This presentation highlights what I believe are the top trends to look out for and to apply in your 2015 marketing and advertising strategies. It is compiled after extensive research into almost all of the 2015 Trend reports, and summarizes the overlaps and over arching major themes into one theme: The Brand of Me.The 6 sub trends that form under this are the 6 areas that deserve the most focus this upcoming year.

1. 2015
THE BRAND OF ME

2. Content
What is The Brand of Me?
Accelerated Professionals
Peer Armies
Health Fanatics
The Changing Face of Demographics
Be Surprising
Let’s Be Real
Implications
Contact

3. In 2015 we will continue to see the development of ‘The Brand
of Me’. Consumers are no longer trying to live up to, or portray
the images that brands want them to. Instead consumers are
moving towards a state where they are finding brands that
help them express the type of person they want people to
view them as. Brands are going to have to move to become
partners with consumers to help them be the best version of
themselves.
!
This year that will significantly take the form of helping your
consumers become healthier, make their lives more
streamlined or easier, or by providing them with experiences
that make life more exciting.
!
We have to remember that brands are only allowed to be
participants in an overall larger conversation LEAD by
consumers, and that there is space to become very active
participants, so long as we do not try and change the
conversation and steer it to a place the consumer does not
want to be. This will only result in being left behind and
ignored, or even persecuted.
!
This YouTube video from Jackson Harries, a millennial
YouTube star with millions of subscribers highlights this
attitude. It has the underlying motivations of the 2015
millennial consumer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=iBsYKkQdLxU
!
All the trends that follow fall under helping to develop The
Brand of Me, and can be used to help develop this years
upcoming activations.

4. Today people are use to having
everything at their fingertips, at
anytime. Consumers want to get
things done fast, and do not have
any patience for waiting. Whether
that is for products, brand loyalty
programs, or even gaining skills.
Accelerated
Professionals

5. Rise, is a Nutritionist in in your pocket. It
is an app that matches your goals with a
coach, who are all registered dietitians.
You then get daily 1:1 coaching, and
personalized feedback on your meals
from your coach.
Hellmann’s WhatsCook, is an idea by the
Mayonnaise brand to connect foodies
with chefs in real time via WhatsApp.
These chefs help users with recipes that
require the use of mayonnaise, and even
some that they didn't know could use the
ingredient.

6. More and more consumers are looking
towards their peers for guidance as to the
latest trends, the best products, and even
for advice on health. They are embracing
the advice of their peers over more
traditional media voices, as trust in
companies decline rapidly. This peer
advice can come in the form of online
reviews, blogs, Instagram, twitter, and even
YouTube
Peer Armies

7. !
Jackson Harries:
Twitter: 2.34million
Instagram: 1.6million
YouTube: 3.9million
Peer Celebs
Of particular importance are new
millennial influencers. When looking at
younger demographics, more and more
the celebrity that emerges is someone
from a social network whether this is
Vine, Instagram, or YouTube. Millennials
strongly identify with these stars
because they seem more like their
peers, than someone that is completely
out of reach and unapproachable.

8. Jerome Jarre is an example of a Vine/
Snapchat celebrity who connects with
kids on a peer-to-peer level. Read this
recent article on the star in the New York
Times. Jerome Jarre- The Making of a
Vine Celebrity

9. Consumers are becoming more and
more fanatical, or control freaks.
This is demonstrated in recent
health crazes.
!
Health and beauty is also becoming
more of a 360-degree experience.
Allowing non-traditional health
products to enter the beauty
conversation.
!
Is there a space to help people to
escape this constant health
bombardment?
Health Fanatics
“Last October, CrossFit announced it had
reached 8,000 affiliates. Three-and-a-half
months later, the company hit 9,000. And
four-and-a-half months after that, just a
few weeks ago, came the 10,000th
affiliate for the $40 million, privately held
company.” ESPN 2014

10. The Charcoal Juice Phenomenon is an
example of showing how juices, and
minerals, have started to enter
themselves into the beauty conversation.
Redemption Dry Bar in London offers
Millennials and others a place to go and
have the bar experience, with expertly
crafted cocktails, minus the hangover the
next morning. These are spaces for
people to still be social and have fun
without feeling the pressure to drink.
1 in 4 young British people
(aged 16-30) say they do not
drink alcohol, compared with 1
in 7 for older generations (Aged
60 and over)

11. Consumers are approaching their life
stages on their own terms. They are
redefining what is expected of them
and follow what they want to do over
anything else. There is less and less
stigma attached to alternate life
choices, and this will continue to grow
as people continue to try and express
who they are.
The Changing Face
of Demographics
80.4% -- Percentage growth of same-sex
couple households in the U.S. between
2000 and 2010, according to the Census
Bureau.

12. There has never been a time that
consumers are as in control of their lives as
right now. People are use to being able to
manage everything, and having everything
planned out. This is creating a craving for
spontaneity
Be Surprising

13. Moment Factory in Montreal created an
immersive and surprising experience, by
transforming a forest into a nocturnal
night time magic trail. This took a normal
public space and turned it into an
adventure

14. As brands become less and less
trusted, consumers are valuing
transparency and reality more and
more. People recognize that not
everything is perfect, and that there
are realities to situations, and showing
this can help create more trust with
consumers. This is applicable to
brands, and even celebrities.
Let’s Be Real
“75% of millennials don’t
believe government can solve
today’s issues alone, and
83% want business to get
involved.” MSLGROUP 2014

15. Beyoncé recently tapped into this trend
in her 7/11 music video that was shot in
a hotel room. The video shows the star in
a really genuine light and almost provides
her fans with a behind the scenes style
music video, showing her humanity.
Kenco Coffee vs. Gangs, is a social
initiative by the coffee brand to combat
the strong gang cultures that exist in
many of the countries it sources it coffee
from. This is acknowledging the problem
that exist, and is showing how Kenco is
trying to solve it.

16. Implications
Peer Armies
Changing Face of DemographicsHealth Fanatics
Be Surprising Let’s Be Real
Facilitate more transient
experiences that are as quick
as possible.
Accelerated Professionals
Leverage peers to become
your best asset.
Value health as much as
consumers do, but also
provide an escape.
Become relevant for today’s
changing multifaceted
consumer groups.
Look for ways to provide
spontaneous experience
where consumers aren’t
expecting it.
Acknowledge the realities
and become more
transparent.

17. Kyle Duckitt
kyle.Duckitt@energybbdo.com
+17346042411
Please feel free to reach out for any help with regards to trends, things to look out for in 2015, or
how to be kissed by an elephant.