Trendspotting-The Basics

Book excerpt: If you're tired of paying so-called experts to tell you about how to capitalize on trends, then why not figure out how to do it on your own? When you learn the basics of trendspotting, you've taken a key step towards understanding how these can affect your business, your life, and our world. Rather than presenting an exhausting catalogue of individual trends or methods of trend analysis, this guidebook quickly gives you the tools you need to get out there and start spotting, including basic terminology, fundamental principles and tools, and methodology. You will learn how to • identify micro-, macro-, mega-, and gigatrends; • avoid the pitfalls that can make you over-interpret what you see; • determine how trends can and will interact with each other; and • apply the methodologies that will work best for you. Trendspotting can be fun as well as profitable. Coming in contact with different cultures and ideas gives you the opportunity to celebrate the weirdness and beauty of the world; it offers you the chance to challenge your own worldview and preconceived notions. You too can go out into the wild world of trends, learning a variety of ways to live and work and love, and Trendspotting—The Basics can help you on the way.