This document previews a consumer trends report focused on trends in 2018. It discusses gathering insights from over 250 people across different industries to identify shifting consumer expectations. Seventy-five trends impacting healthcare, marketing, consumers, digital and commercial models were identified. Specific trends are outlined covering topics like home DNA testing, cost transparency, information consumption speeds, anxiety levels, fatherhood trends, political activism, direct-to-consumer brands, inclusive products, the rise of plant-based diets, women's advancement, engaged health consumers, and choosing childfree lifestyles. The document emphasizes understanding shifting experiences and expectations to effectively engage consumers.

1. 2018 CONSUMER
TRENDS
PREVIEW

2. Welcome to a preview
of our 7th annual
consumer trend report.
Trends.Health
These trend reports are available in
digital and print format helping brands
better understand the shifting consumer
expectations and how best to create
experiences that match those
expectations.

3. WHAT ARE
TRENDS?
WHY DO
WE TRACK
THEM?
&

4. 01.
To help gain a better
understanding of shifting
market and customer
expectations
02.
To bring forward data and
clues about changing
habits and preferences
03.
To showcase brands that are
making unique connections
and getting to white spaces
first
Trends identify shifts in EXPECTATIONS and give us FOCUS

5. That is critical because
We live in an Age of Accelerations where:
People’s expectations
are constantly being
reshaped, rewired and
remodeled by new and
innovative experiences with media,
peers, technology, and brands.
Brands are expected to
meet or exceed those
expectations – or risk being
ignored, brushed aside or
deemed irrelevant.
And to keep pace, we use trends to accelerate our thinking and tactics and find
new, more relevant ways to engage each critical audience and customer.

6. COLUMBUS
DALLAS
LONDON
MONTREAL
T h i s y e a r, w e b r o u g h t
t o g e t h e r m o r e t h a n
w h o t o u c h n e a r l y
e v e r y p o i n t o f i n f l u e n c e
i n h e a l t h c a r e t o h e l p u s
i d e n t i f y s h i f t i n g
e x p e c t a t i o n s .
2 5 0 P E O P L E
SANTA MONICA
SARATOGA SPRINGS
TOKYO
TORONTO
MUNICH
NEW YORK
NEWTOWN
PHILADELPHIA

7. T h i s g r o u p , w o r k i n g
a c r o s s s i x d i ff e r e n t
d i s c i p l i n e s , h e l p e d u s
s h a p e o v e r 75
different trends
i m p a c t i n g h e a l t h c a r e ,
m a r k e t i n g , c o n s u m e r s ,
d i g i t a l a n d t h e
c o m m e r c i a l m o d e l i n
2 0 1 8 .
AT THE POINT OF CARE
IN REAL LIFE
IN EHRs (AND WALLETS)
IN WASHINGTON
AT PHARMA LEADERS
IN THE NEXT
GENERATION OF CARE

8. T R E N D S
I M P A C T I N G
C O N S U M E R S
2018

9. CONSUMER TRENDS
2018
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
Spit Stories
Nickel and Dimed
Faster Than Real Time
Widespread Panic
Go Daddies
Fired Up
Let’s Be Direct
The New Neutral
Gen Z Swagger
The Right Fit(ness)
Cognitive Edge
Plant People
Gender Flips
The Health Elites
Choose (Your) Life

10. 01
SPIT
STORIES
More accessible, affordable home test kits are driving a
fast-growing number of people to trade a little saliva for
a lot of knowledge.
Our heritage and health futures are only a spit away. Discreet
home testing now provides consumers with tools to dive as deep
into their results as they wish—exploring their backgrounds,
tracing their ancestors and even getting insight into their likelihood
for future diagnoses.

11. 02
NICKEL
AND DIMED
Quick tools and complete transparency have made it
super easy to know how much every little thing costs.
We’re all just tired of talking about it.
From dividing every check on Venmo to paying for each airline
bag to eking away healthcare deductibles, people are feeling the
pinch and putting more value on products that show them a clear
price and stick to it.

12. 03
FASTER
THAN
REAL TIME
Today’s fast-paced world demands hyper productivity.
And it’s creating new ways to not just get up to speed,
but to obtain information at warp speed.
Why read when you can speed read? Why listen when you can
hyper listen? In 2018, content consumers are looking for a fast
track that lets them take in all things in none of the time.

13. 04
WIDESPREAD
PANIC
Anxiety is outpacing depression as the mental-health
challenge of our age. In 2018, anxiety is part of a shared
cultural experience that impacts nearly every aspect of
our lives, from social media to work to parenting.
While true anxiety as a disorder typically has been seen solely as
a specific medical condition, it’s increasingly becoming viewed as
a general sociological condition. New products and services are
continually popping up to help everyone to “Keep Calm and...”

14. 05
GO
DADDIES!
The experience of fatherhood is dramatically changing.
Parenting is now central to many men’s identities, days
and personal commitments.
Fatherhood is changing in important ways. Dads say parenting is
more central to their identity and more dads are staying home or
going it alone. Work, relationships and identities will all change
because of it.

15. 06
FIRED
UP
Some have said protest is the new brunch. Political
rancor and divisiveness were at an all-time high in 2017.
But so was passion and participation.
From women’s rights to immigration to racial justice to climate
change, people are actively and financially engaged in issues that
matter to them. In 2018, we’ll see moments become movements
and debate become change. Fingers crossed.

16. 07
LET’S BE
DIRECT
Brands around the world are asking: Why use a
middleman when it’s so easy to go direct to the people?
They’re ditching channels, retailers and in-betweens to go direct to
consumers with the experience—and price!—that people really
want. In 2018, new DTC models will continue to blow up business
models and challenge old categories to try bold new ways.

17. 08
THE NEW
NEUTRAL
Brands are redefining neutral from for anyone to for
everyone. Today, people who have been left out because
they didn’t match mainstream classifications are getting
welcome new choices.
Many industries and categories are evolving products,
experiences, policies, and campaigns to be actively inclusive of
every person. In 2018, that will include a special focus on
LGBTQ+ consumers. From apparel brands to major academic and
military institutions to healthcare companies, leaders around the
world are actively refining their practices to be more inclusive.

18. 09
GEN Z
SWAGGER
The newest consumer generation is expected to be more
arrogant and competitive than the generation that came
before it. Are we ready for its brand of change?
Gen Z has all the competitive, hard-working attitude and pride
of the Boomer generation—with the built-in tech support that
comes with entering the world with an iPad in their tiny newborn
hands. In 2018, we’ll start to see them define what’s next for
work, play, and health.

19. 10
THE RIGHT
FIT(NESS)
Fitness doesn’t fit into a box anymore, especially not
one of those big boxes. Mass is out and specialty is in.
And we expect a few more reps of disruptions.
The rules have been rewritten. National fitness chains with large,
luxurious facilities and monthly memberships are being replaced
with boutique workout options custom-designed to connect like-
minded people in supportive, familiar communities.

20. 11
COGNITIVE
EDGE
Think you’ve tried everything possible to improve
productivity, motivation and creativity? Think again.
2018 will be the year when we talk more about better
thinking through chemistry.
From popping nootropics to eating absolutely nothing, people are
experimenting with bold new ways to hack their own biology. They
want to be smarter, faster, and able to keep up with whichever
competitor they’re trying hard to keep in the rearview mirror.

21. 12
PLANT
PEOPLE
Veganism is rising in popularity all over the world. It’s a
trend on the verge of morphing into a new movement –
now squarely rooted in nutritional principles
Eating vegan today is not just about “not eating anything that has
a mother or a face.” While veganism has long been associated
with (often hardcore) ethical opinions, the surging “plant-based”
trend is different, giving vegan a makeover and a host of new
advocates with positive attitudes, messages, and products
focused on powerful nutrition and health benefits. But please, call
it “plant-based” not “vegan.”

22. 13
GENDER
FLIPS
In 2018, women will increasingly take advantage
of advantage.
They’ll team up to network and grow; earn up to outpace young
men; and trade up to take leadership in historically male-led
organizations and events.

23. 14
THE HEALTH
ELITES
For people who want to be engaged in their health, the
possibilities for learning, managing, and quantifying are
greater than ever before.
This empowered class is setting a new standard for what our
health future may be. They’re a super-engaged segment that is
actively involved in everything from daily tracking to longevity
planning. And they have big new expectations for your brand.

24. 15
CHOOSE
(YOUR) LIFE
More adults are choosing not to have children. Instead,
they’re living tiny, earning more, traveling the world,
saving money, and generally enjoying their own lives first.
That’s creating a massive segment of people who will grow old
without the typical family support structure of a follow-on generation.
Our challenge in 2018 and beyond: find meaningful ways to support
people navigating their health and health care on their own.

25. Understanding experiences and expectations
increases our chances to have an impact.
It means we don’t change one thing, one time.
We keep actively changing a lot of things at the right times.

26. Bring together our experts with a
team that was hand-picked by the
client—along with their advisors
or patients.
Set a specific strategic goal or
challenge for the day.
Use exercises and games with
custom-curated inspiration to fuel
focused thinking.
01.
COLLECTING
INSPIRATION
Uncover clues and evidence from
clinical and commercial teams.
Discover trends and insights
pertaining to the real-world
behaviors of patients and
healthcare professionals.
Curate examples of how
organizations, inside and outside
of healthcare, have taken on
challenges similar to yours.
Carefully document and illustrate
the ideas from the session.
Use a purposeful matrix to
evaluate each possibility on its
relevance to strategy and value to
the customer.
Package the top-scoring ideas
into mini business cases to fuel
immediate action and activation.
02.
WORKSHOPPING
THE POSSIBILITIES
03.
PRIORITIZING
NEXT
We use insights and trends to fuel new thinking by:

27. A l l d e l i v e r e d i n a n e n v i r o n m e n t d e s i g n e d t o f u e l
f o c u s e d t h i n k i n g a n d a c t i o n a b l e n e w i d e a s .

28. D O W N L O A D T H E F U L L T R E N D R E P O R T S I N C L U D I N G C A S E S T U D I E S ,
D A T A P O I N T S & S T O R I E S
T r e n d s . H e a l t h
O R
email us to learn more about how trends can impact your biggest goals in 2018
leigh.householder@syneoshealth.com
CONSUMER DIGITAL MARKETING HEALTH COMMERICAL
2T R E N D R E P O R T S