In this edition, we highlight two mega-trends that are impacting the 'business of business' like few others do: the rise of a new, worldwide MASS CLASS and the insatiable demand for ONLINE OXYGEN amongst 600 million online consumers. On top of that, we've included updates for three of our previously highlighted (and somewhat less mega-esque) trends: JINGLE CASTING, SYMPVERTISING and GRAVANITY.

We're also happy to let you know that there are now more than 15,000 subscribers to our global trends and new business ideas newsletters: a great incentive to further expand our scanning and spotting activities, and to bring you even more hot consumer/marketing trends and related new business opportunities in the months to come.

Our next issue is due on 15 July 2003, don't forget to forward the newsletter to your friends and co-workers! (The ones that deserve it ;-)

The ongoing democratization of luxury (read: quality consumer goods and services at ever decreasing prices) has created powerful icons of new-style mass consumption: think Nokia, H&M, Zara, ING, DELL Computers, Gap, Virgin, Microsoft, Nike, EasyJet, or L'Oreal.

These companies cater to what TRENDWATCHING.COM has dubbed MASS CLASS: the hundreds of millions of global consumers who are now unified in their quest for the best deals on offer on a global scale in virtually each B2C category.

The MASS CLASS has not replaced its well-know predecessor, the 'Global Middle Class', but rather incorporated its richer cousin, sharing a level of purchasing power when it comes to most B2C goods and services, save for the really big ticket items like housing, college education and high-end cars. In other words, MASS CLASS puts any Shanghai and Prague shopper making $5000 a year on par with Swiss and US consumers bagging $5,000 a month, when it comes to consumption of quality mass goods.

So what are the drivers behind this trend? A snapshot*:

	Unprecedented wealth in the 'developed' world, encouraging and inspiring leading entrepreneurs and corporations to continually introduce higher quality goods and services (GDP per head in OECD countries has increased up to tenfold over the last three decades. Biggest winner: South Korea: up twentyfold from little more than US$700 in 1970 to US$15,000 in 2000).
	Equally impressive growth in prosperity in many developing nations, spawning hundreds of millions of 'new' consumers that are copying the developed world in taste and preference.
	Entire countries and regions becoming both factories to the world (keeping costs down) AND massive consumer markets (Swedish home furnisher IKEA opened its largest store in Asia in April of this year, the retailer's second outlet in China's largest city Shanghai. Ten new outlets should be in operation by 2010. China is Ikea's largest purchasing market, with 15 percent of its products originating there.
	Global communication channels allowing for mass branding and advertising like we haven't seen before in economic history: the global MTV network alone annually attracts more than 366 million households and a billion viewers.

* Each and every of these developments warrants its own trend description and elaboration; the upcoming issues of this newsletter will bring you just that.

How to profit from a massive trend like MASS CLASS? Well, to start off with, try incorporating it into your strategic vocabulary. MASS CLASS as a phenomenon represents new markets, new consumers, and new competition going after these vast opportunities. Prepare for a new breed of entrepreneurs willing to challenge any existing business model that shows even the slightest sign of fatigue, jumping on the enormous economies of scale and scope made possible by this unified mass of consumers. Furthermore, expect many incumbents in retail, travel, financial services, etc. to try to copy their low cost / high quality rivals by imitating new business ideas, failing to grasp that behind those ideas lie fundamentally different business models. Witness airlines like British Airways and KLM recently giving up on establishing MASS CLASS carriers inspired by Ryan Air and EasyJet.

And consider the opportunities offered by the unavoidable anti-trend, which for MASS CLASS would be MASSCLUSIVITY: a sudden craving for a bit of privilege and status amongst the masses will favour a new breed of nimble service providers, modeled after phenomena like the restricted-access airport lounge. But even here, incumbents may find that their 'old-style middle class' won't fill this niche: their bland service levels represent neither true privilege nor true MASS CLASS value.

Again, this trend is multi-faceted and incorporates plenty of sub-trends, which is why we will devote more space to it in upcoming issues. Stay tuned, en masse ;-) >> Email this trend to a friend.

Other trends linked to the MASS CLASS trend:

1. EASY ASIA
2. MASSCLUSIVITY

WANT TO LINK TO THIS TREND?
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/2003/06/MASS_CLASS.html

Want another Big Trend? Well, just consider the fact that these days, consumers don't want online access anywhere/anytime, they absolutely CRAVE it! From airports to living rooms to roof gardens to classrooms to city parks, people go to great lengths to get a dose of what TRENDWATCHING.COM has dubbed ONLINE OXYGEN. Seven years after the first web sites started popping up, and email made its way from science labs to office desks and living rooms, 600 million consumers worldwide are beginning to see online access as an absolute necessity, and there are no signs that the pace of integrating online access into daily life is slowing down.

Some global numbers:

Dialing in is out, fast 24/7 access is IN. One third of all American internet users now have access to a broadband connection, a 50% jump compared to last year. In countries like Canada and South Korea, 50% of all internet users enjoy unlimited fast access (source: Pew Internet). In Europe, the number of broadband connections increased 136% over the last 12 months, with Spain, France and the Netherlands leading the pack.

On the wireless front (and this is where ONLINE OXYGEN could almost be taken literally), Intel, AT&T, T-Mobile and a host of other IT and telco companies are urging companies and consumers in the US and EU to 'UNWIRE', relentlessly promoting WiFi enabled laptops and installing 'hot spots' in thousands of locations like airports, Starbucks cafes, Borders bookstores, hotels and other commercial and public spaces.

In fact, Intel's wireless chip 'Centrino' will be installed in more than half of all new notebooks worldwide as of next quarter. Notebook/laptop owners will be able to instantly connect from an estimated 9,700 'hotspots' this year, increasing to nearly 118,000 wireless hot zones by 2006 (source: IDC). And yes, that includes the 17 Starbucks cafes in Shanghai already offering wireless access with your latte, courtesy of Tian Yi Tong (Shanghai Telecom's service). To call this a global phenomenon is almost an understatement.

And we haven't even touched upon the looming explosion in WiFi enabled PDAs and phones. 'Traditional' cell/mobile phones connecting to the Internet at high speed will also be a common sight: already, Vodafone is plastering European business mags with its 'Mobile Connect Card' ads: basically a card with a small antenna that allows you to dial in from your laptop wherever Vodafone has a signal (and they're everywhere these days!).

Meanwhile, at home, Americans are installing wireless networks like there is no tomorrow. The number of home network units in the US has grown from less that one million units in 2001 to approximately eight million units in 2002 and is expected to reach over 60 million units in 2005 (source: In-Stat MDR).

Now, the above may sound like a lot of tech, and yes, the IT industry is aggressively pushing wireless and broadband, but TRENDWATCHING.COM has not yet spotted any consumers who are discontent with fast internet or being able to log in wherever they are. Au contraire, consider the following random ONLINE OXYGEN facts and figures:

-- The Internet has overtaken television as the most heavily used medium among teenage boys in Hong Kong, according to new research from NFO WorldGroup.

-- AOL has found that the Internet is now the primary communication tool for US teenagers. Which is backed by new data from media metrics firm Edison Media Research: 34 percent of Americans chose the Internet as the most "cool and exciting" medium -- 1 percent less than television. The numbers were much higher among 12 to 34-year-olds, however: 46 percent voted the Internet as the "most essential" medium to their lives, while 29 percent picked TV.

-- An Ipsos-Reid survey asked Canadians the famous "desert island" question, in which respondents are asked what they would want to have with them in the event of being stranded on a desert island. The majority (51 percent) of online Canadian families said they would bring their PC over their telephone (21 percent) and television (12 percent)!

-- And it's not just teens and families: almost 20 percent of European seniors now have internet access, according to a new study from Forrester Research. The latest survey from the company indicates that the number of consumers older than 55 that are online has increased by 50 percent in two and a half years, up from almost 10 million in 2000 to more than 15 million at the end of 2002.

So is your business ready to deal with consumers (and employees!) who thrive on ONLINE OXYGEN? Have you considered partnering in any shape or form with one of the new kids on the block, from cross-media marketing companies to WiFi providers? Have you incorporated the opportunities and threats of broadband, wireless, and the popularity of 'being digital' in general, into your marketing, IT and distribution strategies? Have you allocated a suitable percentage of your advertising budget to online advertising, as that's where the action is? (Online ads total 10 percent of Volvo's entire marketing budget. And that was last year!).
Time to infuse your strategies and action plans with a blast of fresh air!

We will continue to closely track ONLINE OXYGEN as one of our key 'technology & behavior' trends; expect more real-life examples and opportunities in the months to come. >> Email this trend to a friend.

Other trends and new business ideas linked to the ONLINE OXYGEN trend:

1. OLDBIES
2. Big Mac? Big Tec!

WANT TO LINK TO THIS TREND?
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/2003/06/ONLINE_OXYGEN.html

This is where graffiti meets vanity: catering to the obsession of hundreds of millions of individuals who secretly dream of immortality, or at least some public attention. Something the Dutch postal service (TPG Post) apparently understands very well: they came up with what must be the ultimate GRAVANITY service; the ability to create your OWN stamps, using a picture or photograph of your own choice, valid on everything from postcards and letters to brochures and packages. Think mug shots, baby pics or family portraits: in the end it's all about YOU.

How it works: on the TPG website, customers access the dedicated 'my stamp' application. A minimum order for 10 stamps will set you back about 12 euros (about US$14). After selecting a suitable decoration and uploading your photo of choice, you fill in your address and payment details, and a set of GRAVANITY stamps is on its way.

The pay-off? For consumers and businesses, this means a unique and eye-catching promotional tool. For postal companies around the world, this may mean juicy revenues in a market severely harassed by email and other digital dangers. >> Email this trend to a friend.

WANT TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL TREND DESCRIPTION?
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/2003/01/BRANDEDBRANDS.html