20 trends we will be living with in the 21^st Century
(and some implications for marketers)

	From		To
1	Group identity		Individual identity
2	Role playing		Assertive self
3	Nuclear family		Diversified families
4	Traditional Expectations		Personal Preferences
5	Focused commitment		Expanding network
6	Obsession with work		Balanced lifestyle
7	The company		The work itself
8	The functional		Ambient
9	Simple sensory		Heightened sensuality
10	Real nature		Information nature
11	Being healthy		Feeling healthy
12	Information		Information environment
13	Mass media		Personalized media
14	Ascribed roles		Role choice
15	Home/career choice		Home/career accommodation
16	World as an international market		Global economy
17	Economic animal		Pleasure-seeking consumer
18	Things		Experiences
19	Luxury purchase		Luxury enjoyment
20	Famous brands		Authentic/meaningful brands

Some implications for marketers:

• Global competition
• Mergers/acquisitions and restructuring
• Redefinition of core activities
• Foresight planning
• Consumer pull
• Technology push
• Fragmentation (e.g., retail food distribution)
• Rationalisation of product portfolios/strategies for re-focusing.
• Ability to attract and retain skills and capabilities
• Training, re-training, re-deployment of people to develop new, pre-emptive capabilities
• Ability to seek, to identify and to forge the right complementarities.

Critical Factors for Success

1. Development of key strategic relationships
2. Flexible structures and customer-focus in deployment of key people
3. Delivery and teamwork
4. Ability to identify and to address key issues (e.g., to deal effectively with capability strengths, weaknesses and dysfunctionalities).