8 mega-trends worth piggybacking onto

A tidy, interesting little White Paper arrived in yesterday’s mail. Unlike most other White Papers that I toss in the trash, I read this one cover to cover—all 6 pages worth.

It’s called “Profiting from Mega-Trends: Eight That Will Change How You Think About Your Brand.” And it’s one in a series of White Papers being written by Hiebing, a brand development and marketing firm in Madison, Wisconsin to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It’s an excellent example of how White Papers should be written. 

So consider piggybacking onto these mega-trends when it comes time to write articles, pitch the media, promote your business, create info products, write a book or target niche markets. 

Here are the mega-trends that Hiebing identified:

1. High-low consumerism. People of all income levels are “trading up” by cutting back spending on some things or simply capitalizing on today’s more readily available credit. Example: a Lexus in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  
2. Individualism. Marketing must be participatory and personal.
3. Choice overload. Too many choices force consumers to seek expert advice to help sort things out—whether it’s which skin care products to buy or navigating a career path.
4. Hiving. Companies must recognize the “homebody” inside the Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1981).
5. Gender complexity. Traditional distinctions are blurred, with men becoming more “feminized” and women indulging in the bachelor lifestyle.
6. 30 is the new 20. Today’s twentysomethings are waiting longer to settle down and taking this time to figure out their lives.
7. Greek Chic. Nerds are cool.
8. Retirement defined. Boomers are defying traditional retirement and seeing it as a chance to define themselves.  

P.S. Great White Paper, Hiebing. But you have a confusing website. I spent I don’t know how long trying to find the White Paper and finally gave up, confused and frustrated, because of all that flash, the slow load time and the goofy navigation structure. I finally called for guidance and found it.