Trends Identified
Improved access to capital at competitive rates
12% of the respondents view this as a positive trend.
2019
4Q 2018 KPMG Global Insights Pulse Survey Report
KPMG
Improving Eurozone conditions and stability
9% of the respondents view this as a positive trend.
2019
4Q 2018 KPMG Global Insights Pulse Survey Report
KPMG
Relative geopolitical calm globally; decline in terrorism
9% of the respondents view this as a positive trend.
2019
4Q 2018 KPMG Global Insights Pulse Survey Report
KPMG
A good user experience ≠ a good brand experience
In 2019, frictionless is the new commoditization. When “seamless” and “efficient” are the only goals in creating an experience, that consumer experience becomes merely transactional and there are few opportunities for brands to differentiate. Consider airline apps, for example. While it’s simple and streamlined to make or change a reservation or check flight status on any airline app, it’s harder to remember which airline app you are using.
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor
The end of gender generalization
Historically, when companies designed products, the first decision they would make was whether the brand was intended for men or for women. As gender becomes more open, inclusive, and nuanced, the overarching traditional gender decision is no longer the best starting point for brand personality. Gender roles will continue to blur and gender will often not be a helpful categorization for many brands.
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor
Redefine winning: The new rules for sports brands
A new global generation of fans and customers has emerged, with new tastes and new expectations, shifting definitions of what sports brands actually are. From the rise of eSports to the transforming face of fandom, there are new rules and new winners. From fields to phones, all sports are increasingly digital. And digital distinctiveness is ever more important—to stand for something can mean everything to the next generation.
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor
Every company is a wellness company
Every brand should provide appropriate solutions for supporting physical and/or mental wellness. All companies—from retail to real estate—should offer some degree of a wellness experience to maintain a competitive advantage. Wellness options include physical health programs as well as offerings that support mental health and balance, providing stress relief or even addressing issues such as social isolation.
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor
Don’t get stuck in the middle
Brands must strategically commit to either a high-end or low-fidelity value proposition. We are seeing a new polarity in brands: companies offer either a low-cost, low-fidelity value or a high-end experience. Consumers will pay a premium for brands that provide a unique über-experience but they also want brands that provide what they want at a low cost. Even mainstream brands need to offer unique experiences in order to influence engagement and commitment and to drive repeat purchase. In 2019, brands that operate in the middle, offering utilitarian value without a distinct point of difference, will die.
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor
Subscribe to the future
In 2019, we’ll see the sharing economy continue to give way to the subscription economy. Subscriptions that provide on-demand products and services will become the norm for a growing number of sectors and products. The subscription model can reframe the brand beyond the category, radically changing the business model and profoundly changing how marketers need to approach the entire product development, distribution, and go-to-market process. Subscription appeals to virtually every consumer, giving them access to highly personalized just-in-time inventory without the need to invest in big-ticket items. Older generations are generally accustomed to subscribing to a relatively small number of product categories—periodicals, cable television, smartphones, apartments, insurance—and those subscriptions tend to be static (you don’t get much flexibility in changing product preferences mid-subscription).
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor
Marketing and HR: unlikely allies
Brand marketers and HR join forces to drive greater value from the inside out, from employee to customer.As demand for more connectivity increases across all touchpoints in our lives, the push for end-to-end experience design will require closer relationships between people and product. Employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and employee retention are key to those relationships. Marketing and HR departments that partner together and blur traditional functional siloes are better positioned to attract, engage, and outperform their competition.With the rise in demand for innovative, creative, and branded employee experiences, leaders from HR and marketing will be 2019’s most critical power team. This new emphasis on the integration between customer experience and employee experience will require diversifying and attracting new types of talent to those roles.
2019
The top trends for brands to watch in 2019
Landor