10 trendspotting tips
in 10 minutes
(Jon Howard, Quiet Storm)

1. DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Hopefully…
…but not
reason enough

Nor is it to show you’re…

And if you need to
prove it you’re not!

Finishing first
not playing catch up

Ideas
that
inspire
devotion

2. Know what you’re looking for

From small things…

or fad?
Who
knows?

Teenage
vampire
romance

Digital
revolution

If it’s already a trend…
…it’s probably too late

What’s the
opposite?
What’s the
opposite?

3. it’s something anyone can do

It’s not about how
‘cool’ you are

Trendwatching.com Springwise.com Coolhunting.com
Iconoculture.com Gizmodo.com Thefuturelaboratory.com
Contagious.com PSFK.com Trendhunting.com

Futurescoping.com

Just need to
get in the…

4. Join the digital conversation

Read blogs

Look at people’s photos
Look at people’s photos

Watch some films

5. do something different
5. do something different

…to work
…to lunch
…to wherever

Read something different;
watch something different

5
6. Look to other markets

countries

7. Follow the agenda setters

Lives of
the rich &
famous

Kids on the street

Scientists
and
technologists

…and never
more than 20
minutes long!

Your own
talent!

8. Get the right tools

Bookmark it

The death of
ownership?

9. don’t just spot…act

Set your ideas free
(plural)

10. Have a go

with a, then why not too? Canister UK's new OW! brand brings a splash of style to first aid
with an assortment of all-in-one kits cutely packaged for various purposes. Four OW! kits
are available for GBP 5.99 each through Boots as well as online. The Home Sweet Home kit,
for example, includes forehead thermometer, washproof plasters, wound pad and
bandage, antiseptic wipes, safety pins, burns dressing and finger bandage, all in a
cheerful silver and orange container. The silver and purple Cheeky Monkeys kit, on the
other hand, adds children's plasters, cooling gel sheet and star stickers “for being brave!”.
Also available are kits for travel and sports. All four are robust, recyclable and reusable,
and a far cry from one of those big old dusty kits you never use, which lurks at the back
of the medicine cupboard. Just goes to show that everything, yes everything, can be
upgraded! Take a tired old product, add some modern convenience and stylish packaging,
and you too could end up in a chain of 850 stores nationwide!

There are a few different recycling efforts out there designed to counter the forces of
\"fast fashion\" and give used clothes another life. But Welsh clothing brand Howies is
taking a different approach to the discarded-clothes problem by designing items to do a
better job of withstanding the ravages of time in the first place. Howies' Hand-Me-Down
line includes jackets and bags that have been designed specifically to last for 10 or more
years. To achieve that durability, the company crafts its products painstakingly, and
using very high-quality components. Its £400 jackets are made from organic tweed and
organic ventile—an extremely tightly woven cotton fabric that's inherently water-
resistant and uses 30 percent more yarn than conventional fabrics. With 24,000 strands
of cotton, it takes 16 hours just to prepare the machine that will weave the fabric. It's a
compelling twist on sustainability, and Howies' emphasis on product stories and the
unique features of its Hand-Me-Down products only add to their ‘(still) made here’ appeal.

Thank you!
EMAIL: jon@quietstorm.co.uk
BLOG: jonhoward.typepad.com/livingbrands
TWITTER: twitter.com/jon_howard
LINKEDIN: linkedin.com/in/jonathanhoward
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/profile.php?id=641466769