Microtrends. The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes
As it turns out, Microtrends are a really Big Deal!
Mark J. Penn
"You have to look at and interpret data to know what's going on, and that conventional wisdom is almost always wrong and outdated. The nation is no longer a melting pot. We are a collection of communities with many individual tastes and lifestyles. Those who recognize these emerging groups will prosper." - Mark J. Penn
Mark J. Penn is worldwide CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller. He is the president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates which he co-founded in 1975.
Mark is Senator Hillary Clinton's top presidential campaign strategist. He served as President Bill Clinton's pollster and political adviser for the 1996 re-election campaign and throughout the second term of the administration. He also ran the polling and messaging and was part of the media team for the successful Senate campaign of Hillary Clinton, serving as her chief campaign adviser. He advises organizations and companies on a wide range of image, branding and competitive marketing assignments. Mark has been a key adviser to Bill Gates and Microsoft for the last 6 years. He is the author new book, Microtrends -The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes, published by Twelve which is on the Wall Street Journal Business best seller list.
"College drop-outs: a frightening statistic" 1 Minute:
Mark Penn, the man who identified "Soccer Moms" as a crucial constituency in President Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign, is known for his ability to detect relatively small patterns of behavior in our culture-microtrends that are wielding great influence on business, politics, and our personal lives. Only one percent of the public, or three million people, is enough to launch a business or social movement.
Now, in Microtrends, one of the most respected and sought-after analysts in the world articulates a new way of understanding how we live.
Relying on some of the best data available, Penn identifies more than 70 microtrends in religion, leisure, politics, and family life that are changing the way we live. Among them:
• People are retiring but continuing to work.
• Teens are turning to knitting.
• Geeks are becoming the most sociable people around.
• Women are driving technology.
• Dads are older than ever and spending more time with their kids than in the past.
Penn shows readers how to identify the microtrends that can transform a business enterprise, tip an election, spark a movement, or change your life. In today's world, small groups can have the biggest impact.
Peter Clayton's questions for Mark Penn:
In your article in Forbes titled "The Critical 1%, you write "The big story today is small trends. Really small trends. These so-called "microtrends" are often counterintuitive, usually followed by 1% or less of the population, but they are pursued passionately and are fundamentally reshaping our society." – So can you give us your definition of a Microtrend? Is this similar to Chris Anderson's The Long Tail?
What do you think are some of the most important microtrends – that could impact someone's career?
What's the difference between a microtrend and a fad?
I'll tell you about a microtrend I noticed. I was at O'hare a couple of days ago. Had to use the men's room. You know, airport restrooms have a whole new karma. (Which brings up the point that microtrends are constantly evolving).
What are some of the most surprising microtrends you discovered in writing the book?
Microtrends in your book that disturbed me: let's talk about education. The number of college dropouts and the impact that will have.
Mark, you're a numbers guy. As you write in a chapter titled Numbers Junkies, American's love numbers they just don't like arithmetic" I'd like you to talk about the impact of the lack of math majors, science majors, engineering majors in the U.S. When I read the Harvard had only 77 math majors and Yale only 38 undergrads majoring in math… that's scary – and how many of those are foreign students?
Let's talk about some other frightening (in my opinion) microtrends. Mark, I'm a boomer, what's up with all these tattoos? Beautiful young women with tattoos everywhere?
Religion – When I think about religion I think about born again Christians and how they have influenced American Politics – however you write there "are nearly 10,000 distinct and separate religions in the world, with 2 or 3 new ones being created every day." Won't this create all kinds of problems?
We've talked a lot about China on this program – but usually from a megatrend perspective. What are some of the important microtrends you discovered?
Mark, you're and extremely busy guy – what motivated you to write Microtrends?
How much of an impact do you think the Internet and bloggers will have on the upcoming Presidential election?
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