Microtrends: the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes

We all have heard of Malcolm Gladwell and may have read his writing. The Tipping Point came off the press a decade ago sharing the idea that “little things can make a big difference.” Now take that concept as the launch pad into Mark Penn and E. Kinney Zalesne’s Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes. Have you ever wonder who coined the terms “soccer mom” or the ever-growing breed of middle-aged women also known as “cougars?” These are just two of the 75 microtrends called out by the book chapter-by-chapter. It demonstrates the power of research and statistics.

Interesting videos related to this book:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/21347665 - Jim Cramer on Mad Money

http://pennschoenberland.edgeboss.net/wmedia/pennschoenberland/client1/abcnews_penn_09052007.wvx - Nightline’s coverage of the book

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hifihRzPevE – and of course an Authors@Google coverage

-- Team G (Nick, Jolie, and Chi)

Facebook Tagging: A Marketer's Friend or Foe?

Last week Facebook rolled out the option to tag products in addition to your friends in personal photos. In many ways this is a marketer's dream: natural product placement. Once someone tags the product it goes to the product's photos tab on their Facebook page. Facebook is taking viral marketing to the next level, and putting more branding control in the hands of consumers. In what ways can this create opportunities for brands? Does it pose any threats to how marketers want to control their image?

Check out more at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/facebook-opens-photo-feature-to-product-placement/238757/

- Team F (Rhea, Desiree, and Emily)

Brand Value Article

Team E (Mike Carey, Scott Rich, Tim Garrison) is responsible for the first posting and we have found the attached article interesting. This speaks to Brand Value and discusses Apple's brand as well as the top ten Brands with regards to overall value. Apple becoming the most valuable brand should not be too much of a surprise. They deliver products that are unique and come with a fantastic experience. Article also discusses a luxury pricing model that Apple follows. Higher the price of the product, the more coveted the product is.

Did you notice that 20% of the top 100 brands are from emerging markets ?

Brand Value.....?? What do you think.....

Link to article is :

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42954640/ns/business-consumer news/

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