effort to step outside in the cold and go shopping! Zara tricks
its customers in another way to lure them into the stores: you can buy your clothes online and pick them
up at the nearest Zara store for free. Clever! It isn‘t adventurous but it gets people to go into the store and
maybe find something else to buy with all the other pieces... Because in the end, we all know: the biggest
challenge when buying online is to be at home when the products arrive.
Bio 2.0
The organic trend was only the beginning. Small organic shops opened everywhere and were benefited
from the new health awareness and ecological awareness of customers from all sorts of backgrounds.
The food industry adapted it fast and it didn‘t due long until we found food labelled ‘organic‘ everywhere.
We felt good and save. But now, a simple ‘organic‘ sticker on products doesn‘t impress us anymore. We
are sceptics and want more transparency in the food sector. That is why we buy fresh food on farmer‘s
markets instead of supermarkets and want to see how our sandwich in the organic shop is made in front
of our eyes. We also cook by ourselves again instead of going to restaurants and realise that our homegrown tomatoes really taste better than the genetically modified ones in the supermarkets. If we have
the need to eat outside, we love to buy frozen yoghurt with fresh toppings and enjoy it. We also enjoy
time more and slow down a bit. A whole new situation! Drinks like ‘Anti-stress nettle‘ and ‘Bononi‘ help
us to calm down a bit. Good-bye Red Bull and Co! Providers like ‘Sonnenalm‘, ‘herbalremedies.com‘, or
‘VitaElan‘ will boom over the upcoming year. Or we start to make our own slow-down-drinks – there are
hundreds of recipes online! Why buy something labelled ‘organic‘ if we can make real organic products
ourselves?
SHOPPING 2011
Clean record on request
After the great depression and the economic drive in 2010 we became more critical in our way of
consumption. We don‘t have a lot of money, but instead of buying less we decide to spend more money
for high quality. Not only on the biological sector but for any product which enlightens our lives. We want
be sure about the origin, the quality and sustainability of our products. All information have to be accessible. We want transparent brands which treat their workers well, do fair trade, and don‘t sell their products
for cheap prices. Anything that looks like a mass product has to be looked at critically. Discount giants
like Lidl and Kik are having a hard time due to these circumstances. But also companies like Apple and
American Apparel which aren‘t producing individual products anymore will be effected. Quality rather
than quantity: that is what we want these days. Nowadays, smaller and traditional brands get the chance
to demonstrate their knowledge. Companies with a clean record like Wermut Lillet, beauty products by
Snowberry or simply the bakery around the corner are in demand. Designers, cars, technologies, even
ourselves should be unique and have a clean record. That is why we buy electronic cars, use energysaving light bulbs and wear organic cotton. We don‘t betray ourselves anymore – and we also don‘t want
to be betrayed by brands.
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CAPETOWN
What could have happened? Masses of robbed tourists, infrastructural failure, or thousands of people
who had ringing in their ears at the stadiums because of vuvuzelas horns. Doubts were as big as expectations which Capetown had to stand up to during the football word cup in 2010. But at least at the finale at
Green-Point-Stadium every of the 700 million viewers and all international visitors had the same opinion:
South Africa and its capital Capetown didn‘t only satisfy our expectations but succeeded in an even better
way! South Africa‘s population celebrated this world cup in a self-conscious and united way we hadn‘t
seen before. A historical momentum which didn‘t happen until the end of apartheid in this country and the
south african people were proud of it! It gave them also hope for a better future because of a better adhesiveness in the country. South Africans really felt like a united public again and didn‘t care about social,
political or ethic backgrounds. Capetown, a city between beaches and mountains with a big history of
wealth and townships, has been the mirror for this development. The city same as its inhabitants will profit
by this world cup. The real event wasn‘t the world cup but the found adhesiveness, the aim to succeed
and the built up trust between the people in South Africa. It‘s the right step into a better future and more
important than any goals at the football games. In 2010, Capetown showed impressively that “it always
seems impossible until its done” which is a quote by Nelson Mandela. “Which city would have been better
than this one that didn‘t only change it‘s surface but also it‘s inner core? None!”
My own outlying mountain resort
What a shame - the mountain resorts of Allvater, Faraja and Wanaka were a bit too exotic in our opinion
2010. Okay, we couldn‘t reach Iceland‘s ski-region Blafjol because of Vulcan Eyjafjallajökull last year but
also New Zealand has only been visited by its normal audience: rich Asians and backpacker who love
Lord of the rings. Nevertheless, these places are secret and rare – and worth a travel. Also outdoor-actions
were very trendy over the past year, too. That is also proved by brands like Jack Wolfskin which took out
ads in lifestyle-magazines. And if Europe‘s last glaciers melt down, we know where to go skiing: Allvater,
Faraja and Wanaka!
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Leipzig Calling
Leipzig calling - and even New York city was a fan! Leipzig was chosen to be one of the 30 cities worldwide one should travel to in 2010 by New York Times - an honour for every city in the whole wide world!
Especially the music scene in Leipzig provided the journalists‘ choice. The city in Saxony has always been
laughed at by people from Berlin and Munich who just didn‘t appreciate all the good things about Leipzig.
Thanks to the low rents Leipzig became the one city in Europe for musicians and artists to live. In 2010,
the city celebrated Johann Sebastian Bach‘s 325th birthday and thereby attracted a lot of visitors. Also the
innovative and creative art scene in Leipzig is responsible for more and more people travelling to this city.
Neo Rauch‘s paintings are discussed in galleries from Beijing to Auckland. Anything seems to be possible
in this city on the move which will become more and more interesting in 2011 and maybe even beats
Berlin...
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The ‘World Festival‘
Once upon a time we all went to festivals like ‘Rock am Ring‘ over a weekend in summer, experienced
two days of enormous fun and afterwards attended the lecture in University Monday morning again. Times
are changing! Now there are thousands of festivals on so many different places – the perfect background
to found a new kind of subculture: the festival-travellers. These people love to listen to music, sleep in
tents and meet new people over and over again. Travelling from one festival to the next and thereby create
a whole new event: the ‘World Festival‘. To be part of this festival you just have to do the following: buy
a railway pass or an around-the-world-ticket, take one‘s whole year‘s holiday and never forget to pack
enough gumboots to keep one‘s feet dry.
The first festival to go to in 2011 will be Fusion or Hurricane. People who doesn‘t like a huge audience
should go to insider festivals like Cucuma or MSBeat who take place in Germany‘s forests. Bukta is a
festival in Norway with only two stages but a gigantic location at the Arctic Ocean‘s seaside. You can fish
for free by yourself and eat your fish right at the campfire with all your new found friends. Also Hultsfred
in Sweden is a good festival to enjoy these culinary highlights. If you want to lose some air miles you can
also fly to Iceland and experience the so called ‘hippest long weekend on the annual musical-festivalcalender‘ – the Iceland-Airwaves-Festival.
From Iceland it isn‘t far from Canada where you can go to Mutek for electronic beats or to the legendary Burning Man in California‘s desert. Or go somewhere exotic and experience Rock in Rio or Dubai-Desert-Rock-Festival – anything is possible! You are not only able to diversify your taste of music but also the
destination you want to go to. China, Turkey, South Africa and Russia also have a lot of festivals! Everyone
who wants to be part of the ‘World Festival‘ in 2011 can gain a whole new experience. The ‘World Festival‘
isn‘t only an event, it‘s a mixture of people and their great experiences!
TRAVEL 2011
Eat. Pray. Travel to Bali.
Bali - an insiders‘ tip in 2011? Even after Kristin from our agency went there and Julia Roberts tried
to find her inner peace in this tearjerker in all cinemas? Yes, because Bali has two sides! One is for all
travellers, the second one only for those who really search for it. Bali is more than only white beaches and
banana-pancakes for breakfast. Besides mass tourism in Kuta and party places for fans of ‘all inclusive
holidays‘ some travellers are able to find the spiritual side of the island. The way is their goal and Bali the
first step to happiness. Between terraces made of rice and Ubud‘s temples in the heart of the island they
can find their inner soul. Everyone who wants to explore his or her spiritual spirit should travel to Bali. There are no boundaries, no yesterday, no today, and no tomorrow – a holiday in a wooden Bungalow on Bali
beats every holiday in a 5-star-resort. Many people will travel to Bali in 2011 to experience exactly that.
Already now, right after the depression, the number of visitors is constant and even climbs higher. Spiritual
travelling is the new trend for 2011 – and Bali its destination.
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The Indian ashram
Why does Southeast Asia seem to exert healing effects on European travellers? Indonesia, Thailand
and Vietnam all assure good and new experiences for the bodies and the souls of Europeans. Nowhere
else in this world it seems to be more possible to find one‘s inner peace than in an Indian ashram. Forget
all your prejudices about only hippies sitting and meditating there or having boring massages with honey
over and over again. On the one hand ashram means ‘place of exertion‘ on the other hand it‘s a traditional
place with a history instead of a commercial place like ‘Center Parcs‘. The ashram is a grown institution
including meditation, yoga, healthy food and simple work. ‘Modern‘ humans can learn to experience calm
and happiness here without the hectic and stress they usually have. Accompanied by an Indian yogi many
people will visit ashrams in 2011 to gain experiences they can‘t experience anywhere else. Even in times
of depression, the ashram is the perfect place to keep distance to stressful work and personal disharmony.
In 2011, the ashram will show us the right way of living...
[ MUTEK ]
[ HURRICANE ]
[ FUSION ]
[ Burning Man ]
[ BUKTA ]
[ Ashram ]
[ MS BEAT ]
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
[ DUBAI DESERT ROCK ]
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[ McQueen ]
[ Hamilton ]
[ Wang ]
[ Doma ]
Alexander the Great
There has never been a more tragic moment in the life of this trendcheck. We forecasted the year 2010
to be the year of Alexander the Great – and cynically we were right.
One of the biggest designers of this century – Alexander McQueen – died in 2010. This event was
followed by retrospectives, negotiations, posthumous awards, and praises of his designs on all medial
platforms one can think of. The icon of fashion-films Nick Knight even said good-bye with a whole film
which was shown at the beginning of the British Fashion Awards. Unfortunately, this forecast was right.
But also our thoughts about Alexander Wang‘s success turned out to be correct. The red carpets
worldwide were full of beautiful dresses by this designer and worn by international celebrities like Megan
Fox. He knows what the zeitgeist is like and shows this with his stylish improvement of casual sportswear
like in the 90s. His bag ‘Rocco Mini Duffle‘ even was announced to be the new It Bag by German InStyle
in 2010. Rumours about a collaboration with Nike also made him more famous and known in the world of
fashion. The rumours were wrong – but we could have imagined Alexander the Great to just do it!
The crown princes
2010 has been their year. They got a bigger crown, a sceptre and ascend the throne: the crown princes
of men‘s wear Patrik Ervell, Damir Doma and Tim Hamilton satisfied the fahion industry in 2010 and
climbed to a higher level. Patrik Ervell‘s website was celebrated as much as his clothes: nobody was able
to keep quiet about how beautiful the animated models looked in his beautiful creations. Crown Prince No.
2 Damir Doma also chose beautiful models to present his collection in the most beautiful city in Europe
at Men‘s Fashion Week in Paris. That is kinglike! Tim Hamilton is already seen as a legend. Or so Lacoste
says. That is also why he designed the collection ‘Lacoste Legends x Tim Hamilton‘ for the French traditional label which is more worth than an accolade.
In 2010 our crown princes became rulers of a kingdom full of well dressed men – what could we want
above that?
[ Ervell ]
[ Renn ]
Big is beautiful
Brigitte was smart, brave and tried out how people would react seeing a curvy woman on the cover of
the magazine. It was very successful and many magazines tried it out, too. Elle put a plus-size-model on
its cover, Marc Jacobs announced to create a whole collection for bigger sizes and female singers with
big voices same as bigger bodies were the most successful ones in German casting shows. Young design
talent Natalia Weimann started her own label in the beginning of 2010 with sizes from 38 to 48 - and
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succeeded. In 2010, big was beautiful. Nobody had to care about their figures anymore – Chocolate Chic
beat Heroin. But for sure there always have to be people who purposely don‘t follow trends. Nowadays
plus-size-supermodel Crystal Renn loses weight again and fits to the image of the new America‘s next
topmodel. She is 1,88 metres tall. And weighs 45 kilograms.
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Men: Sneakers or patent leather shoes
2011 is important for decisions. While 2010 everything was possible and allowed, in 2011 men have
to decide whether they want to be classic or rebel against fashion in any way. The classic look is ruled by
styles of former epochs like the ‘Preppy Look‘ and classical confection: high waisted and wide revers like
we know them from Italy and Great Britain. Luxury-loving Tom Ford, Lanvin‘s designer Lucas Ossendrijver
and purist Raf Simons will be role models for this style. Homeless-Chic will be the exact opposite trend
which is mixed with clothes from Eastern Europe‘s skateboard culture.This style will be supported by the
subcultural influences in Russia. A new skateboard scene is evolving in Russia‘s capital which reminds us
of the graffiti movement in New York during the 1980s. They have their own rules and their own style and
are seen as revolutionists in a country of abundance. The revolutionary styles by Gosha Rubinskaja evoke
the impression of radicalism: sweatpants and muscle-shirts which were showed in a gym of a Russian
elitist gym. This is the stuff that dreams of bored Europeans are made of in 2011! Men will wear drykorn
and Rag&Bone but also grunge-inspired clothes and will combine it with high end sportswear of Acronym,
Arc‘teryx Veilance and Stone Island: in 2011, Oakley-eyewear has its comeback!
FASHION 2011
Good is what was always good
We love things that are always working and on which we can rely on. 2011 will be the year of sticking to
old and known stuff. We will buy a pair of Red Wings, former worker‘s shoes, which we can trust because
of yearlong experiences in this sector. In 2011, we also wear suits again. It isn‘t known as a stiff object
anymore but as a needed piece of clothes in every man‘s wardrobe. Women concentrate on being ladylike
again as same as men want dress like real Gentlemen. Pocket squares, wide revers and stiff shirts imply a
lot of ironing in 2011. In short: quality, long living and classical items is what we want.
Women: purism and eclecticism
Sentimentality and nostalgia are over. The future is positive and bright in the world of fashion. In times
of enormous communication opportunities because of social communities and the Internet, people want
to show off 24 / 7 –not only on special events. 24/7 fashion is one of the most important forms of communication these days. 2011‘s claim is: no invasive status symbols and crazy fantasy-looks anymore! Jil
Sander once said, “The purest form of luxury is reduction. Clothes are perfect if you cannot take anything
away from it anymore.“ And that is the trend for 2011. We want to show intellect and the right style instead
of splurging. Already known and appreciated designers like Jil Sander and Helmut Lang will be important
again as same as the exceptional talent Pheobe Philo with her revolutionary creations for Céline. She
knows how to work zeitgeist into her clothes: strict and masculine reduction which make women look
ambitious, elegant and self-confident. Her designs are eclectic highlights existing of perfect cuttings and
wonderful materials. Besides the fact that the brand Céline moved its headquarters from Paris to London
for Phoebe Philo, two other news from Britain were celebrated by the fashion business: the new upcoming
talents Erdem and Christopher Kane same as the french women from Rodarte provide us with neon colours
like orange, yellow, pink and green and exciting mixes of materials and designs. Leather will become the
new Cashmere in 2011 - and Rick Owens will love it. Next year, we will combine high fashion clothes like
Gianvito Rossi heels with casual and sporty accessories like WeSC headphones or a backpack of Vans.
Liberty is and stays boundless – as long as it‘s comprehensible.
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
[ Ford ]
[ Simons ]
[ Rubchinsky ]
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
[ Ossendrijver ]
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The ball is round, also in South Africa
Football, football, football – what else? The football world cup in South Africa was the most important
sport event in 2010 – and the vuvuzela horn made it into 300 different news on TV. This world cup was the
most sympathetic one ever – even after the dropping of the South African football team in the first round.
The South Africans weren‘t sad but celebrated all of the other team in this competition! Indeed, they had
a few problems of organisation but good and successful football team like the young Germans recompensed. 2011 was the perfect year of football!
[ Green Piont Stadium ]
Advanced Biking - the future of cycle racing
The electronic bike made it into public. A lot of different models like folding bike, recumbent bike, or
tandem bike didn‘t only make retirees happy. 160,000 e-bikes were sold in Germany in 2010, whereas 20
millions were sold in China. Smart even presented a new e-scooter besides its already published e-bike.
We love to see how things work together: physical strength of oneself and electricity of one‘s bike which
increases speed. All of the big automobile manufacturers are planing to publish e-bikes in 2011. We want
new developments on this sector again! And we know that retirees can‘t be that wrong...
Floorball
In Germany, floorball is also called University‘s hockey – because it is almost exclusively played in
this institution. Nobody is interested in this sport, a mix out of ice hockey, polo and handball. Maybe it‘s
because of Finland winning the world cup in floorball in 2010 – and not the Germans. Maybe the next
floorball world cup should take place in Germany, because the football world cup in 2006 showed one
thing: when a competition takes place in our country we are eager to win and support our team a lot. Who
knows how long it will take until we put small flags of Germany on our cars and drive through the cities
hooting like idiots for our German floorball team...
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BODY 2.0.
After the euphoria about the football world cup in 2010, people acknowledge team spirit and the fun
about doing sports again. It‘s all about happiness, jollity and relax, not selfish optimising of the body anymore. The ones who are ambitious to have a good body shape, too, should try out pole-dancing! Usually
we only know this kind of dancing from dubious night clubs but it is a serious sport which makes any body
look better. There are a lot of pole-dancing studios in New York by now which are also used my men – and
we are sure that we will all start to pole-dance in 2011!
Streetsurfing
Surfing on the streets is a good modification of the famous but classical skateboarding. Streetsurfer‘s
boards have two panels to stand on which are beholden by a torsion bar. This connecting strap assures
that the board doesn‘t go straight but in wavy lines like surfboards on the sea, that‘s its advantage over
normal skateboarding because one doesn‘t have to roll by using their feet but their whole body and thereby can stay on the board. But also the classic skateboarding celebrates its comeback. A new subculture in
East Europe tries to fight the system by skateboarding and thereby inspires a lot of North European kids.
Crushed Ice World Cup
There are also new winter sports in 2011: Crushed Ice is one of them. In this sport, you have to
overcome many obstacles on ice with skates to win. In 2010, Red Bull was the first company to arrange
a world cup for Crushed Ice. 20 nations and 50,000 fans were giving their best to make this sport more
popular. Even famous people love this sport: Mario Gomez, player of the national German football team
really liked this Ice Cross Downhill Event. Get your skates and try it out!
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
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DIGITAL 2011
My Social Network is better than yours!
Where do I find my privacy settings on Facebook? It‘s so complicated and obscure, maybe I should
change my social network. 2011 will be the year of real alternatives because there will be a lot of competitors. After myspace became a platform for cheap parties and German studivz just interesting for
students of boring studies, Facebook was the only alternative for every social network user in the world.
Have a Facebook-account - or die! But rescue is near. The alternatives Ping and GoogleMe are made by
big companies and will set the pattern for something new. Apple‘s platform Ping starts as an add on for
iTunes 10 and is a social network where people can present themselves with their taste of music. Besides
the already known specials like listening to music, rate songs and download records, people will be able
to talk about music and other subjects with their friends online. On Ping, finding of new songs and sounds
and interactive communication about music in general will take centre stage - an acoustic alternative!
GoogleMe is the unofficial name of Google‘s social network which is planned to go online in 2011. Until
now the company couldn‘t achieve any success on the market of social networks, which was proved by
its first attempt Buzz, but this shall change. Still kept as a secret like we know it from new inventions of
Steve Jobs for Apple, Google doesn‘t want to say much about the planned platform. But some information is out: social layering is the catchword. GoogleMe will combine a lot of interactive services – that is why
they secretly hired the specialist for social-network-gaming SlideInc and network specialists of Angstro
to help them. Rumours are saying that one can have more than one profiles for oneself for different uses.
Everyone could have a profile like it has to be for friends, family and work. A service which Facebook only
partly provides. In general, Ping and GoogleMe want to have people‘s trust who have been disappointed
by Facebook and attract them with transparency, traceable data privacy guidelines and innovative news.
In 2011, Facebook will have to share his success for the first time with these competitors. Though we
all know that Apple, Google and Facebook are no benevolent societies, these news can only be could for
the consumers. We like it!
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Meta-Blog & Blog-Networks
What blog post did I bookmark again and where is it? What was the name of this great blog about
technical stuff? Help – I can‘t catch on anymore! The big disadvantage of our society becomes more and
more often the excessive supply of information. Which of all these information, news, tweets, posts and
images are really relevant? Mono thematic blogs like blogs only about fashion can be a big help for users
who couldn‘t deal with Googlereader. Due to international fashion weeks they concentrate on a special
style and follow special trends. But there is also a wide range and an excessive supply of these mono
thematic blogs, too. Luckily, 2011 will make a change! Well assorted meta-blogs will make it easier to
find the right information for the right subject. Meta-bloggers search the most relevant blogs and find the
most important, most ground-breaking and most interesting news. A meta-blog saves its users‘ nerveracking and time-killing searches for special trends and right information. It combines the best parts of a
lot of blogs and thereby becomes the right thing for people with huge interest on news but less time. The
related, thematic blog-networks which put individual blogs together and create an eclectic, informative allin-one-blog will become at least as important as the meta-blogs. Hypebeats, ArtschoolVets and Highsnobiety are the best examples for the potential many creative bloggers have if they work together. In 2011,
also these kinds of networks will make it easier for users to filter information. Googlereader vs. meta-blog/
blog-network: David vs. Golliath. We know who we want to win the fight – do we?
Click here to make a secure submission
What forms the western lifestyle? Capitalism, consume and money are definitely ranked on the top
positions but freedom of information is the most important. Our lifestyle is a lifestyle of a capitalistic
society of information. Knowledge and nescience about governments, people and products not only
rule our opinions but our way of consuming. Who voluntarily buys clothes from Bangladesh after having
seen documentaries about sweat-shops in Dhaka? And if my bank is ruining a millions of people‘s lives
because of corrupt credits I decide to become customer of another bank. Actually, Wikileaks has been
online since 2006 but in 2011 it will have an important influence on our whole way of consumption and our
imaginations about what is possible within the Internet. In 2010, the platform which was seen as the first
stateless news agency has played a big role in media, but in 2011 it will become even more important.
Information are the reasons to trust or mistrust in institutions, governments, persons and products – that is
why Wikileaks only supports our forming of opinions. The already unveiled details by now are about many
fields of our society: oil, environment, banks, Loveparade or Sarah Palin‘s e-mails. It‘s the new digital
solution for fighting dishonesty in our society and wants to make the world more transparent to advance
our consumerism and lifestyle. WikiLeaks isn’t the only platform of this kind on the Internet but also shows
how digital platforms can change something in our world because of these attributes. We will see how
Wikileak‘s founder Julian Assange will cope with this mixture of diplomacy, concern about safety and
freedom of information in 2011 – and how others will cope with him. We hope it will be true to the motto:
‘Don‘t shoot the messenger!‘
S T R I C T LY T R A N S PA R E N T
Author
Since 2004 K-MB works for brands
and companys brand consulting and
public relations in Germany, Europe
and world wide.
The Agency is responsible for the brand
consulting and trend marketing of smart
international and the public relations of
ABSOLUT VODKA, Jawbone, drykorn,
GAS Jeans, Vans and WeSC
The latest information
about K-MB and its clients are available under: WWW.K-MB.DE
If you are interested in our work,
please feel free to contact us:
Via mail to [email protected]
Or by phone +49 (0)30 69 59 72 80
The trend check 2012 will be
available from December 2011.
Design and production:
Willem Stratmann / StudioAnti™
www . studioanti . com
WWW.K-MB.DE
KMB-TC-1011-C