Brands urged to help create 'future that matters'

New consumer research from InSites Consulting has identified four Meaning Drivers and 12 trends that represent what matters to people for creating a more meaningful future.

Highlighting 2023 as a moment of cultural and environmental transition, the report explores a collective desire to reimagine, reinvent and transform the world around us.

The report is a call for brands to help create the future that matters for people and the planet.

The report summarises findings from a three-part proprietary study which culminated in quantification with 15,000 consumers in 17 markets (including 999 consumers in Australia) in November 2022.

The top trend across the globe is Adaptable Essentials, reflecting a desire for more purposeful, affordable products and services in a future facing resource constraints. Australia follows suit, with Adaptable Essentials ranking first for both attitude and behaviour.

Life Rewilded, a trend that focuses on bringing nature and wildness into daily experience ranks second globally for guiding everyday behaviour, meaning that many people are acting upon this trend already in their lives. It is an expanding trend in Asia Pacific, with Australia scoring highest within the region based on importance (attitude) and third highest on behaviour (behind Taiwan and the Philippines).

The cultural conversation around health continues to grow and diversify, with the trends Interconnected Well-being and Social Health ranking second and third respectively in terms of importance in Australia. When it comes to how these trends impact behaviour, however, they rank joint 10thin Australia, leaving a large say-do gap for consumers.

"Our aim with this study was to move beyond a standard trend report to something that speaks to our collective imaginations and societal imperatives, while being grounded in what people need," says Lily Charnock, Director at Space Doctors (part of InSites Consulting), who led the study.

"The next step is of course applying this to drive action. Behind the report we have rich and diverse data that we cant wait to explore for specific client challenges, categories and cultural contexts," she says.

Niels Schillewaert, Co-Founder and Head of Solutions at InSites Consulting explains the value of the report to brands that want to make a positive difference in the world.

"The trends we've identified should inspire brands to put people and what matters to them at the heart of product and service innovation for 2023 and beyond," he says. 

"We hope to inspire brands to explore what their role as a changemaker could be."