May 31, 2007, Vol 1, Issue 15

Baby, it’s hot out there.

So what’s hot with your customers, your clients, your target market?

Yup. You guessed it. The theme for this issue of Research Redux is Trends. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you need to know what they are.

Even better, you need to predict. Read on.

Google is trendy.

I know. We are always saying there is more to life than Google. And there is. However…

This is fun (at least we think so) and it’s useful too. Google Trends. You can enter several search terms and see the comparative trends over time for the different terms.

You might be surprised to know that Pamela Anderson and Lindsay Lohan trend fairly closely (with Pam leading Lindsay all the way) and Paris Hilton tops them both and has huge spikes that put poor Pam and Lindsay to shame.

And while you can’t account for taste as far as these results are concerned, we still see some great business uses for this tool. Can’t you?

Intermission.

Let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby….

Flying somewhere this summer? With gas prices climbing, lots of us are! Here’s a site that will help you fly in comfort.

Seat Guru is the ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information. It has detailed seat map graphics, in-depth seat specific comments denoting seats with limited recline, reduced legroom, mis-aligned windows, and color-coding to help identify superior and substandard seats. You can find in-seat power port locations, galley, lavatory, Exit Row and closet locations.

So if you’re a planner (and we know you are!) you can make your trip oh so much more enjoyable.

Working hard, so you don’t have to.

Does that heading refer to us or Scrubbing Bubbles? Either way, Trendwatching and its 8,000+ trend spotters scan the globe for emerging consumer trends. So sit back, read about price comparison and prediction tool trends and imagine the implications for your business.

The findings are presented as an opinionated Trend Briefings, covering trends like INFOLUST, TWINSUMERS, and CUSTOMER-MADE.

Some love it. Some, not so much. It definitely takes a stand. We think it’s worth a read.

Be wery, wery quiet…

“We’re hunting twends.” (Hope you recognized our Elmer Fudd impression.) Trend Hunter is (in their own modest words) an explosion of cool fueled by a global network of 11,318 trend hunters.

They are a community dedicated to trend spotting & cool hunting. Hey, if you spot cool, can you let us know, because according to our kids, we’re the farthest thing from it! Anyhoo…

It’s a nice site.

And if your day job isn’t thrilling enough, they’re looking for trend spotters. Apply online.

Stump the Researcher.

A reader asks: I frequently have the need to get input from my large and very geographically dispersed team. When I send an email out, I get all these answers in different formats and, frankly, it’s a pain in the neck. Any suggestions?

Why yes. We have a few.

And submit your own question – send an email!
Click here for the answer. It’ll just take a minute.

We’re not suggesting you trash your Brooks Brothers’ suits and your Talbot’s finery and go wild, but trends can be your friend. So embrace them, don’t be scared of them. Unless, of course. they suggest giant shoulder pads are coming back in style. In that case, run very fast.

If you find that you need some help tracking trends, give us a call. These trend sites are great, but there’s no substitute for a critical eye (even a pair of them). We promise you won’t be disappointed!

See you in two weeks!