The document discusses 8 thoughts on future trends and challenges for businesses in 2008 from the Future Lab blog. It questions whether brands will focus on delighting customers or perpetuate mediocrity, if companies will embrace open innovation or try to process their way out of failures, and if marketing will regain influence through accountability or be relegated due to automation. It also discusses challenges around mass customization, using games and virtual worlds, luxury brands facing slower growth in China, European firms overcoming costs through innovation, and finding profitable business models to help the poor.

1. 8 thoughts for 2008 FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

2. « Push and shout » is unsustainable as a strategy. Will brands grow by delighting customers to the point of recommendation and attachment? Or will agency, media and marketing doctrine perpetuate mediocrity? FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

3. 96% of innovations fail to reach their ROI targets. Will companies continue to try and « process » their way out of this gap? Or will they embrace customer-centric and open forms of ideation, development and product/service introduction? FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

4. Will marketing departments regain a board seat through higher accountability and a broader perspective? Or will process automation and a tainted reputation relegate them to the fringe of business? FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

5. Home fabrication technology, mass-customisation and production runs of one are merging with 3D technology. This means the end of mass production is becoming conceivable. How will mass-manufacturers with 20+ years of factory amortisation make the transition without going too fast or too slow? FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

6. Will -in spite of their impact- businesses continue to igrnore serious games and virtual worlds? Or will they be embraced to create better training, design and manufacturing solutions? Photo via: Wonderwall.com FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

7. In the chase for volume, premium brands benefit from Asia’s seemingly endless appetite for luxury. When the China boom slows, will luxury brands « trade down » to push less sophisticated lifestyle players out of the market? Or will the cake continue to get bigger for all to share?. FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

8. As Asian technology becomes more sophisticated, will European firms overcome their cost disadvantage through better customer insights and innovation? Or will will they simply be bought up by Easterners flush with cash? FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

9. Al Gore has shown us the colour of money is « green ». Will poverty alleviation remain an optional and charitable endeavour? Or will we find a business model to make helping the poor as profitable as « saving the planet »? FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net

10. Have a great 2008 FUTURE LAB http://blog.futurelab.net Team Futurelab