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First Coined In 2011 Employees As Heroes trend icon

Employees As Heroes

Brands of all sizes aim to prove their humanity by emphasizing employees as the solvers of problems and creators of innovation. Such stories anchor the company's mission in the world.

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The 2011 Non-Obvious Trend Report, where Employees As Heroes was first coined

First published in the 2011 Non-Obvious Trend Report →

Trend Longevity Rating

B Graded B in 2026 ·
a strong prediction that largely held up

How this trend held up

This trend has expanded far beyond the tech firms initially featured as employees are increasingly valued in ads, showcased by brands with high loyalty, and seen as visible and important ambassadors for a brand.

Every past trend prediction is re-reviewed and graded with a Trend Longevity Rating, measuring how much each originally curated trend still matters years later.

Where It Led

This trend evolved into a megatrend.

In 2020, Employees As Heroes was identified as one of the past trends that evolved into the megatrend Human Mode: Tired of technology that isolates us from one another, people seek out and place greater value on physical, authentic and “unperfect” experiences designed with empathy and delivered by humans.

Explore The Human Mode Megatrend →

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