Culture Vulture - The Follower, The Dissenter and The Deviant

How do you spot trends? How do you point to those cultural shifts?

As a designer and a design leader, I’ve noticed that this is often hard to articulate. Why do we think something will trend two years from now?

How do we explain this without causing Trend Panic?

Once you’ve given your consumer Main Character Energy, looking at the other actors that influence their cultural landscape, will allow you to spot events on the horizon.

A way to do that is to introduce some other characters to your mix. The Follower, The Dissenter and The Deviant. 

Who are the Followers who are converging on the trends you already see?

Is the following growing bigger? 

How is this making it more powerful?

Think Louis Vuitton - is this the peak of accessible luxury and the elevation of streetwear?

Then look at the The Dissenters - who is speaking out against the following?

Are there signs of fatigue with the following?

This will give you an idea of whether the shift is starting to fracture.

Think of the lacklustre critical response to the tv show Sirens - are we tiring of shows about rich people?

Now come the Deviants - who, in this cultural scene is doing something else?

What stands out for being different?

What anomalies are you drawn to?

Think Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso’s viral tiny desk concert - brash, genre defying hip hop, are we breaking from Americana in music?

By following these characters over time you will sense where they are going, what they are thinking and feeling when and what is shifting in the cultural landscape.

I can map these for your business based on your target consumer - keeping you ahead of the cultural trends that matter to them most.

DM me to see how I can help you Culture Map your business.

Michaelenderbysmith.com