In our Ageless Society trend, we argue that evolving lifestyles and attitudes are challenging age-based assumptions and stimulating support for more age-inclusive marketing communications. Indeed, as many within the upper age brackets look forward to enjoying the autumns and winters of their lives in relative good health and financial comfort, any notion that reaching one’s 60s, 70s, 80s or beyond should involve an automatic rejection of concern about such areas as physical appearance, fitness and fashion is being challenged. And driving this forward have been a) rising longevity b) growing acceptance that we will need to work for longer into our lives and c) the majoritarian belief that people should make an effort to look their best at any age (a statement for which support peaks at 77% among those aged 75+).

Broadly speaking, we thus posit that age is becoming much less of a determining factor across such areas as technology, leisure, fashion and media consumption – and that marketing messages are shifting accordingly. In particular, the idea that fashion and beauty campaigns should speak only to young(-ish) groups falls under ever greater pressure. And it is in this context that we look with interest at H&M’s 2011 Christmas campaign. Long a brand willing to feature models drawn from a wide demographic spectrum – as we saw through its use of Daphne Self in the late 00s – the fashion retailer’s latest posters present a diverse range of protagonists, often juxtaposed within the same image. One of the posters thus presents Jerry Hall (mid 50s) alongside her daughter Georgia May Jagger. Another unites singer Bryan Ferry (early 60s) with his son Tara.

Of course, we recognise that there will always be occasions when certain age segments will respond to age-specific communications. But targeting older consumers with products designed explicitly for “old” people will certainly become less and less common. In turn, instances where younger and older individuals are invited to choose similar but age-appropriate styles and designs from the same brand will grow. Indeed, as age boundaries progressively weaken and more brands adopt age-neutral approaches to marcomms – particularly when it offers the opportunity to broaden customer bases – the Ageless Society mindset will get only stronger.

In our nVitro article, Self-Service Redefined, we track a number of innovations which are helping to transform the reputation of vending machines and make automated service the must-try option for the 10s decade shopper. From fresh local produce to high-end luxury goods to samples of new products, the list of items available from vending kiosks continues to both grow and diversify.

But at nVision, we know that trends cannot exist in isolation and that any one theme within our framework of 60 established and 70 emerging trends is linked intimately with a number of others. Tracking how they complement and influence one another is key to understanding the consumer landscape of the coming years.

Here we thus point to two of our other emerging themes, Photo-Phile Culture and the End of Inefficiency. In the former, we describe the consumer’s growing fondness for using images of themselves in commercial contexts; in the latter, we wonder whether more of us will soon be willing to relinquish control over some of our day-to-day decisions in favour of automated services guaranteed to select the very best option on our behalf. What are the implications of the three trends working together?

To see them in action, we can look to Chanel’s Au Quotidien event – held in Tokyo during summer 2011 to promote the company’s new Rouge Coco Shine lipstick – whereby shoppers were given the opportunity to receive bespoke product recommendations based on photographs taken by an automated kiosk. Having assessed the characteristics of an individual’s face, skin and hair, the “Digital Navigator” machine made suggestions about which shades might suit them and, once favourites had been selected, shoppers could access images of themselves wearing the styles in question. Elsewhere, we see Kraft developing its “Meal Planning Solution” concept, an in-store kiosk which, after scanning a customer’s face to determine their gender and approximate age, recommends recipes it thinks they might enjoy together with directions for where they can find the constituent ingredients.

Is it conceivable, then, that self-service will soon evolve still further to offer assistance at all stages of the consumption process – becoming the ultimate shop assistant able to showcase full ranges, offer personalised and expert advice and then dispense the chosen product? Of course, there will always be certain products where consumers will actively prefer the advice of other individuals. And for those who see the shopping process itself as a fun and enjoyable experience, self-service is likely to hold less appeal. But in at least some cases, it must be extremely likely that it will play a more and more important role – eliminating the more mundane aspects of shopping, offering assistance to time-pressured consumers and, along the way, bringing a number of potentially disruptive consequences for the traditional retail model.

Launched in 2009 by the Los Angeles retailer Fred Segal, U*tique is a range of luxury product vending machines.

Strategically located in upmarket hotel lobbies, gyms, nightclubs and malls, the interactive vending machines stock up to fifty bath, make-up and skincare products by leading luxury brands such as Lancôme, Bliss and Smashbox Cosmetics. Prices typically range from $5 to $160. Besides their sleek and classy designs, the machines have built in touch screens that display detailed brand profiles, list ingredients and demo product videos. Consumers can also trial products by requesting samples directly from the machine.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8L-G4JXBE[/youtube]

Another example of smart vending innovation carving a third space between e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail.  As always, nVision subscribers can find out more about this manifestation and hundreds others by contacting their account manager.

Related trends: Affluence, Perfection of the Body, Self-service Redefined (nVitro), Fabergé Syndrome (nVitro)

I am often asked by clients how to define a trend and I think the best way to sum it up in a sentence is “an observable and quantifiable shift in consumers’ attitudes or outlook that has a direct impact on their behaviours in society”.  That’s certainly how we think of trends on nVision but it is important to remember that different types of trends manifest themselves at different speeds – as William Gibson famously said “the future is here – it’s just not very evenly distributed”.

This graphic from Stewart Brand’s Clock of the Long Now demonstrates this quite neatly:

Technology is something that we can witness changing all around us because of the rate at which it evolves.  Social changes are far more gradual and we acclimatise to them because they just creep forward.  Sometimes though, we look around and suddenly realise how much these things have changed.  Over the past couple of weeks, I noticed two such manifestations relating to gender – specifically, men and beauty.

The first was in an airport.  I popped into Boots at Heathrow Terminal 5 to pick up some travel essentials and while browsing through various male toiletries, I suddenly realised what I was looking at.  The travel essentials section for men was made up of “wake-up” face wash, energising facial scrub, anti-friction shaving gel, scented post-shave recovery balm, anti-ageing serum and an anti-wrinkle moisturiser.  Ten years ago I doubt that travel essentials went beyond than toothpaste, razor and fairly plain shaving cream.

The second manifestation was even more significant (albeit warped by the fact that this is Shoreditch).  In the Market Sports Gym round the corner from our offices, this is a picture of the male changing rooms:

Yes, they really are hair straighteners.  Like I say, this is Shoreditch so you expect some degree of weirdness but together these two spots really demonstrated how far men’s attitudes towards their appearance has changed.

It’s important to not get carried away with a trend like this.  Yes, men are vastly more interested in their appearance than ten years ago but we are not suddenly going to move into a unisex world.  What is important is that brands need to consider and plan for these slower moving social trends just as much as fast-paced, technological or micro-trends.  They may not be as exciting to watch but they are as inevitable as a glacier.