Eureka Bar: Effective trend spotting from the movies

Remember Marlon Brando in 1953 movie “The Wild Ones” as a leader of a motorcycle gang riding high on Harley Davidson. Or for that matter our very own Saif Ali Khan in a stripped Calvin Klein out of his jeans. What is the common factor among these two examples? They started a trend- Brando’s case a motorcycle craze and in Saif’s case a symbol of Metrosexualism.

Few days back I was discussing about the same topic with a friend about how can companies tap the market by using “trend” as a tool. Since our discussion was on how we can spot the trend as an effective source and further use it for revenue generation, we comprehended certain problems. For example, sometimes we say isn’t this a new trend but the same trend withers away slowly. That’s the reason sometimes companies can’t rely on it. But what matters most is to understand the subtle indication towards an effective trend.

Now the million dollar question is to analyze and measure the trend to its prime effectiveness.

First of all, our actions and behavior are becoming more universal since we are living in a global village. So this becomes easy for a company whose products have a universal appeal.

Secondly, it’s not about matching the trend with your product but its all about matching the product with the trend. In this way companies won’t fall into the trap of “trend perplexity”.

This can be done by using effective positioning strategies for a product with little scope for doubtful positioning in the mind of the customer. This way companies can leverage the brand value for a sustainable period.

Though the list is not exhaustive still this way companies can have an extra edge from its competitors.