Photo by Lucas Simmons
By Ethan Lyon, Senior Writer
Escaping into virtual worlds, mashing ideas to spark innovative ventures and maximizing our professional and personal lives are key trends we discussed in our Emerging Trends Report back in April. To see how we measured-up to our predictions we are published a trend report card. Give us your thoughts on how we fared in the comments below.
As we find new ways to trim our budgets, consumers are emerging more savvy than ever.
In April, we discussed many unemployed Americans would return to the classroom to re-tool for a new economy that increasingly values higher education. The current administration recently unveiled a multi-billion dollar proposal to increase enrollment in community colleges by five million students by 2020. And for-profit education institutions enrollment inflate 10-45%. As online education trend increases in reputable four-year institutions, re-tooling will become more efficient and more accessible to those seeking higher education. Expect to see this trend continue and possibly accelerate with the help of the current administration.
Grade: A+
Companies are finding new ways to re-energize products by connecting (A)typical with (C)onvention to get (B)usiness.
When Obama took office, he inherited a country in dire straits and a dim future. “I have always been a strong believer in the power of the free market,” he said. “I believe that our role is not to disparage wealth, but to expand its reach; not to stifle the market, but to strengthen its ability to unleash the creativity and innovation that still make this nation the envy of the world.” His call for entrepreneurs to tap into their wealth of innovative thinking has not quelled since the economic downturn. Maybe it has accelerated.
Just as we scoured the web for cutting edge entrepreneurs connecting the atypical with convention create new business, we have found that entrepreneurs are not missing a beat since we published this trend in April. Take example from virtual graffiti screen from Yr Wall or the Twitter-powered ice cream truck. As the obstacles ahead challenge us, innovative entrepreneurial spirit will help us overcome them.
Grade: A-
In our dog-eat-dog world, the laws of survival are pushing us to adapt or die.
The American automobile market has not slowed on its collision course with fate. Fiat’s interest in the failing Chrysler Group, GM’s bankruptcy filing and many more similar headlines populate the daily news. Not to mention the $65 billion “recovery” funding to plug the many holes of GM and Chryler’s sinking ship. In an evolutionary leap, American car makers are pushing hard on smaller vehicles and alternative energy sources, such as battery power. In fact, GM recently bought a plant to assemble battery packs from S. Korea for their new Chevrolet Volt. In a mad scramble to revamp a multi-billion dollar industry, Darwinistic adaptive principles are setting in to reshape the way the American auto industry does business.
Grade: B+
To break through the heavy storm clouds ahead, it’s going to take a renewed sense of enthusiasm as a nation.
When we published the Emerging Trend Report back in April, the nation was still in a daze from the Obama victory, but now that we’ve seen him on-the-job, has our opinion changed? The Obama administration united a country in search of hope and brighter pastures, and though we are not there yet, there is still a strong echo of hope that has bound this country through these challenging times. While patriotism cannot be quantified with a unit of measure, the feeling of a united front still permeates our nation.
Grade: C
To break from that straight jacket of work, family and social obligations, we need an escape. Just like the Great Houdini, we need to find that illusion to keep balance between “me time” and “them time.”
Our prediction on the need to escape into an alternate reality fell short. Video game equipment and software fell 31% in June—the largest decline since 2000, reported research group NPD. Across the board, the video game industry is on a decline. Though less people are escaping into a virtual world, more people are consuming more programming online and off. Just as many people are not willing to sacrifice smart phones, the same goes for more traditional forms of entertainment (e.g. Time Warner Cable had a 14% increase in sales in the second quarter).
Grade: C
Download the Emerging Trend Report in PDF format
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