2019 Non-Obvious:
The ninth edition

Trend 01 · 2019

Creators, corporations, and governments use virtual creations to shift public perception, sell products, and even make fantasy into reality.

While Artificial Influence keeps rising, we are seeing subtle and direct ways that people are fighting back against this manufactured influence and demanding more authenticity.

Trend 02 · 2019

(Originally curated 2016) B2B brands use non-traditional methods to embrace their humanity and reach decision makers along with a broader audience.

This was one of those frustrating trends that was well predicted and quantifiably true, yet it struggled to accelerate because of the resistance so many B2B brands have to different thinking.

Trend 03 · 2019

(Originally curated 2016) As tech-enabled products become overbearing, consumers opt to downgrade to simpler, cheaper, or more functional versions instead.

This trend, slightly revised from the original Deliberate vs Strategic Downgrading, continues to be widely cited as consumers skip excessively upgraded options and choose the option they prefer.

Trend 04 · 2019

Empathy becomes a driver of innovation and revenue as well as a point of differentiation for products, services, hiring, and experiences.

An evolution from Virtual Empathy, this trend was written to encompass the many businesses now using empathy as a competitive advantage far beyond tech firms pioneering Virtual Reality experiences.

Trend 05 · 2019

To simplify daily life, people shed their excess “stuff,” and seek pared-down experiences and ways to unclutter their digital identities too.

There are no indications that this sometimes desperate quest to reduce clutter is slowing down. Instead, people seek even more ways to simplify, get rid of "stuff" and declutter their daily lives.

Trend 06 · 2019

Consumers get weary of innovations claiming to be the “next big thing,” and assume none will last long.

Perhaps inevitably the speed of innovation and disruption has led to a continued relevance for this trend as people still feel this same fatigue and maintain their skepticism about all fads as a result.

Trend 07 · 2019

The urgency of the problems facing humanity is inspiring corporations, entrepreneurs, and individuals to find ways of doing good and generating results more quickly.

More examples appear of good being done by entrepreneurs and large brands alike as they feel the urgency to make an impact and share it with conscientious consumers who care.

Trend 08 · 2019

Fear leads entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions to envy competitors and approach innovation with admiration or desperation.

This was perhaps the most popular trend of the 2019 report, inspiring corporate leaders to launch internal initiatives to ensure they weren't engaging in some Innovation Envy themselves.

Trend 09 · 2019

The rising empowerment of women and reevaluation of gender itself are causing widespread confusion and angst about what it means to be a man today.

There have been continual signs since publishing this trend that the confusion is getting more pronounced and in some cases leading to significant re-evaluations of self-identity from men.

Trend 10 · 2019

Growing income inequality leads to more guilt among the affluent, prompting them to seek more ways to give back.

As income inequality worsens, the affluent try to find ways to help but often fail. Solutions to such large issues continue to evade us. This trend hasn't moved much.

Trend 11 · 2019

(Originally curated 2017) As switching from brands becomes easier, companies re-evaluate who is loyal, who isn't, and how to inspire true loyalty.

Forward-looking brands redesign their loyalty programs and try delight to inspire loyalty. Given the focus on this, we decided to bring back and republish this trend in 2019.

Trend 12 · 2019

Often unsure of whom to trust, consumers look back to organizations and experiences with brands that have a legacy as well as those with which they have a personal history.

This trend has plenty of new stories from the year since we initially spotlighted it, and it played a fundamental part in the definition for our megatrend Revivalism.

Trend 13 · 2019

(Originally curated 2017) As robots adopt more human-like interfaces and micro-personalities, they are raising new questions and issues about how we relate to technology.

As we live through this "renaissance age" of robots, we are tackling big questions about what we want them to do and what we don't. This debate and trend could shape the decade to come.

Trend 14 · 2019

(Originally curated 2017) A global shift toward individualism drives people to follow their passion, start a side business, and appreciate quirks in one another.

Since we first published this trend, the world seems to be getting quirkier than ever. Individualism rises, subgenres grow, and many seem to seek and find new ways to express themselves.

Trend 15 · 2019

Brands and creators intentionally use spectacles to capture attention and drive engagement.

The use of spectacles continues to grow as a trend. The difficulty of capturing attention factored significantly into the definition of megatrend Attention Wealth.