Assuming that not even our sorry lot of politicians is inept enough to plummet us over the so-called fiscal cliff, the industry’s attention–with 2012 drawing to a close–turns to what’s in store for 2013.
Informed observations from a cross-section of the business as to the significance of what’s transpired this year appear in our 2012 wrap-up survey, providing clues to at least some of what lies ahead.
Also part of the crystal balling season is JWT’s annual list of 10 trends for the coming year, outlining the top dynamics that will impact what consumers and marketers will be seeking and experiencing in the months to come. Here’s JWT’s Top Ten list:
1. Play As a Competitive Advantage
In an age when people feel they can’t spare time for pursuits that don’t have specific goals attached, there will be a growing realization that unstructured time begets more imagination, creativity and innovation–all competitive advantages.
2. The Super Stress Era
We’re entering the era of super stress. As stress gets more widely recognized as a serious medical and cost issue, governments, employers and brands will ramp up efforts to prevent and reduce it.
3. Intelligent Things
Everyday objects are evolving into tech-infused smart devices with augmented functionality. As more ordinary items become interactive, intelligent objects, our interactions with them will get more interesting, enjoyable and helpful.
4. Predictive Personalization
As the science of data analysis becomes more cost efficient and sophisticated, and consumers generate more measurable data than ever, brands will increasingly be able to predict what a customer needs or wants–and tailor offers and communications very precisely.
5. The Mobile Fingerprint
The smartphone is becoming a summation of who we are for a skyrocketing number of consumers worldwide. As mobile devices expand into wallets, keys and health monitors, they are about to get even more personal. For example, the mobile phone is becoming so tied to identity that in some cases the phone number substitutes for address, name, etc. In India, some people display their phone number at their door rather than their name.
6. Sensory Explosion
We place a premium on sensory stimulation. Marketers will look for more ways to engage the senses.
7. Everything Is Retail
Shopping is shifting from an activity that takes place in physical stores or online to a value exchange that can play out in multiple new and novel ways.
8. Peer Power
The peer-to-peer marketplace is expanding and is increasingly upending major industries from hospitality to education. From personalized activities to shifts in the way travelers plan trips, peer-to-peer agencies are changing the scope of a wide range of services.
9. Privacy Hacking
In a world that values a more public life, people are reverting back to the old age of building private spaces into their identities.
10. Health & Happiness
In the past these were two separate entities. Today a gradual shift has happiness getting folded into the idea of “health and wellness” with experts in science, medicine and psychology saying they’re interconnected.
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More