It’s MTM’s ‘12 Trends of Christmas’, which covers trends that our Cultural Insights team has been identifying across sectors like media, branding, gaming and technology.

2. 2021 has been another turbulent year, but the worlds of
media, technology and gaming have kept us entertained
and connected like never before.
As part of MTM’s ongoing work identifying societal, cultural
and consumer trends, we have identified twelve emerging
micro-trends that look set to shape a range of industries over
the next few years, from content to wellness, and food &
beverage to gaming.
MTM’s Cultural Insights team frequently produce trends
reports to help our clients future-proof their businesses and
stay on top of the latest developments in their industries.
Before diving into trends, we’ve included a quick overview
of MTM’s Cultural Insights & Trends offer. If you would like to
learn more about our work, please get in touch!
MARINA GRAHAM
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
E: marina.graham@wearemtm.com
ALEX GIBSON
RESEARCH MANAGER
E: alex.gibson@wearemtm.com
INT
RO
DU
CT
ION

3. 3
Our Cultural Insights & Trends team explore the societal shifts and
external forces that shape the way people think, act and feel
TRENDS & CULTURAL INSIGHTS
Macro-intelligence through trends
mining and cultural understanding
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
Award-winning full-service
qualitative and quantitative
research offering
STRATEGY CONSULTANCY
Market insight and analysis. Strategy and
business proposition development
CULTURAL
PERSPECTIVES
PEOPLE
PERSPECTIVES
COMMERCIAL
PERSPECTIVES
What we do
We look for cultural trends, consumer signals and wider
disruptors or opportunities, to help clients anticipate and
prepare for shifts that will redefine their sectors.
Our deliverables come in various forms - from
standalone projects, to ad-hoc components in studies,
to thought leadership pieces and brand strategy.
Our ethos
We’re neither pretentious or fluffy - our Cultural Insights
and Trends are grounded, purpose-driven and practical.
Our scope and work is founded in trends that impact
the technology, media and entertainment space as this
is our area of expertise and therefore shapes our focus.

4. 4
We offer bespoke solutions to anticipate, prepare for and
capitalise on drivers of change and the opportunities they present
We use audience deep dive
studies to live and breathe the lives
of specific audience groups, be it
VR users, YouTube subscribers or
specific generational cohorts, such
as Gen Z and Millennials.
We uncover consumer needs and
values underpinning behaviours by
interviewing macro societal
experts including economics, tech
and politics, plus using a variety of
approaches including Key Drivers
Analysis, Passive Metering to
Ethnographic tools and Audience
Closeness techniques.
AUDIENCE
DEEP DIVES
We are constantly monitoring
consumers’ consumption trends
across US, EMEA and Asia. We are
4 years into a large-scale tracking
study in the UK, US and Germany
that identifies consumption trends
across cultural pillars such as
gaming, TV, film and speech audio
for a global media service.
Some of our 2021 cultural trends
work is available to view on our
website (Bright Side of Technology
webinar and 20 Trends for 2020).
CONSUMPTION
TRENDS TRACKING
Through our ongoing cultural
insights work, we have established
a trusted panel of industry-leading
trend experts that help us to stay
at the forefront of future cultural
trends and gauge consumer
appeal for ideas, concepts and
content before they hit the market
and become mainstream.
Our panel is constantly refreshed
to unlock niches and original
ideas, and includes experts across
community platforms and
fandoms such as gaming, sports,
fashion and pop culture.
CULTURAL
EXPERT PANELS
Our 360º genre landscape reviews
help identify opportunities for new
content development by exploring
trends in consumption behaviour
and needs from every perspective
– i.e. considering audiences,
developers, creators and wider
socio-cultural factors.
We have great oversight of a wide
range of evolving content genre
landscapes, having conducted
reviews of drama, reality TV,
comedy and news for clients,
including YouTube, Audible,
NBCUniversal and PSB.
GENRE LANDSCAPE
REVIEWS

5. 01
Branded Merch
From Hulu introducing an ecommerce store, Hulu Shop, featuring
limited-edition apparel and lifestyle products inspired by shows, to Netflix
partnering with Walmart to launch Netflix hub, selling products for the
streamer’s original content franchises, branded merch is an easy way to
further immerse young audiences into their TV fandoms.
This monetisation of existing adours is emerging on audio platforms as
well, with Spotify recently announcing a new partnership with Shopify
which will allow artists to market their merchandise directly to fans
through the Spotify app. These outlets are not only giving fans a bigger
piece of the IPs they know and love, but they are presenting new ways
for platforms to bring in cash beyond subscription fees and advertising.

6. It’s official: the '90s are out, and the ‘00s are in. This is leading to a thrifting
explosion of Y2K style trends, from the revival of ‘old money’ preps and
emo pop punk to the return of flip phones and wired headphones.
But the noughties are being brought back in more ways than just fashion
with a series of early 2000s shows, including One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls
and The OC, being given a new lease of life. Thanks to social media and
streaming platforms, a new cohort of fans are finding comfort in living
vicariously through the show’s characters and relating to their experiences,
while embracing the simplicity with coming of age in a time without social
media anxiety, the threat of a global pandemic or a looming climate crisis.
Y2K Nostalgia
02

7. Zen G
Wellness is often centred on affirmation messages and an
aspirational lifestyle, but now more and more audiences are
aiming to close the chapter on perfection. What started as a
rejection of tailored feeds, toxic body positivity and ‘curated
imperfection’ has developed into an entire aesthetic, which is
often not necessarily aesthetically pleasing.
Whether that’s in the form of self-deprecating memes, raw
messy images, or more organic forms of self-care, brands
need to put a greater spotlight on self-acceptance. The new
Nike Mind Sets platform’s embrace of “Just Feel It” is a great
example of how brands can champion an uplifting ethos
that emphasises how you feel more than what you achieve.
03

8. Creatorship has exploded: social media platforms want them, younger
audiences want to be them, and brands want to work with them. While the
infrastructure for creators to monetise is still lacking, a series of solutions are
emerging to fill this gap. LinkedIn is investing $25M in its Creator Accelerator
Program, which is aimed at supporting creators “bring new concepts and
visions to life, grow their audience, and engage with the LinkedIn community.”
What’s especially exciting to see has been the surge of entrepreneurs from
diverse backgrounds entering and thriving in the creator economy. Besides
trends and challenges, TikTok is also known for its houses and 2021 saw progress
in representation of minority voices not typically rewarded in the influencer
space. From Pride House, the first creator house geared toward the LGBTQIA+
community, to The Crib Around the Corner a content collaboration house
specifically for Black TikTokers, which was Adweek’s creator house of the year.
Career Creators
04

9. Climatarians
As consumers become increasingly conscious of reducing their
personal impact on the environment, the climatarian diet is set
to become much more mainstream. The term “climatarian”
refers to individuals who follow a diet which involves choosing
what you eat based on the carbon footprint of different foods.
Climatarian-friendly brands are on the rise, offering accessible
solutions to becoming more sustainable. Lifesum for example,
supports people in making the dietary switch with a free 7-day
beginners meal plan. And since a climatarian diet isn’t just about
what you eat, but also how you shop and cook, a swath of home
delivery brands, including Natoora, PIkt and Purton House
Organics are leading the way in seasonality and sustainability.
05

10. Experts predict that the ability for audiences to easily discover and instantly
buy products as and when they see them on screen will become a staple of
the TV and streaming business. Traditional broadcasters like NBCUniversal and
ITV are introducing a myriad of features that combine the engagement of TV
with the immediacy of mobile commerce. Meanwhile, Pinterest announced a
new feature on its app called Pinterest TV - a series of live, shoppable videos
featuring popular creators across home, fashion, beauty, DIY and more.
We’re also seeing the entrant of new platforms that respond to the role of
streaming services like Netflix and HBO as cultural trendsetters, which inspire
consumer purchases and the fashion industry more broadly. For example, Seek
is the first-of-its-kind website dedicated to shopping products from or inspired
by TV shows and films, including Bridgerton, Dune and The White Lotus.
Shoppable TV
06

11. MENtal Health
With alarming statistics related to the growing men’s mental
health crisis and rise in male suicides, brands are stepping in to
fill the gap in male mental wellbeing. With toxic masculinity
fueling an epidemic of loneliness, “cyber well” platforms like
Tethr - the world’s first peer enabled emotional fitness and
wellbeing app for men are becoming ever more important.
A more expansive view of men’s health and wellbeing is also
on the horizon as younger generations continue to redefine
masculinity. Personal care brands like Non Gender Specific or
Ursa Major are embracing inclusivity with neutral messaging and
highly customised product offerings that focus less on gender
and more on particular skin or lifestyle-related issues.
07

12. It’s the term on everyone’s lips, and it even won Collins Dictionary’s word of
the year. NFTs are suddenly everywhere in 2021, but it’s in gaming where
they have the potential to change the landscape. The benefits to gamers
are plentiful - from putting gamers in ownership of their in-game assets, to
being transferable across games and tradable within games.
With the boom in play-to-earn gaming, seen through the recent breakout
success of Axie Infinity from the Philippines, more games developers are
seeing opportunities to embed these unique digital items in their gameplay.
EA, publishers of the global Fifa series, has said it sees collectible NFTs as “an
important part” of the future of the industry, and game titan Ubisoft has
announced that its NFT system, called Digits, will launch for the first time in
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.
Gaming NFTs
08

13. Celeb Media
More and more celebrities are shunning the once symbiotic
relationship between talent and media by launching their own
production companies, content platforms and distribution channels.
In the world of pop, Dua Lipa recently announced the forthcoming
launch of Service95, a weekly newsletter, website and podcast that
will invite fans into her world, compiling “words, stories, cultural
recommendations” and more. Selena Gomez also just broadcasted
her new media platform Wondermind, dedicated to strengthening
mental health and building community. Meanwhile. a series of high
profile athletes are also turning into media moguls, from LeBron
James' Uninterrupted, Kevin Durant's The Boardroom, or Matt Barnes'
All The Smoke - these companies give voice to the stories that iconic
sports personalities want to share with the world.
09

14. Latest figures now suggest that 3.24bn of the world’s population are gamers
across at least one platform, and brands are starting to wake up to the scale
of opportunity within gaming. As gaming universes expand into hybrids of
the physical and virtual worlds, companies spanning media, fashion, food &
beverage and finance have all been trying to establish an in-game
presence to situate themselves at the heart of people’s online lives.
Vans recently declared that it would be putting its name in the Roblox
universe in the form of Vans World, which allows the game’s 46 million daily
active users to try their ollies and kickflips in a skatepark that will live on
indefinitely in the metaverse, whilst drinks company Vita Coco has set up
sweepstakes on Animal Crossing: New Horizons for gamers to win branded
merch and other prizes.
The Brandverse
10

15. Express Yourself
Over the past couple of years, lockdowns have prompted some more
experimental stylistic decisions among people, as their lack of usual salon or
beauty appointments encouraged them to take their looks into their own
hands. However, these periods of experimentation have empowered many to
take vibrant and bold styles out into the real world.
Pinterest Predicts signalled a flourishing demand for ‘hard-to-miss hair’ on its
platform, with searches for shaved head dye designs rocketing twelve-fold, and
searches for bob cut wigs increased by 300%. Exuberant beauty looks are being
shaped by the increasing blurring of our physical and virtual lives, as the
otherworldly ‘meta skin’ and ‘digital lavender’ make-up styles, and a new
appetite for 3D embellishments all point towards a society ever more keen to
replicate and fuse their digital avatars into their everyday appearances.
11

16. The pandemic has upended the labour market. Workers have had time to reflect since
its inception, and are now seeking more meaningful and fulfilling careers. Rather than a
‘Great Resignation’, younger workers have turned it into the ‘Great Reshuffle’, seeking
transitions between industries in their still youthful professional lives. Online movements
and icons have emerged to support Gen Z career-changers on their journey, such as
Deja Foxx, whose GenZ Girl Gang is a support space for young women looking for
mentorship opportunities and career advice. QuitTok is also empowering TikTok users to
start afresh, with the #quitmyjob tag having been viewed nearly 200m times.
However, there are already signs that some workers are regretting their impulse decisions
to up sticks and seek new pastures. ‘Boomerang employees’ are never far away now, as
many people realise once the dust has settled that their previous companies have
adopted the hybrid working practices that were seeking all along.
Great Reshuffle
12

17. 17
Get in touch!
ALEX GIBSON
RESEARCH MANAGER
E: alex.gibson@wearemtm.com
MARINA GRAHAM
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
E: marina.graham@wearemtm.com