2015-06 ENLIGHTENED BRANDS

ENLIGHTENED
BRANDS
Why brands must evolve to a
higher stage of consciousness.
GLOBAL TREND BRIEFING
JUNE 2015

Blame that Oreos ‘Dunk in the Dark’ tweet, and the million
copycats it spawned. And, yes, blame us.
Along with a clutch of marketing gurus, brand strategists
and social media experts, we’ve championed the cause of
HUMAN BRANDS – that is, brands with a dose of empathy,
flexibility and humor – for years. But now, it’s clear that
this epic trend has jumped the Left Shark, and descended
into an orgy of youth culture bandwagon jumping, pop-
up eco and social responsibility vanity projects, and
awkward inter-brand ‘fun’ on social media.
The HUMAN BRANDS trend promised so much more. So
what went wrong?
A philosopher once said:
‘Hell is other people’.
But that was before anyone ever had
to endure the spectacle of two brands
flirting on social media.
ENLIGHTENED BRANDS 2www.trendwatching.com/trends/enlightened-brands

Stop saying ‘bae’, brands (with thanks to
@BrandsSayingBae).

And we don’t even want to remind you of
the super-awkward moment that was this
tweet. But we will.

Okay, maybe that’s just the rage talking.
After all, human beings can also aspire to, and occasionally
achieve, the highest human virtues: empathy, generosity,
responsibility and more. But in pursuit of a HUMAN side,
most brands took a shortcut: a chirpy brand voice that
covered them in a patina of humanity and allowed them to
pay lip service to those virtues.
Now, customer expectations have raced onwards (they do
that). People are looking to brands to evolve to a higher
state of consciousness by taking real, meaningful, even
painful, action to make their lives – and the world we
share – better. It’s the difference between being HUMAN
and being ENLIGHTENED.
The irony here? Many customers are far from saintly
themselves! After all, they co-created this planet warming,
sugar rushing, socially damaging mess we’re in, right along
with brands. And now, they’re looking for brands to embrace
ENLIGHTENMENT for them.
Unfair? That’s consumers for you ;)
What’s so great about
HUMANS, anyway?
They’re vain, selfish and power-hungry,
and they’re wrecking the planet FFS!

Just 7% of consumers think brands positively
or meaningfully contribute to their lives.
HAVAS, APRIL 2015
7%

DEFINITION
ENLIGHTENED BRANDS | A million and one
brands are tweeting, instagramming and
periscoping their HUMAN side. But in 2016,
brands that want to assure their survival
will start on the hard path towards true
ENLIGHTENMENT, by taking meaningful
action to improve both individual lives and
the wider world.

RESTLESS: That means they’re forever in search of
new ways to make the world a better place, and to
hold themselves to higher standards of fairness and
responsibility.
EMPATHETIC: That means understanding and addressing
customer pain points and working to make individual lives
easier, faster, and more fun.
DEMANDING: Making individual lives better can also mean
pushing consumers to overcome their human flaws, and
become the people they want to be.
The truth is that in 2015, few brands are anywhere near true
ENLIGHTENMENT. Most are deeply mired in eco, social and
service sin. But any business can learn from those major
brands taking their first steps and the startups introducing
the kind of ENLIGHTENED innovations that all brands should
be working on!
Any brand starting
out on the path
should understand
that ENLIGHTENED
BRANDS are:

In a global survey of 28,000 consumers, 63%
said they only buy products and services that
appeal to their beliefs, values or ideals.
GFK, APRIL 2015
63%

AMSTERDAM »
WED 27 MAY 2015
LONDON »
TUE 2 JUNE 2015
SINGAPORE »
TUE 18 AUG 2015
NEW YORK »
THU 17 SEPT 2015
SYDNEY »
TUE 27 AUG 2015
LIVE | 2015 TREND SEMINARS
1YEAR 5CITIES 2,000PROFESSIONALS

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS
ARE RESTLESS...
FEATURED INNOVATIONS
They will continually take steps (even costly ones) towards
a better world through new products, services, production
methods, marketing and internal policies.

FEATURED INNOVATIONS: RESTLESS
Vodafone
Telecoms company announces worldwide
maternity pay guarantee

Diario ABC Color
Paraguayan newspaper launches free
journalism school

Vangardist
Austrian lifestyle magazine uses HIV+ ink
to tackle stigma

Tonlé
Cambodian fashion brand built around
zero waste

Gramming For Good &
Gramforacause
Startups pair Instagrammers with
nonprofits

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS
ARE EMPATHETIC...
That means understanding the way customers live, and
what it takes to make their lives better.

FEATURED INNOVATIONS: EMPATHETIC
Grand Hyatt Melbourne
Regular visitors allowed to leave
belongings at hotel between stays

Audi
App connects stranded drivers with
Audi 4x4 drivers

Mophie
Rescue dogs save festival goers from
dying mobile devices

AutoDesk
Software maker gives millions of
students free access

Idea Bank
Bank opens co-working space and café
for entrepreneurs

.
.
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ENLIGHTENED BRANDS
ARE DEMANDING...
That means nudging, pushing and cajoling
consumers to DO better and BE better.

FEATURED INNOVATIONS: DEMANDING
Mexico City Subway
Free subways tickets for customers
who perform squats

E4
TV channel suspends broadcasting to
encourage young people to vote

Peruvian League Against
Cancer
Beachgoers get free wifi if they stay
in the shade

Art Series Hotel Group
Guests reviewed online by hotel staff in
return for discounts

NEXT
Ready to start YOUR journey towards
ENLIGHTENMENT?

NEXT 1/4
Plenty of big brands
are still resolutely
UNENLIGHTENED.
In May 2015, the shareholders of eBay voted
overwhelmingly against releasing information
about the gender pay gap in the company. If
you work for an UNENLIGHTENED big brand,
how about starting a grassroots movement
of ENLIGHTENED staff?

NEXT 2/4
Embracing
ENLIGHTENMENT can
mean making mistakes.
In March 2015, Starbucks faced a social
media backlash against its Race Together
campaign to start a conversation about race
in the US: critics labeled it opportunistic. But
customers will be more prepared to accept
mistakes from brands that believe are making
sincere attempts at ENLIGHTENMENT. The
Starbucks College Achievement Plan pays
for eligible Starbucks employees to attend
Arizona State University.

NEXT 3/4
Trend-driven innovation
is meditation for brands!
Innovating around the right trends can see
any brand get closer to ENLIGHTENMENT.
Want to get in touch with your EMPATHETIC
side? Start by re-reading SYMPATHETIC
PRICING. Searching for new ways to
push customers to be better? Check out
CURRENCIES OF CHANGE.

NEXT 4/4
Creating a future
of IMMACULATE
CONSUMPTION?
Yeah, right. Let’s face it, many brands
will ALWAYS be too obsessed with this
quarter’s earnings to get anywhere near
ENLIGHTENMENT. And plenty of customers
will always prioritize price and convenience
over all else. Can’t get your organization to
take ENLIGHTENMENT seriously? It’s your
soul on the line if you stay!

MORE...Take your trend thinking to the next level...
Join us at one of our 2015 Global Trend Seminars!
trendwatching.com/LIVE
AMSTERDAM »
WED 27 MAY 2015
De Hallen Studio’s
LONDON »
TUE 2 JUN 2015
Kings Place
SINGAPORE »
TUE 18 AUG 2015
National Design Centre
SYDNEY »
THU 27 AUG 2015
Museum of Contemporary Art
NEW YORK »
THU 17 SEP 2015
The Altman Building

MORE...
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or questions then please do let us know.
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PAUL BACKMAN
Chief Client Officer
paul@trendwatching.com
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2015-06 ENLIGHTENED BRANDS

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