The Meta Trending Trends: 2020
By: Matt Klein
Tags: Culture, Business, Society, Advertising, Trends

First, three high-level observations:

I. Over my last three analyses, several trend themes continue to thrive: Environmental Concerns, Prioritized Mental Wellness, Evolving Identity Boundaries, and A Physical-Virtual Blur. For three years straight, these remain the most ubiquitous subjects. Most meaningful, I believe the thread which ties these themes together is that they revolve around humanity — our habitat, ethics, mental state, sense of identity and role alongside tech.

II. Many of the +500 reported trends each year feel synthetic. In other words, nearly all “trends” feel propped up and perpetuated by business. Stop trying to make AR-shopping happen — it’s not going to happen. Cultural movements only flourish when there’s innate energy, I.e. organic behavior. There remains no need nor want behind AR-shopping, therefore it doesn’t thrive… this is despite +20 reports promising it will each year.

III. While these authors rely on reporting existing, surface-level signals, no one notes what’s not happening yet — movements beneath the surface. These reports illustrate where the puck is, not where it’s going next. It’s valuable to analyze the former, but invaluable to do the latter if we’re to strategize. Two catalytic events will transpire over the next year, which will re-model culture as we know it, however, not one report acknowledged them: The 2020 Presidential Outcome and The U.S.’ Next Recession. Both will catastrophically impact all consumers (their values, interests, and purchasing decisions) as well as all business verticals. However, because these events haven’t occurred yet, it’s seemingly difficult to report on. But such moments should not be neglected if we’re to plan ahead as businesses. After all, culture moves on even if we’re not ready.

The 2020 Meta-Trends —

01. One’s and Zero’s Fuse 👩🏽‍💻

The physical and virtual blur, making distinctions both uncanny and archaic

Physical & Digital Blend — Frog

Blended Realities — Twitter

Digital Twins — Gartner

Digital Twins — Daniel Ecker

Digital Twins — Future Today Institute

Digital Doubles — Fjord

Digital Fragrances — WGSN

Digital Atelier — WGSN

Brand Avatars — Trend Watching

Synthetic Influencers — Future Today Institute

Transcendent Retail — Springwise

New Shopping Worlds — JWT

AI Senses — Daniel Ecker

Humanizing Data — Isobar

Body Talks — Mindshare

Technology — Mintel

Sentient Tech — JWT

Empathy in Tech — CB Insights

IRL Filters — JWT

Augmented Beauty — Daniel Ecker

Yesterday: Virtual influencers repping brands on Insta

Tomorrow: Virtual employees firing you in the office

Lean in by: Recognizing digital dualism is a fallacy: online and offline are one

02. Slowwwinggg Down 🐢

Anxieties and screens pressure us to hit pause and finally breathe again

Powering Down — WGSN

Unplug — Daniel Ecker

Social Media Wellness — Hubspot

Niksen: Doing Absolutely Nothing — WGSN

Betterment: Intervention Seekers — Trend Watching

Active Silence — Trend Hunter

Slow Travel — JWT

Tourism Decelerated — The Future Laboratory

Factual Healing — Trend Watching

Healing Festivals — JWT

Modern Therapy — The Future Laboratory

Financial Therapy — JWT

Bath is Back (US) — Facebook IQ

Digital Spas — JWT

Holistic Health — Twitter

Mental Health — Daniel Ecker

Wellbeing — Mintel

Yesterday: Nap studios and dopamine fasting

Tomorrow: Aimless walking and day dreaming

Lean in by: Adding mindful friction, offering alleviation before the need arises

03. Purpose Over Profit ♻️

Orgs, whether they like it or not, will look beyond bottom lines and to CSR

Brands Take a Stand — Kantar

Brands Will Take a Stand — WGSN

Call to Stand — Ford

Climate-Positive Brands — JWT

Clean Corporations — Twitter

Post-Purpose Activation — Isobar

Purpose is Everything — Deloitte

Shopping by Values — Springwise

Consumers Search for Deeper Meaning — Forrester

A Planet Centric Future — Frog

The Green Paradox — Ford

Better Business: Green Pressure — Trend Watching

Carbon Credit — JWT

It Pays to be Good — Landor

Civic Marketing — Springwise

Ethic Edits — JWT

Many Faces of Growth — Fjord

Yesterday: Recycling, 2030 pledges and PR-driven marketing

Tomorrow: Up-cycling, immediate action and proof-driven marketing

Lean in by: Rolling up the sleeves today— it’s more responsible and effective

04. Privacy. Period 👁️

After waves of transparency and reveals, protection becomes prioritized

Privacy Concerns Gain Steam — Forrester

Privacy & Digital Wellbeing — Google

Privacy Protection — Daniel Ecker

Privacy Hardware — The Future Laboratory

The Privacy Era — JWT

Top of Mind: Data Privacy — Edelman

Financial Privacy — GWI

Cookies Start to Crumble — Kantar

Cookie Cutters — Carat

Security & Privacy (+26) — Future Today Institute

Security Systems: Selective Presence — Trend Watching

AI Security — Gartner

Cyber-risks Become Real — CB Insights

Walking Barcodes — Fjord

Techno Utopias Laid to Rest — Frog

Yesterday: Ad blockers and campaigns to gain your data

Tomorrow: VPNs and campaigns to gain your trust

Lean in by: Prioritizing consumer responsibility, data and emotions, above all

05. Entertainment Breaks Itself 📺

Proliferating channels, content, and gaming tests the industry’s architecture

New Media Channels Are Emerging — Google

Old Media, Modernized — Daniel Ecker

Media Consolidation — Future Today Institute

Streaming Wars — Kantar

Living the Stream — Mindshare

Original Content Economy — JWT

Colliding Ecosystems — Carat

Social Gaming — GWI

Accessible Gaming — The Future Laboratory

Get Ready to Play — Kantar

Play it Your Way — Carat

Playsumers: Give Me Live — Trend Watching

E-Sports — Future Today Institute

E-Sports for the Win (Indonesia) — Facebook IQ

Multi-experience Development Platform — Gartner

Mixed Reality Arcades — Future Today Institute

VR Arcades — Daniel Ecker

Adventure Viewing — Trend Hunter

Yesterday: Selfish corporate desires for loyalty and to fragment channels

Tomorrow: Selfish consumer desires for choice and to reconsolidate channels

Lean in by: Realizing content transcends platforms — moats can evaporate

06. Civil Social Media 🤝

Optimistic to minimize hate, new online dynamics hope to bridge not bruise us

Community & Conversation Come Together — Edelman

Don’t Build a Brand, Build a Community — Landor

Following to Friendship — Daniel Ecker

Peer Platforms — The Future Laboratory

Dark(er) Social — Carat

Connecting Through Video — Twitter

Joyning: Civil Media — Trend Watching

Civic Ads — The Future Laboratory

Digital Kinship — Isobar

Engineering Companionship — JWT

P2P Advice — Trend Hunter

Taming Tech’s Influence — JWT

Tech Takes Responsibility — Daniel Ecker

Anti-Bullying Gaming — JWT

Yesterday: Wholesome social posts

Tomorrow: Productive communities

Lean in by: Organizing and empowering hives of like-minded people

07. Human(e) CX 👋🏽

Experiences are becoming even more expedited and empathetic per customer

Human Experience as a Premium — GWI

Paying Down Experience Debt — Deloitte

How to Brand the Customer Experience — Landor

Great Expectations — Ford

Satisfying Immediacy — Google

Everything on Demand — Daniel Ecker

Youniverse: Metamorphic Design — Trend Watching

Customer in Context — Econsultancy & Adobe

User-Generated Content — Hubspot

Amplification of Consumer Participation — Deloitte

Back to Reality — Kantar

Single Serve — Trend Watching

Yesterday: Personalization at scale

Tomorrow: Human touch at scale

Lean in by: Revering each customer as an individual with stories and choice

08. Turning the Volume to 11 🔊

Auditory experiences get louder as we look beyond the visual playing field

Sonic Branding — Springwise

Sonic Branding — JWT

Turning up the Volume — Kantar

Listen Up: Rise of Audio Influencer — Edelman

Audiophilia — Foresight Factory

From Pods to Screen (US) — Facebook IQ

Branded Podcasting — Trend Hunter

Voice Everywhere — Daniel Ecker

Yesterday: Branded podcasts and voice assistants

Tomorrow: Branded music and voice companions

Lean in by: Seeing the ear as a more intimate sensory input and to honor it

09. Open Character Construction 💄

Identity binaries break as we question the integrity of past personality patterns

Gender Redefined — Twitter

Ungendered X — Trend Watching

Genderless K-Pop — Trend Hunter

Beyond Binary — Pinterest

Identity Matters — Ford

Identity — Mintel

Transhuman Beauty — JWT

Flexitarianism (US) — Facebook IQ

Liquid People — Fjord

Represent Me — Twitter

Yesterday: Companies stepping back and welcoming

Tomorrow: Companies stepping up and servicing

Lean in by: Providing individuals tools to discover and author their identity

10. Throwback Remixes ⏳

Longing for comfort, we seek the pre-existing and reassuring in our styles

Out with the New, in with the Old — GWI

90’s Rerun — Pinterest

80’s Youth (Brazil) — Facebook IQ

Re-Commerce (UK) — Facebook IQ

Retro Gaming Retail — JWT

Pre-Loved Premium — The Future Laboratory

The Second Time Around — Ford

Yesterday: 80’s and 90’s nostalgia

Tomorrow: Last year nostalgia

Lean in by: Watching out for faster style cycles and jump in accordingly

11. Questionable Consumption 🛒

By not buying, many will declare their values, forcing organizations to comply

Anti-Excess Consumerism — Springwise

Anti-Excess Consumerism — JWT

Conscious Consumption — Pinterest

Unconsumed — Trend Watching

Yesterday: Consumerism focused on minimalism and quantity

Tomorrow: Consumerism focused on essentials and quality

Lean in by: Auditing existing products and services, questioning their necessity