Trends to watch in 2011

After Arab revolutions, IMF scandal and EU bail-outs, it’s pretty hard to know what’s going to happen this afternoon, let alone in the year ahead. Ad agency JWT have given it a good stab, with its fascinating “100 Things to Watch in 2011” report. 

Here are some of the highlights of the report.

Buy one, give one away

Watch for more businesses to adopt this novel model pioneered by TOMS shoes, which donates one pair for every pair it sells. With the idea of purpose-driven brands gaining traction, this strategy makes a strong statement about the marketer and turns a purchase into more than a mere transaction for the consumer. For consumer brands with tasty margins, it?s well affordable too?

Children’s ebooks

Look for the rise of children?s e-books for color-enabled screens. Traditional children?s publishers have jumped on the bandwagon, as have startups. Ruckus Media, for example, hasr eleased a slew of children?s e-book apps. Apple is adding illustrated titlesto its iBookstore. Dynamic storybooks like these will turn kids into even more ambidextrous learners, switching seamlessly from text to educational games and graphics. The kids? market grows daily?

Voice-activated apps

New tools will increasingly enable us to talk rather than type into smartphones. Freeing up the user?s hands and eyes is safer for drivers, bikers and walkers, and convenient for messaging while multitasking. With the Android app StartTalking,for example, a user signals a phone via a pre-assigned word, speaks a message,then commands the phone to send it. Samsung is touting the Voice Talk feature in its Galaxy S II in commercials.

Tap to pay

The digital wallet is edging closer to reality. Watch for more transit systems toallow riders to use their phones as tickets or passes, more mobile-enabled parking systems and vending machines, more NFC-supported phones that let users tap to pay merchants, and more apps that allow people to ?bump? each other?s phones to exchange money. We?ll soon see terminals for contactless payments popping up at checkout?in the UK, for example, Tesco and McDonald?s are among the retailers that have announced 2011 plans to install these terminals.

We?ll be broadcasting all 100 future trends at the Entrepreneurs? Summit on May 25, 2011. To get one of the few final tickets and get your exclusive insight, contact Jo Cox on jo.cox@caspianmedia.com or call 0207 368 7123.

Your only chance this year to hear: Charles Dunstone, Britain’s first self-made billionaire Dame Mary Perkins; Vince Cable; Dan Cobley of Google; Wonga founder Errol Damelin; LoveFilm CEO Simon Calver; Active Hotels founder Andy Phillipps and many moreOur warm thanks to ad agency JWT for sharing their brilliant “100 Things to Watch in 2011” report.

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