Dictionary of change

Bates 141 Dictionary of Change I believe that language is one of the richest areas where change can be spotted. That’s the reason why we choose to publish the first Bates 141 dictionary of change based on the idea of new language and ‘ChangeWords’. Nothing is more important to us than the spotting, understanding, and interpretation of change for our clients. Doing business in Asia means we are operating in the part of the world that has the fastest growing economy, the largest population swell, the greatest uptake of technology and the most optimistic people in the world. In 2008, Asia will inject more wealth into the global economy than any other part of the world. The shifts are titanic and as The Change Agency, I believe Bates 141 is better suited than any other integrated agency to rise to the challenge. This book is a testament to our change culture and the importance we place on delivering change thought leadership to inspire our employees whom we call “Change Agents”. This is also a measure of all the work we put in to service our clients in more thought-provoking ways to deliver ChangePoints that are the foundation of our ideas and breakthrough work. I am grateful to our staff and our clients for their support, encouragement and contribution. Please keep challenging us so we change together. Jeffrey Yu is Chairman of Bates 141 a draft of this book, I didn’t know the word “ W00t” – a new interjection to express joy akin to “Yeah!” that has recently made its way into common parlance from computer hacker language. But now that I do, there seems to be no better way to accurately convey how I feel about this book. And I hope you will feel the same too. The A-Z dictionary of change is what will become the first in many such publications from Bates 141 – a new perspective on change, that not only informs but also ignites ideas that in turn change businesses. The emphasis is very much on action: words and concepts that capture irreversible shifts in the marketplace that we, as marketers, can harness to transform the way we think up products, distribution channels, pricing strategies and brand experiences. The words contained here have been sourced from all across the globe, with specific terms in Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Korean, reflecting our in-depth knowledge of Asia. But we ourselves have also invented new words based on our observation of change resulting in new concept mash-ups that mark the inflection of new lifestyles. Take for example “Aeropolitan” whereby people now live, consume and transit in airports as if these were their second homes. I would like to thank Frederique Covington, our Regional Head of Planning and Guillaume Pagnoux, Regional Intelligence Manager, for their energy in putting this piece together. Both of them have been terrier-like in editing over 1000 possible contenders to arrive at the selected change language today. Enjoy and don’t forget to send us your submissions for the 2009 edition! Digby Richards is Chief Executive Officer of Bates 141 When I first saw At Bates 141, we believe in spotting, understanding, interpreting and creating change for our clients. ABG Aeropolitan* Adhocracy Definition: Is short in Indonesian for “Anak Baru Gede” or literally “grown-up kid”. The term refers to the growing number of urban teenagers aged 12 to 16 in Indonesia. The Change: ABGs have more money to spend than before and the freedom to experiment that goes with it. While attracting the attention of international brands, the newly-found wealth of youngsters has fueled the unprecedented growth of the local youth apparel industry. Today, ABGs are moving away from big mainstream brands, preferring them ‘distro’, short for “distribution outlet”, brands. Check: Eatertainment, Facebook, Jaim, Kangen, Nintendo Wii, Youthquake Definition: Is the new lifestyle that results from the advent of low-fare travel and the changing role of airports in people’s lives. The Change: Airports are changing from halls to malls and from transportation hubs to busy economic zones. Airports have become vital centres of growth and development and are as important to a region as a city’s central business district. These new urban spaces are filled with boutiques, restaurants, meeting facilities, entertainment, cultural attractions and private lounges and becoming the new launching pads for ‘in’ brands. Check: Hongapore, Honglander Definition: Is the emerging corporate structure of the 21st century whereby a small group of permanent staff are complemented by a network of people who are brought in on an ad-hoc basis. This term is threatening the end of the ageold bureaucracy. The Change: While the original “Adhocracy” term was first popularized in 1970 by Alvin Toffler, it has since taken on greater meaning with the flattening of organizations, the decline of corporate hierarchy and the increasing reliance on networked staff or wiki talent globally. Expect more organizations to be built up and broken down on a project-by-project basis and using consumer co-creation. Check: Garage attitude, Ning, Neocha, PayPerPost, Wikia, XLNTads *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Android Approximeeting ASmallWorld Definition: Is a series of software tools released in 2008, built by Google and designed to power the next generation of mobile phone handsets. The tools are based on Linux, are open source and free to use. It means anyone can develop software for the platform and that Android itself can be tailored for individual phones, networks and potentially, users. The Change: In developing countries where the ‘Next Billion’ users are leapfrogging from none to the latest technology and accessing the Internet increasingly via their mobile, Android could become a major force in accelerating the uptake of mobile Internet and becoming the new platform for all mobile experiences. Google and its partners believe that the new open software will make the Internet experience on mobile “better than on a PC”. Check: Feelware, Jaagutri, Kiva, Next Billion, Open Handset Alliance, OLPC, OpenSocial Definition: Is the new way of arranging to meet someone without making firm plans about time or place, and then finalizing details via a mobile phone. The Change: This behaviour marks the advent of ‘fluid lifestyles’ where things remain constantly in a state of flux and get increasingly decided and managed at the last minute. One way to tap into this impulsive way of living is by staging last-minute events, flash gatherings and pop-up stores that don’t last or are hard to find. Check: Ban Tan Fu Qi, Friemily, Google drift, He Chi Zu, Offline-Online life Definition: Is a high-end online social network for jetsetters recently started where membership is by invitation only. The Change: While customers able to buy a $1,800 bottle aren’t easy to find through traditional media, they are now easier to reach via private social networks where people self-segment themselves. End 2007, high-end cognac Remy Martin’s Louis XIII partnered with ‘aSmallWorld’ to combine online placements with offline events designed to spur word-of-mouth amongst the rich and famous. In the future, brands will need to learn to see themselves as a centre of connection more than a centre of attraction. Check: Facebook, Honglander, Luxplosion, Ning, Supculture 23andMe Definition: Is a Silicon Valley start-up co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, wife of Sergey Brin of Google, who has invested $3.9 million in the venture. For $1,000, 23andMe screens people’s DNA to gauge their genetic risk to diseases and gives them a historical DNA tree that can track inheritance of traits like athletic endurance or bitter-taste blindness. The Change: Marks the advent of a new form of ultra-personalized, genomics-based medicine. In the genomic age, we will no longer have the problem of not knowing, but will face the burden of whether we want to know in the first place. Some analysts have indicated this will give rise to predictive diagnosis, where life is more like a game of strategy, always playing percentages, trying to optimize our outcomes. Check: Brain Age, Dong Rong b Definition: Is a new family arrangement whereby a Chinese couple meets up only during weekends and lives apart during the week because both man and woman have a job. It is almost like a weekend marriage. The Change: Along with the rapid urbanization of China, this underlines the emancipation of women throughout Asia, and particularly in China where female professionals are the fastest-growing segment of Asian elite. Better educated and drawing higher salaries, women are no longer a demographic of ‘housewives’. They are changing the dynamics of relationships and families and breaking away from more traditional roles, challenging brands and marketers to engage with them in new ways. Check: Approximeeting, Gold Miss, Qing Shu Nu Definition: Is the Chinese name given to those born between 1975 to 1985 (between 20s to 30s) in China who are young, hungry, optimistic about the future, infinitely creative and unburdened by tradition – called the ‘Sprinting generation.’ The Change: Ben Ben Zu are living in an age of change and possibilities, a marked generation shift from their parents who grew up against the backdrop of communism. With rapid economic progress in China, there is now space for ambition. To appeal to this new breed of consumer, brands will need to either stand for success, for a brighter future or for an inhibited review of the Communist past. Check: Chuppies, Garage attitude, G.O.D, Luxplosion, Mercenary consumption, Qing Shu Nu, Rare Generation, Yue Guang Zu Beta brand* Definition: Is a brand that believes in consumer-driven innovation and actively involves consumers in the early trial stages of an idea. The Change: In the past, only engineers were involved in the beta testing stage of products and services, whereas today consumers demand and expect brands to engage them early in development process. Furthermore, being ‘beta’ and imperfect is a good way to cash in at the counter of the emotional bank: beta brands that try hard to improve and are upfront about it appear more human than polished brands, so people forgive their hiccups more easily. Check: Entreprenerd, Garage Attitude, Invergence, Organism, Trendmatching, Wikia Boutique it* Boy Bling* Brain Age Definition: Is the new practice of transforming an experience from one that is cold and impersonal into something more personalized, intimate, warmer and approachable. The Change: As seen in the mushrooming of boutique stores and hotels, bigger is no longer better – in fact anything ‘nano’ is in for 2008. As a counterbalance to the ‘shopping complex wave’ that is sweeping Asia, smaller brands and shops that are offering more individual and attentive service are gaining momentum with consumers. Check: Chief Experience Officer, Feelware, One degree marketing, Organism Definition: Is the rise of men’s jewellery and accessories such as diamonds, gold and pearls. As reported by The Wall Street Journal Asia, annual sales of bling for boys has taken off, nearly doubling from 2004 to 2006, reaching $6 billion in the US. The Change: Boy Bling tracks a broader interest among men for their own appearance with sales of men’s apparel, accessories and even cosmetics on the rise. As more men are finding wearing jewellery (other than watches, wedding bands and cuff links) more fashionable and sophisticated, expect the now aging metrosexuals to lead the young, urban and more conservative professionals to adopt personal-care habits as well as pendants and rings. Check: Chuppies, Luxplosion, Metlog, NOMU, Premiumnization, Xoomer, Yue Guang Zu Definition: Inspired by the work of prominent Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, the Brain Age Nintendo video game features activities designed to help stimulate the brain and give it the workout it needs like solving simple math problems, counting currency, drawing pictures on the Nintendo DS touch screen and unscrambling letters. The Change: As Asia’s population is aging, the challenge to reduce one’s brain age is creating a big market opportunity to market to the 40+ crowd. This is also marking the advent of gaming as a new form of therapy and source of connection beyond leisure pursuits only. Check: Dankai, Grey Gamer, Nintendo Wii Brand Swarm Definition: Is the notion that people and their opinions coalesce to form critical forces that massively influence marketplace ideas and concepts. The Change: Born from the ‘swarm theory’, expect social networking to grow to new levels of influence, confirming the immense impact that consumers have on one another. Marketers that embrace this new marketing approach can form consumer ‘fansumers’ and drive brand loyalty and trust to new heights – if done responsibly. Check: Fansumer, Passionista, Peerchasing, Pin Ke, Shopcasting, Social ad, Trendmatching, Tuangou Chuppies Definition: Is the Chinese name for China’s well-off young professionals who describe themselves as being open-minded, ready to learn, and loving new things. The Change: Unlike their frugal parents, Chuppies are brand-conscious super spenders. Still living with their parents, they have almost a 100 percent disposable income and are the first generation to use credit cards and the first to cause a substantial drop in what used to be the world’s highest savings rates. Check: Ben Ben Zu, Boy Bling, Chindia, Luxplosion, Mercenary Consumption, Yue Guang Zu Carbon offset Chief Experience Officer Definition: Is the capacity for individuals or organizations to be carbon neutral by paying someone to reduce or remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Tree planting is the most common technique used for carbon offset but the practice can take other forms like avoiding deforestation and energy conservation. The Change: As consumers worldwide become more environmentally aware, watch for carbon offsetting to become a major new form of corporate responsibility in big companies and for new products and services to emerge such as carbon marketing, carbon offset gift certificates or carbon-free weddings. Check: Ecosexual, Freecycling, Greenwashing, Localvore, 4P 2.0, Precycling, Terrapass, Upcycling, Wind rush Definition: Is someone who is in charge of orchestrating the sum of tangible and intangible elements that makes up a brand experience. The new role is typically filled by a marketing officer and has only recently emerged as a proper title per se. The Change: The experience wave is sweeping the world. In Fast Company Hot Jobs list 2007, four out of the 10 hot jobs were related to experience planning or creation. Brand building is rapidly evolving to brand staging. Expect to work with professionals in businesses based on contact with the public or the creation of public spaces: motivational speakers, cooks, hairdressers, theatre set directors, architects… Check: Boutique it, Feelware, One degree marketing, Organism, 4P 2.0, Renaissance marketer, Whatever Chang’e1 Competnion* Crunk Definition: Is the name for the first phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program launched in 2007. The spacecraft is named after the Chinese goddess of the Moon, Chang’e. The Change: With more Asian satellites roaming the globe, more Asian companies from telecommunications to content broadcasting will reach a global market. Western companies will soon be challenged on their own turf. Soon, Asia will be known not only for its manufacturing plants that make the region the world’s factory. Check: Chindia, Mastronaut Definition: Is the name given for pet companionship, usually dogs or cats. The Change: Once more of a Western lifestyle feature, pets are now being treated as family members, particularly in places like Hong Kong and Japan. Delayed marriage, growth of DINK (Double Income No Kids) or DIOK (Double Income One Kid), aging population and rising income are leading to growing demand for pets as companions, spurring all sorts of pet-related services from pet high-fashion handbags to canine-centric communities. Check: Ban Tang Fu Qi, Friemily Definition: Is a genre of hip-hop music. The term is a mash-up of the words “crazy” and “drunk”. It is often used as slang to mean intoxicated. The Change: These days, the Crunk style, characterized by simple, repetitive, high-energy refrains strives in dance clubs, particularly as Indian youths are making hip-hop music their own by weaving Western music with Bollywood beats, also known as ‘Hindi Crunk’. Check: ABG, Monkey: Journey to the West, Youthquake *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Chindia Definition: Is the ‘merging’ of China and India and the power of their combined growing middle class. With 77% of Asia’s population, China and India are emerging as world superpowers. Both countries are strengthening their relationship and increasing their bilateral partnerships, cultural exchanges and investment flows. China’s strength in hardware, manufacturing and infrastructure complements India’s strength in software, services and IT sectors. No longer simply a source of cheap labor, both countries will soon be able to compete on a global stage, not only on price, but on their capacity to innovate. Soon, Asian talents will dream, conceptualize and produce goods designed in Asia by Asian brands for Asian people. Check: Chuppies, Chang’e1, Jaagutri, Kiva, Mercenary consumption, Vogue India Clickprint Definition: Is a unique pattern of web-surfing behaviour based on actions such as the number of pages viewed per session, the number of minutes spent on each web page, the time or day of the week the page is visited, etc. Just like fingerprint or handwriting styles, people have unique signatures when they browse the web, unique typing patterns when they use computer keyboards ‘keystroke dynamics’ and unique ways in which they write messages using ‘writeprints.’ The Change: Observing how people navigate around a site over a number of sessions is becoming increasingly important, not only to prevent online fraud but to facilitate a new form of targeting by clickprint patterns. Check: Google drift, Privacy economy Definition: Is the Japanese term for the baby-boomer generation. ‘Dankai’ means mass or clot. American Baby Boomers are people born from 1947-1964 (14 years). They number over 80 million and are about 27% of the American population. On the other hand, Japanese ‘Dankai no sedai’ are born from 19471949 (3 years) only, but they number 9 million and are 7% of the population of Japan. It means the Dankai no sedai exert a large influence on this society. The Change: This cohort is particularly topical as 2007-2008 is when most ‘Dankai no sedai’ will retire. Marketers are scrambling for a slice of the grey monetary pie and the pay-off is huge with the Dankai’s estimated at Y50 trillion ($400 billion) to be awarded in pensions. For the estimated 5.4 million employees who began reaching the standard retirement age of 60 in April, 2007 and will continue to do so over the next three years, their collective purchasing power is enormous. The Dankai hold an estimated 10% of total personal financial assets in Japan. When this group includes everyone aged 50 and older, they hold an astonishing 80%. Check: Brain Age, Grey Gamer, Gold Miss, Youthquake Definition: Is Chinese for ‘frozen beauty’. Used to describe girls around the age of 20 who hope to maintain their beauty and youth by looking forever 20 – through the use of good skincare, using anti-aging products and adoption of a healthy lifestyle. ‘Dong Rong’, unlike the original US term ‘Cryon Baby’ rejects botox injections. The Change: In China today, a girl with above-average looks can earn 10% more than others doing the same job. This “economic age of beauty” has influenced many young Chinese women in their 20s and 30s to undergo plastic surgery to get a better chance to land a decent job. First popularized in Taiwan last year, this new Dong Rong class has since spread to Hong Kong and China, giving Dove an interesting “real beauty” challenge. Check: Gold Miss, Lohas Park, NOMU, Qing Shu Nu, Won 880,000 Generation D-Park Definition: Is a historical powerhouse in Beijing that has been transformed into a fashion creation park, with 35 studios that are home to designers, product developers, model agencies and exhibition display companies. It is part of the “Fashion In Beijing” plan proposed by the municipality of Beijing and the China Fashion Association to build a fashion hub and create an affordable place for mutual exchange and inspiration. The Change: Open to the public since March 2007, D-Park is a symbol of China’s desire to showcase its ‘creative capital’ and play on the world stage of talent and latest creations. As China transforms its old electrical factories into design parks, expect more Chinese talents to start designing goods made in Asia by Asian brands for Asian people. Check: G.O.D, Hongapore, I-Land, Neocha, Starchitect Eatertainment* Ecosexual Entreprenerd Definition: Is a class of cafés and restaurants in Hong Kong that are no longer just dining places but an entertainment destination for youths to hang out, play games (video games, poker games, etc), party and have fun. The Change: The trend of the ‘third place’ has conquered a younger market for which the lifestyle you serve is as important as the food you cook. To compete in Asia where shopping is the number one pastime, retail brands need to offer some form of entertainment. To ride the trend, Starbucks has started selling music and McDonald’s has become a place for people to play Nintendo and Sony Playstation, giving rise to the ‘McGamer phenomenon’. Check: ABG, Chief Experience Officer, Nintendo Wii, Youthquake Definition: Is a single, fashion and environmentally-conscious person who is looking for an eco-friendly partner in order to do good together beyond shopping for eco-chic clothes. The Change: While being green has never been trendier, being eco-friendly is extending beyond the fashion sphere to become a lifestyle that even permeates the world of dating. After the groomed metrosexual who irons his shirts himself, the ecosexual wears shirts made of fashionable recycled material and looks for sustainable relationships. Check: Carbon offset, Freecycling, Greenwashing, Localvore, Lohas Park, Molleindustria, 4P 2.0, Precycling, Upcycling, Wind rush Definition: Is a person with skills in computing or engineering who builds an online business. Once he has made money with his hi-tech start-up an ‘entreprenerd’ becomes a ‘millionerd’. The Change: With the second dot.com boom and the millions made by young web entrepreneurs, computer science has become glamorous. Because most startup companies challenge existing business models, work attitudes and values, they change the way businesses operate and how brands speak to people. Entreprenerds’ brands talk to you like a friend, use plain language over jargon and proudly voice their challenger origin. Check: Beta brands, Facebook, Garage attitude, Renaissance marketer, Web 3.0, Wikia, Zuckerberg *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Feelware* Definition: First used as a Sony trademark as part of a research project, we at Bates see it as a way to redefine a new generation of consumer electronics that are intuitive and related to touch technology. Feelware is the emergence of a new kind of devices that combines the sensual and tactile feel of analog products with the advanced technology of computers. The Change: Consumers continue to ask for technology simplification and greater tactile experience from what surrounds them. Touch screen technology marks the advent of feelware devices that make technology invisible to the eye but compatible with the natural way of doing things – the best example is the iPhone. With more children and the elderly adopting technology, watch for Feelware to extend beyond just being a status statement and becoming the new “Intel inside” of consumer electronics. Check: Chief Experience Officer, Kindle, Kiva, Nintendo Wii, Renaissance marketer, Web 3.0 *Coined by Bates 141 Facebook Fansumer Definition: Has become in the last year one of the most successful social networking websites. Launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a former Harvard student, the name refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of the campus community that some U.S. colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty and staff as a way for people on campus to get to know one another. Today, the site has more than 60 million active users (including non-collegiate members) worldwide. The Change: While YouTube and MySpace were capturing headlines in 2006, fascination is at an all-time high for Facebook, which grew 110% in 2007. Part of its recently-unveiled ad plan to broadcast its members’ consumption behavior involves amplifying the ‘personal CPM’. Thanks to interactive technologies, consumers can forge wide networks of kindred spirits and virtual friends. As more people participate, these networks will rival traditional mediaborn advertising in terms of influence and develop the equivalent of a personal CPM rate card. For example, the 143,000 people who have joined the group “I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back Of The Head”. Check: Entreprenerd, Fansumer, Lifestreaming, Peerchasing, ROA, Shoi Ke, Twitter, Zuckerberg Definition: Is the evolution of consumers into brand fans. This captures the shift Facebook is trying to make by changing advertisements into endorsements and encouraging members to subscribe to a brand which shares their affinities, and their trusted social relationships. The Change: This epitomizes a change in the way marketers should look at brands. Brands can use these ‘Fansumers’ as endorsers of their own trusted networks, resulting in trusted word-of-mouth. More brands will be working to earn and buy fans to accept them as members. Expect a lot of noise to be generated from this activity as brands run campaigns to encourage members to add them as fans through discussion boards, banner ads, and special offers. Check: Facebook, Passionista, PayPerPost, Social ad Freecycling Friemily* Definition: Is the act of passing on goods for free, making them last longer through free re-use. The Freecycle Network is an email list where people give away for free, things that they no longer need. The Change: The next chapter in green marketing will see freecycling take regifting to a new consciousness level and continue to exemplify the shift from conspicuous consumption to conscientious consumption. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Greenwashing, Localvore, Huan Ke, 4P 2.0, Precycling, Upcycling, Wind rush Definition: Is the new name given to friends who are like family. The Change: Everywhere, friends are becoming a part of one’s extended family, sometimes even a convenient replacement. Traditionally in India, the family was the inner core but now, amongst the upper middle class in urban India, friends are the new hub of life. Check: Competnion, Facebook, Ning, Twitter, Youthquake *Coined by Bat es 141 Garage Attitude* G.O.D Definition: Is the spirit of starting from a garage, a venture that disrupts the business model of existing companies in such a radical way that it forces corporate giants to adapt or buy you out. The Change: Today, the best way for existing companies to survive is to figure out how a kid in a dorm room - like the founder of Facebook – or garage entrepreneurs will kill their business and use that insight to change and reinvent themselves. Just as people can have various successful career changes in a lifetime, the ‘garage attitude’ represents a new way for companies to see what the future of business is about. Check: Adhocracy, Ben Ben Zu, Beta brand, Entreprenerd, G.O.D, Molleindustria, Radiohead, Renaissance marketer, Zuckerberg Definition: Is short for “Goods Of Desire” a Hong Kong furniture store that has contemporized Communism icons into pop art. G.O.D. is the phonetic sound of the Cantonese slang “to live better”. From their humble beginnings as a furniture store for the middle class, the shop has evolved into an iconic grassroots brand that taps into the anti-establishment spirit that’s hidden in the heart of many Hong Kongers. The Change: With the rise of Asia as a significant economic force, the world will also show increasing interest in Asian lifestyle and culture. G.O.D. intends to capitalize on this phenomenon by providing an Eastern-derived lifestyle concept as an alternative to the established Western way of living. By exploring age-old Oriental traditions and updating them with modern consumers in mind, G.O.D. wants to demonstrate that the techniques and wisdom of past generations in the East still have a place in the future world. Check: Ben Ben Zu, D-Park, Garage attitude, Honglander, Molleindustria, Neocha, Rare Generation, Renaissance marketer, Rui Chenggang *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Google drift Gold Miss (골드미스) Definition: Is to drift aimlessly online between subjects of interest, finding them accidentally from one web search to another. These days, many people use the Internet like the TV, unwinding by web-surfing instead of channel-surfing. The Change: With the sheer amount of information and entertainment available on the web, people’s online behavior has debunked the myth that the Internet is a ‘lean forward’ medium only. People are not just Internet users but also Internet viewers seeking entertainment online, as the growth on online video has shown. Check: Approximeeting, Clickprint, Mystream, TVIP, StumbleUpon, Mouse Potato Definition: Is Korean for spinster. Created from the English “Old Miss”, it qualifies graduate women who have professional jobs earning more than W40-45 million a year and are sophisticated in looks and image. They believe that they can continue to live alone without getting married, and their financial independence is the no. 1 factor that helps them do so. The Change: Marriage used to be the only traditional outlet for Korean women to secure some form of stability in life. These days, women have more choices and enjoy greater financial and personal independence so marriage has become a nice to-do instead of a must-do. Women in Asia are the fastest-growing segment of Asian elite so marketers would be well-advised to stay away from portraying clichés directly derived from the traditional roles which women in the past have been associated with. Check: Ban Tang Fu Qi, Dong Rong, Luxplosion, Sheng Nu E R V IN E N T  S E  R E D U U E C E  R 5 2 Fo ld along th e line s . VOI LA! Yo u ha v e a pa pe r c u p / p u r se / p o r t a b l e a sh t r a y 1 3 Greenwashing Definition: Is what corporations do when they try to make themselves look more environmentally-friendly than they really are. The term is used when a company tries to cover up environmentally-damaging activities with rhetoric and spends more money advertising a green message than reforming itself to making green products. The Change: Many corporate giants are jumping on the green and ‘eco-chic’ bandwagon forgetting that actions speak louder than words. With turbo-charged word of mouth on Internet, using the image of a tree on a bottle of harmful chemicals won’t deceive consumers for long. In the future, brands will have to incorporate carbon offset marketing into their mix and learn to rephrase the 4P of marketing into: planet, people, plants and pets. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Freecycling, Localvore, Molleindustria, 4P 2.0, Precycling, Upcycling, Wind rush Grey Gamer Definition: Is a senior citizen whose newly-found interest is to play video games as a means to stay mentally alert and physically healthy. The Change: As regular exercise is proven to reduce dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, playing virtual games is becoming a great way for seniors to gently exercise body and brain. In Japan, the Sudoku number puzzle on the Nintendo Wii console has been a hit with the boomers. Grey gamers are changing the way games are played and the image of senior people. Check: Brain Age, Dankai, Molleindustria, Nintendo Wii Definition: Is Chinese for “Eating Together Tribe”. Refers to a new group of people that looks for strangers to eat with – whether it’s to eat better by pooling their money, or to meet new people who have a passion for food. The Change: As a counterpoint to Asia’s rapid urbanization, communal living remains strong whether it be families living in the same apartment, taking turns to cook or sharing a computer or Internet connection. Check: Approximeeting, Eatertainment, Friemily, Ning, Peerchasing, Pin Ke, Tuangou Hongapore Honglander* Definition: Is the project name given to Jeju, an island in Korea given special status to emulate the economic success model of Hong Kong and Singapore. With the exception of national affairs related to diplomacy, defense and justice, the island has been transformed into a special governing province with more than 1,000 national duties passed on from the central government. The Change: Jeju epitomizes South Korea’s ambitious plan to become the premier services hub for Northeast Asia - the world’s largest economic cluster after North America and Western Europe. To this end, Seoul is promoting a range of coastal investment zones, designed with their strategic locations and streamlined regulations to lure investors and to service China and Japan. Watch for more virtual countries and economic zones to emerge in Asia. Check: Chindia, Honglander, I-Land, Starchitect, MIPIM Definition: Is the new name for a person who travels frequently between Hong Kong and mainland China and therefore becomes the lifestyle expert of both places. The Change: ‘Honglanders’ are playing the roles of influencers and carriers of cheaper goods among their peers and relatives. Brands hoping to sell a premium image to Chinese consumers should aim to influence ‘Honglanders’ from China, while brands that target a discerning crowd should target ‘Honglanders’ from Hong Kong. Check: Aeropolitan, Chindia, G.O.D, Hongapore *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Definition: In Mandarin, ‘Huan’ means change, and ‘Ke’ refers to a guest. Together, ‘Huan Ke’ refers to a guest who participates in an exchange of sorts. The Change: In China, the recent resurgence of barter trade is happening online where people are beginning to trade goods and exchange things they do not want, for something they need. Trading sites like Comhuan.com and Huanke.cn have become popular, with especially high levels of activity during the Chinese New Year when people receive many gifts. Check: Freecycling, Pin Ke, Tuangou I-Land* Izea Definition: Is Singapore’s ambition to evolve from being a small island to becoming a cool hotspot or “i-Land” (leveraging the Apple iLife). More than a financial centre, Singapore is trying to establish itself as a global creative hub in its own right, recognized for its ideas in the arts, design, multimedia, and technological breakthroughs. The Change: More Asian countries are jumping on the creativity bandwagon realizing that creative capital and talent are the only ways to make it on the world stage. The region is about to embark on a creative renaissance that is going to change the way people see Asia – no longer just as an outsourcing centre, but a centre of creativity and consumption. Check: D-Park, Hongapore, Neocha, Rare Generation, Whatever Definition: Is the company that operates PayPerPost, the marketplace where advertisers can sponsor bloggers’ content. In 2008, Izea will launch SocialSpark to turn PayPerPost from a business platform to a social network. The Change: With the Social Spark model, 85,000 bloggers will be able to forge relationships with 11,000 advertisers without relying on ad firms. This will change how people see bloggers and view their opinions. As they move closer to becoming paid writers, bloggers will have to live by the rules of the journalists they emulate, demonstrate objectivity and due diligence. Check: Fansumer, PayPerPost, Passionista, Social ad, XLNTads *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Invergence Definition: Is the mash-up of “interactive” and “convergence” - a term coined by Steve Gehlen of IndePlay, Inc., that sums up what’s happening across the board in today’s media, entertainment and creative industries. The Change: Today, with digitized content and a plethora of multi-directional distribution channels, consumers can interact with media in ways that are changing old concepts of entertainment, advertising and marketing. The results reveal new media culture that makes it harder to distinguish between those who produce and those who were formerly passive consumers. In this context, the key to success for brands is increased consumer engagement and participation. Check: Beta brand, Fansumer, Feelware, One degree marketing, Transmedia storytelling Jaagutri Definition: Is a “Community PC” platform developed by Intel to bridge the urban-rural divide and bring PCs to the masses in rural India. The community PC is installed in Internet ‘kiosks’ operated locally by entrepreneurs. It has been simplified to meet the needs of Indian villages and ‘ruggedized’ to accommodate the climate. The Change: The kiosk will provide most Indians with equal access to the benefits of information technology, access to e-Government services and a foot in the global economy. In the future, computing and access to the Internet will become a right and giving people access to Internet will soon become a form of social justice. Brands that help developing nations access technology will stand to enjoy first mover advantages. Check: Android, Chindia, Kiva, Next Billion, OLPC, Open Handset Alliance, OpenSocial, 4P 2.0 Jaim Definition: Is short in Indonesian for “jaga image” or look cool. The newly popularised word is a unique fusion of Indonesian and English words recombined to create a unique slang. The Change: Many young Indonesians have become much more worried about their image. As Indonesians become wealthier, more exposed and more selfconscious, they are evolving from being driven by price to being driven by pride. This is set to have a major impact in how marketers will position their products in Indonesia in the coming years as even the most basic product will be expected to have some kind of image benefit. Check: ABG, Chuppies, Dong Rong, Youthquake, Yue Guang Zu Kangen Kindle Definition: Is an Indonesian music band comprised of people from some of the lowest social economic class who made it from “village zero” to “urban hero” by selling 300,000 records. Warner Music took them under their wings after the label found their songs compiled together with other famous Indonesian musicians in a pirated music CD sold somewhere in Sumatra. The Change: With the rise of independent music labels and the “Asia loves Asia” (aka Asian pride) movement, Asian youths are starting to listen to much more local music than before. Grassroots listeners who listen to independent music via alternative channels like file sharing and pirated music are helping artists make it big and connect with the masses via myriad niches. Check: ABG, Garage attitude, Jaim, Western-free, Youthquake Definition: Is the wireless service and e-book reader designed by Amazon to enable people to read and download from the Amazon online store “any book that has ever been in print in less than a minute”. The “always on book” can be used to read and to subscribe to newspapers, magazines and blogs. The Change: By digitizing books, Amazon is set to change “how writers write, how publishers publish and how readers read”. Publishing time and price will be cut by at least half. Books won’t go out of print anymore. Connected books will link to critiques, other books or even ads. Book clubs will be able to meet inside particular paragraphs and writers will be able to edit a book for the last time long after it’s been published for the first time. Check: Feelware, Ketai shousetsu, MusicToday, Radiohead Kiva K.O. Definition: Is a micro-credit online platform that lets individuals lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world to lift them out of poverty. By supporting a business on Kiva.org, people help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), people receive email journal updates from the business they sponsored. As loans are repaid, people get their loan money back. The Change: These days, giving is the new taking. Whether it’s giving away money, time, attention, old things, content, or money, more consumers are turning into philanthropists, getting the world’s working poor to become economically independent and part of the ‘Next Billion’. Check: Freecycling, Kiva, Next Billion, OLPC, Open Handset Alliance, OpenSocial, 4P 2.0, QR Code, V-commerce, Widget Definition: Is an expression widely used in everyday slang by youths in Hong Kong meaning ‘completion’ or ‘done’ when referring to a video game. The Change: Video games, no longer just about entertainment, are becoming part of our language and culture. Brands need to reassess the influence of gaming as mass media opportunities to engage people. In the future, games will either start or end advertising campaigns as branded content evolves and branded stories develop from one screen to another. Check: Grey Gamer, Nintendo Wii, W00t, Youxi Guongzuoshi Definition: Is a novel created for access via a mobile phone in Japan. Due to the limited selection of characters on mobiles and the small screen size, legibility is more critical, so the stories are a succession of short simple sentences with basic words, emoticons and spaces. Millions of mobile novels have been published in 2007 reaching hundreds of thousands of readers. The Change: Usually written by first-time writers on their mobile phones and read by people who hardly ever read novels, the mobile publishing phenomenon is establishing a new kind of written culture that critics don’t see yet as literature. Often readers help co-create the novel by emailing suggestions and criticisms to the author on the novel website as the story is unfolding. In the future, cellular storytelling will become a powerful way for brands to reach people by weaving themselves into a story. Check: Kindle, Feelware, Micro-blogging, Twitter Last.fm Lifestreaming Linkbaiting Definition: Is a website that gets people to try music based on what other people with similar tastes listen to. Last.fm creates an instant radio playlist matching the style of your favorite artist based on other users’ recommendations. The online radio experience works like a conversation with friends very knowledgeable in music. The Change: By evolving the radio model from DJ selection to like-minded people sharing their favourite music, people and not music experts are reclaiming the discovery of new music. Check: Facebook, MusicToday, Radiohead, Social ad, StumbleUpon, USB Definition: Is the documentation and public display of someone’s daily activities online. Lifestreaming is about ‘simulcasting’ one’s life as it happens by aggregating a person’s video feeds, blog posts, social network updates and online photographs in one place. The Change: Lifestreaming is the next step for those who are already blogging, ‘Twittering’, ‘Facebooking’, ‘Flickring’, podcasting and ‘YouTubing’ their lives. In the future, all parts of our lives will also be digital, and perhaps even content worthy of a price premium. Check: Facebook, Micro-blogging, Privacy economy, Shoi Ke, Twitter Definition: Is a technique of search marketing to optimize the ranking of a website online. A link bait is any content or feature within a website that catches viewers’ attention and baits them to place relevant links to it from other websites. Part of successful linkbaiting is to devise a mini-PR campaign around the release of a link bait article so that bloggers and social media users can be made aware and help promote the piece in tandem. The Change: Search marketing is fast surging to the top of marketers’ budgets. Online, the world’s talented people compete for attention, so knowing how to write great hooks that catch people’s attention will remain a crucial skill. In the online world, good copywriting matters just as much. Check: Clickprint, Google drift, Widget Localvore Lohas Park Definition: Is someone who grows his own food or eats locally-farmed food in order to reduce the distance travelled by the food and thus its carbon footprint. The Change: In the future, consumers will not only check food labels for calories but also for origin and growing specs. In most categories, provenance will become a major differentiator so Asian brands will have to overcome the ‘made in China’ stigma. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Freecycling, Greenwashing, 4P 2.0, Precycling, Upcycling Definition: Is a newly-developed area in Hong Kong, branded as a holistic orchestration of many residential, commercial and environmental development projects. The Change: In developed markets in Asia, the eco-chic movement represents a major change in people’s aspirations from luxurious living to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Brands in all categories are going to have to respond to this change, raising social awareness and consumer demand. Check: Ecosexual, Honglander, Dong Rong, Premiunization, Zenployment Journey to the West Monkey: Definition: Is the adaptation of a classic Chinese novel that brings together leading artists from the East and West in an opera that blends together Chinese culture, circus, martial arts, pop music and animation. The project is a unique collaboration between the artists behind the award-winning animated band Gorillaz and Chen Shizheng a renowned Chinese opera director. The show was launched at the Manchester International Festival on June 28, 2007. The Change: The envelope-pushing production is a unique example of the amazing innovation that results when the East and West collaborate to co-create an opera for the 21st century. This shows that Asia is not getting more ‘Westernized’ nor the West more ‘Asianized’ but that global culture is increasingly driven by the blending of cultures. Check: Crunk, Invergence, Neocha, Rare Generation, Western-free, Youthquake Mastronaut* Mercenary Consumption Metlog* Definition: Is the first Malaysian Astronaut selected via a competition similar to a reality TV show. He went into orbit in a Russian spaceship and, for the Malaysian layman, came back a celebrity. The Change: Sending people to space is becoming the next frontier for Asian nations to tell the world that Asia is on par technologically and at all levels. In the future, the challenge for brands will be to keep finding new ways to tap the Asian pride without being cliché. Check: Chang’e 1, Western-free Definition: Is the high level of disloyalty that brands are experiencing in China where, spoilt for choice, consumers seem to latch onto a new brand only to discard it for a competitor’s the following day. According to China Market Research Group, however, this impression is due to marketers’ bad targeting and poor consumer understanding rather than Chinese culture itself. The Change: Young consumers with high disposable income have become the main brand recommenders so brands will have to relate to them to be successful in China. To paint an aspirational picture to this group of consumers, brands will need to forego foreign models and craft original campaigns more than just simply adapt global work locally. Check: Chindia, Chuppies, Luxplosion, Pin Ke, Rare Generation, ROA, Trendmatching, Tuangou, Yue Guang Zu Definition: Is a ‘Jolog’ Filipino male who has metrosexual aspirations but very limited budget to realize them. ‘Jologs’ refers pejoratively to people with low income whose aspiration to look good is high, but whose attempt to reproduce a metrosexual image lacks the understanding to do so. The Change: To meet their sophisticated aspirations, ‘metlogs’ save up for the genuine brands or buy convincing fakes. This has led to the development of new affordable scents, clothes, shoes and accessories brands that imitate the more luxurious ones. Expect more ‘no-frills chic’ brands to come up from the Philippines as ‘metlogs’ update their wardrobe. Check: Boy Bling, Chuppies, Luxplosion, NOMU, Xoomers Micro-blogging Minisode MIPIM Definition: Is the act of blogging in bite-size bits via mobile phones instead of typing lengthy posts using a computer keyboard. The Change: As the mobile phone becomes the main way to access the Internet for many people in Asia, expect more micro-blogging on the go. Since Asia accounts for the biggest number of bloggers in proportion to the online population, micro-blogging and mobile novels will become a new way to reach out to the Asian youth. Check: Facebook, Keitai shousetsu, Lifestreaming, Neocha, Twitter, Shoi Ke, Youthquake Definition: Is the five-minute version of actual episodes of old shows like Starsky & Hutch and Charlie’s Angels. Sony’s Internet-based service Minisode Network is the company’s attempt to market television nostalgia and squeeze new value out of old assets by condensing its television library into bite-size formats. The Change: A new form of snackable entertainment is appearing that’s not about captivating anyone with exciting plotlines but providing short bursts of action. This format fit, for the small mobile’s screen, is set to change the way content is produced and edited and will impact branded entertainment. Check: Keitai shousetsu, Micro-blogging, Pecha Kucha Definition: Is the world’s largest real estate fair designed for senior level decision makers to connect with key players in the real estate industry, from investors to end-users and local governments and international corporations. The Change: In 2006, the MIPIM was held for the first time in Hong Kong and 2007 saw the launch of MIPIM Asia focused on real estate in Asia Pacific. Designed to encourage Western investment, the new Asian focus is evidence that real estate is booming in Asia. In the Asian context where countries are building cities from scratch to create regional hubs, real estate fairs are becoming a new venue for countries to brand themselves and for architecture to become a branding tool for cities in Asia. Check: Hongapore, I-Land, Starchitect Mobiquity Definition: Is the new techno-social environment created by the ubiquitous presence of the mobile phone. The Change: The mobile phone has morphed extremely fast in the last decade. From being a luxury product to becoming a connectivity device, it has become a fashion statement and a productivity tool. Tomorrow, the mobile phone will become a ubiquitous device ever more useful for every aspect of our lives, from shopping to learning. By allowing us to pay for things and access information - notably promotional information - anywhere, mobile devices will become the only touchpoint that’s present at the first and last mile. Check: Android, Minisode, OpenSocial, Peerchasing, Shopcasting Molleindustria Mouse Potato Definition: Is a developer who creates socially-minded video games to help raise social awareness on the wrong-doings of multinationals. In one of its most famous games created to mock MacDonald’s, people play to find out what goes on behind the scenes before their hamburger reaches them. The Change: Games are graduating from pure entertainment to an engagement tool that people and businesses can harness to pass a message and engage consumers. By making the storytelling interactive, the convergence of both gaming and communication industries will give infinite opportunities for consumers to create characters, decide plots and engage deeply within a brand video world. Check: Ecosexual, Greenwashing, Invergence, Nintendo Wii, 4P 2.0, ROA, Transmedia storytelling Definition: Is the online version of a couch potato, as in one who sits for an extended period of time in front of the computer screen just like people who channel surf in front of the TV. The Change: The computer is becoming the main access to entertainment for the new generation of ‘digital natives’ who grew up with Internet. For these people, the ability to find entertainment and information online is key, so brands will need to learn to make themselves visible online, not only by producing great content but by learning how to lure people to it. Check: Google drift, Invergence, Linkbaiting, Minisode MusicToday Mystream Definition: Is a full-service company that uses e-commerce to connect artists with consumers and re-channel into the artist’s pockets the revenue streams that traditionally made other people rich: merchandise margins and ticket fees. The Change: Today, for a very little cost an artist can build his own online operation and outsource everything from merchandising to customer service, ticketing and marketing. In this new sell-it-yourself world, artists are taking more control of their careers. As the singer John Legend puts it: “In the nottoo-distant future, this could mean you won’t need a label anymore”. Check: Garage attitude, Last.fm, Radiohead, USB, Zazzle Definition: Is the personalization of media streaming according to people’s choices and preferences. The Change: From mass media to masses of media, people now have an infinite choice of devices, channels and programs to choose from and get the content they want to entertain and inform them. The permanent flow of content filtered by personal preferences is going to keep people’s profiles as diverse as possible and generate myriad of niches in media and content. Check: Facebook, Feelware, Google drift, Ning, Nintendo Wii, TVIP Next Billion Definition: Is a common expression in the technology world that refers to the next billion people who are going to become consumers of technology (mobile, Internet) in the developing world as the price of electronics comes down and as infrastructures are being rolled out. The Change: To boost sales in the developing world, most multinationals are designing products specifically with the needs of the ‘Next Billion’ consumers in mind. As a result, instead of more advanced products, simpler devices are being created and open source software is being used to keep costs low. Check: Android, Kiva, Jaagutri, OLPC, OpenSocial Neocha Ning Definition: Is “New Tea” in Chinese and is China’s first website and social network for artists to show off and share their work. It is a bit like a MySpace for creative people, photographers, fashion designers, sculptors, jewellers, illustrators, etc. The Change: In China, youths love to get together online to discuss topics that range from movie stars to politics. Sensitive issues are addressed creatively in coded ways to avoid attention from censors. To relate to young people and the creative class, brands will need to be a vehicle for self-expression like G.O.D in Hong-Kong. Check: D-Park, Facebook, G.O.D, I-Land, Ning, Youthquake Definition: Is an online platform that enables anyone to create and customize their own social network. This DIY approach to social networking makes it easy for any group to have a dedicated collective space online. The Change: By clustering themselves into social networks i.e. in groups of like-minded individuals, people are creating consumer segments that define themselves best. Marketers will need to learn to see beyond this selfsegmentation and apply critical thinking to find new ways to crack insights based on how people portray themselves in these interest groups. Check: aSmallworld, Brand Swarm, Facebook, Mystream, Neocha, Twitter, Social ad Nintendo Wii (노무族) Definition: Is an easy-to-use video game console that has replaced a traditional joystick with a motion-sensitive remote control which can detect acceleration in three dimensions. People are now able to play games simply by imitating the action of a tennis racket, sword or golf club. Despite many reported ‘wiinjuries’ and broken television sets, the Wii has proved to be one of the biggest console launches in history and the sales leader of 2007. The Change: By designing a ‘feelware’ product that mimics people’s natural ways of doing things, Nintendo has changed the gaming demographic beyond young males and extended it to teenage girls and even senior citizens. This has not only reinvented the gaming category but will change how we see gamers and gaming. As people from all walks of life become gamers, gaming will become a key platform in the future for brands to tap into. Check: Feelware, Grey Gamer, K.O, Molleindustria, Wiinjury, W00t Definition: Is short for “No More Uncle” in Korean. This newly-coined term refers to middle-aged men who refuse to be normal ‘ajushi’ (middle-aged men) and for whom self-improvement is becoming a regular activity and personal hobby. They work out at the gym regularly to stay fit, look younger and spare no expense when it comes to personal grooming like facials. The Change: As men become more image-conscious and spend more time and money on grooming, the pursuit of beauty in Asia is no longer reserved for women. With the redefinition of traditional male and female roles and activities, brands will need to assist the growing number of men who aspire to a metrosexual lifestyle but do not know where to start. In Asia, brands will have a major role to play in helping men redefine with pride what modern masculinity is about. Check: Boy Bling, Dong Rong, Luxplosion, Metlog, Xoomers NOMU Group Offline-Online life* One Laptop Per Child Definition: Is becoming the new classification for everything from social life to marketing activities. The Change: The ATL & BTL classification is now forever buried and everything, even conversations, is either happening ‘online’ or ‘offline’. The challenge for brands is thus going to be how to bridge online and offline worlds for consumers. To do this, marketers will increasingly have to work with people from very different fields with the most diverse skills, from communication to design and telecommunication to software engineering. Check: Approximeeting, Feelware, One degree marketing, USB, Web 3.0, Widget Definition: Is an initiative and non-profit organization that aims to provide children around the world with access to education by providing a laptop each that runs on open source technology. Manufacturing and distribution began in 2007. The Change: Soon, millions of children in developing countries won’t be using Windows or Macintosh operating system but free open source software. With billions of potential users, the developing world is going to be the single most important driver of change of the technology world. Brands that acknowledge that and empower the ‘Next Billion’ consumers will build goodwill and a first mover advantage. Check: Jaagutri, Kiva, Next Billion, OpenSocial, 4P 2.0 OLPC *C oin ed b y B ates 141 Open Handset Alliance Definition: The Open Handset Alliance is a business alliance established in 2007 and led by Google comprising 34 technology companies that aims to give moderately-priced phones with optimized Internet capabilities, features and designs similar to the Apple iPhone. Android, the centrepiece of this alliance, is expected to provide partners with free customizable mobile phone software that will simplify Internet surfing on mobiles. The Change: Today, Internet phones are mostly targeted at business users. Tomorrow, Internet phones will be the main gateway to the web for the ‘Next Billion’ consumers of the developing world. To capture this new market, technology experience will need to be simplified and localized. Check: Android, Feelware, Jaagutri, Next Billion, OpenSocial OpenSocial Organism Definition: Is a non-proprietary set of programming standards launched by Google to make it easy for computer programmers to create online applications that work and can be shared on any social network. The Change: Today with open platforms and interoperability, brands that create the most relevant ‘online utility’ will become most successful in their communication. The Internet should be seen as the opportunity for brands to answer people’s online needs beyond the traditional offline needs. Web marketing should therefore no longer be limited to micro-sites and online shops but expand to creating applications and tools that make online life easier or more exciting to a specific target audience. Check: Android, OLPC, Open Handset Alliance, Offline-Online life, Widget Definition: Is the new definition of what successful companies are – not just organizations but “living creatures” that breathe a unique culture instead of “structure-bound and system-driven entities” according to Chris Jacques from Spark project. The Change: Applying a scientific term to marketing is indicative of the need of companies to be in a constant state of change, be more open, less hierarchical and be providers of experiences – a new form of corporate Darwinism. Marketers in Asia will need to see themselves as ‘Chief Experience Officers’ able to articulate a company’s vision and experience beyond just launching of new products. Check: Beta brand, Chief Experience Officer, Entreprenerd, Feelware, One degree marketing, 4P 2.0, Wikia One degree marketing* Definition: Is the evolution of the 360° communication model where one idea is consistently delivered across many paid media touchpoints to a new model of consumer engagement where an idea calls for its very own, uniquely created contact point (e.g. video game tailor-made to launch a specific product/service). The Change: This new form of marketing points to brands needing to focus more on contextually relevant solutions, co- creating both ideas and the media supporting it for optimum value creation. Check: Chief Experience Officer, Organism, 4P 2.0, Transmedia storytelling, Widget *C oin ed b y B ates 141 4P 2.0 * Definition: Is the new social 4Ps of marketing as defined by People, Planet, Pets and Plants, a new twist on the old 4Ps traditionally defined as Pricing, Placement, Product and Promotion. The Change: Good is the new black. Corporate responsibility, once a do-gooding sideshow, is now becoming mainstream. Business schools are adding courses within their MBAs on the subject. In the future, selling ‘good goods’ that are good for the planet, people, pets or plants will become a condition sine qua non to do business. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Freecycling, Greenwashing, Localvore, Molleindustria, Precycling, Upcycling, Terrapass * C o ine d by Ba t e s 141 Passionista PayPerPost Definition: Is, according to a September 2007 Yahoo! and MediaVest study, a consumer or employee passionate about a product or service, a topic or activity, a brand or company; someone who as a result of his greater involvement gains greater influence over the fate of an idea, product or brand. Depending on the context, the meaning of ‘passionista’ can be close to influencer, early adopter, brand ambassador or content creator. Passionistas can be bloggers, creative people who only use Apple computers or contributors to Wikipedia who work for free because they feel passionate about the subject. The Change: The rise of ‘passionistas’ and ‘fansumers’ whose main capital is not financial but social, shows that with the advent of social networking, the engagement of passionate people is going to become more important to marketers. Vocal people who are not necessarily consumers will soon be considered more critical than loyal but silent consumers. Check: Facebook, Fansumer, Izea, Molleindustria, PayPerPost, Social ad, XLNTads Definition: Is the largest marketplace of sponsored content in the world where bloggers, videographers, podcasters and photographers get paid for creating and publishing advertiser-sponsored content. The system is self-serve: advertisers post opportunities to speak, from simple buzz campaigns to videos product reviews, and creators decide whether or not to accept the offers. The system uses criteria such as Google Page Rank to measure the popularity of bloggers using PayPerPost. Bloggers who attract high Internet traffic can expect to earn a significant amount of money. The Change: This is yet another indication that communities of consumer generated advertising are growing and becoming essential for word-of-mouth marketing and traffic generation while officializing blogging as a profession. Check: Facebook, Izea, Social ad, PayPerPost, XLNTads Pecha Kucha Peerchasing Definition: Is an evening gathering where designers and creative people meet, network and present their ideas in public in 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each. The Change: This presentation format conceptualized in Japan by Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein in 2003 to keep presentations concise has since spread to 80 countries around the world. Interestingly, the 20x20 format is now being adopted in the business world, with some company internal presentations being run in a strict 6 minutes 40 seconds, with all discussion held at the end of the presentation. In the future, the Pecha Kucha style of presentation could help marketers check the viability of an idea or message by forcing them to present it, brief it and ultimately market it simply. Check: Keitai shousetsu, Minisode, T20 Definition: Is, according to Motorola’s glossary, what happens when a group of friends use 3G video calling to see the product a caller is about to buy, and then officiates as a remote jury on social and style matters to advise the buyer on his intended purchase before the transaction is made. The Change: Coupled with sponsored recommendations from friends, purchases in store could be greatly influenced by someone not physically in the retail environment. In the future, last-mile marketing might just as well include ‘last friend marketing’ or ‘last comment marketing’. Check: Brand Swarm, Facebook, Pin Ke, Shopcasting, Social ad, Tuangou Definition: Is the Chinese translation of “coming together of people”. It refers to a growing number of strangers who meet up to accomplish more or save more money and effort than if they were to go about it alone. Some people co-rent apartments, meet up to share meals, car-pool, travel and even shop. The Change: Spree groups have started to emerge in China where people pool their orders and purchase goods at wholesale prices. Shopping is changing from an individual activity to a collective one, also referred to as ‘collective consumption’. If marketers are to capitalize on this new way of life, they have to propose strategies and tactics that allow for people to congregate easily and engage with brands and consume products at a group level. Check: Brand Swarm, Facebook, Peerchasing, Shopcasting, Social ad, Tuangou Precycling Definition: Is the new practice of reducing waste by avoiding packaging. It includes favoring consumables with recyclable packaging, buying consumables in bulk to reduce packaging, using electronic media to read newspapers and using reusable items such as cloth bags instead of plastic bags. The Change: Recycling is a process that requires large amounts of energy and is thus not in itself a sustainable answer to the problem of waste. As Asia booms and moves from super saver to super spender, brands will have to be able to communicate the benefits of precycling over recycling. Expect more initiatives like designer Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag” and retailer Ikea who now charges a premium for what has been a commodity till today: plastic bags. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Freecycling, Greenwashing, Localvore, 4P 2.0, Upcycling Premiumnization Privacy economy* Definition: Is the transformation of once-deemed commodities (water, tea, beer) into premium goods commanding a significant price premium. The Change: With the growth of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) and the rise of the middle class globally, we are seeing more demand for quick status fixes derived from premium products and experiences. Expect 2008 to be the year in which any industry, product and sector can launch a premium version. Some prominent examples of premiumnization include Evian’s limited release: the Palace bottle, available only in high-end bars and restaurants, retailing for $15-20 per bottle, and Carlsberg’s ‘900’ beer which costs the price of a glass of champagne. Check: Dong Rong, Lohas Park, Luxplosion Definition: Is the trading of someone’s privacy in exchange for money, discounts or a free product/service. The Change: While privacy was on everyone’s watchlist a few years ago, the stigma seems to have evolved with more and more data becoming part of the public forum, and even a new form of monetization. Facebook, the poster-child for online social networking has recently unveiled an ad plan—to broadcast its members’ consumption behaviour – which might come to rival traditional media-born advertising in terms of influence and develop the equivalent of a ‘personal CPM’ rate card. Check: Facebook, Lifestreaming, Micro-blogging, Shoi Ke, Social ad, Twitter, Wikia Definition: Is Chinese for “women with youthful looks but a mature outlook to life”. ‘Qing’ refers to youthful looks, ‘Shu’ refers to maturity ‘Nu’ is for woman. This newly-minted expression refers to sophisticated women in their late 20s to early 30s who belong to the ‘Ben Ben Generation’. They are typically welleducated, single and highly independent. They have an indulgent lifestyle and have no reservations about spending their money on fashion, beauty, and travel. The Change: The rise of independent Chinese women is a marked contrast to the traditional Chinese woman who was expected to marry early and busy herself with domestic affairs. Female professionals are the fastest-growing segment of Asian elite and the new emerging wealth owners in Asia. In every category, from car accessories to low fat pizza, to health insurance covering specific female conditions, marketers in Asia are going to have to come up with products designed specifically with these women in mind. Check: Ban Tang Fu Qi, Ben Ben Zu, Dong Rong, Luxplosion QR Code Definition: Is a graphic code (trademarked by Denso Wave, Inc) that contains more data than traditional bar codes and can be read by mobile phones equipped with a digital camera. The Change: Today, in rural India, cell phones that read QR Code are modernizing micro-financing by streamlining the processes of borrowing and paying back micro-credits. By systematizing and formalizing micro-credit transactions, mobile technology is institutionalizing micro-financing and putting micro-financing institutions on the same level as larger banks in rural India. Tomorrow, thousands of micro-entrepreneurs will be able to give brands access to millions of rural consumers. Check: Kiva, Next Billion, OLPC, 4P 2.0, Widget Rare Generation Definition: Is a growing segment of China’s youth today that places an emphasis on creativity and individualism. According to Suzanne McGee, this generation of Chinese Youth is called ‘Rare’ because they are very different from any other generation China has ever seen. In their experience, each successive year has brought more prosperity and more options at all levels, so unlike their elders they are not crazy about statusoriented brands. The Change: Exposed to an ever-widening array of consumer choices, the Rare Generation is creating a new pop culture that is all about fusion. They mix and match East and West with ease and combine hip-hop with Beijing opera. Urban-culture brands that do not try to be all things to all people have been very successful with this segment. In the future companies that want to target these youths will have to think as creatively as this creative audience. Check: Ben Ben Zu, G.O.D, Monkey: Journey to the West, Neocha, W00t, Vogue India, Youthquake Radiohead Renaissance marketer Definition: Is the first rock band in the world to have implemented the ‘pay as you want’ music model by posting their latest album online in 2007 and offering downloads at the price people were willing to pay. By disrupting the music business model, Radiohead has pocketed $10 million in profits in a week and generated a huge amount of free publicity. In tandem with the download, Radiohead has released a premium disc box version of their album for $40. The Change: This furthers the unbundling of music from record labels, and a new music renaissance where artists are more in control of their craft, having the ability to market themselves directly to fans via online platforms. Radiohead has also shown the viability of a new business model where ‘pay as you go’ can coexist with premium offerings. Check: Garage attitude, Last.fm, MusicToday, Premiumnization, Renaissance marketer, USB, Zazzle Definition: Is an emerging new breed of marketing professionals — individuals with a holistic view of the world and acute observational powers. These ‘Renaissance marketers’ will be part humanist, part psychologist, part anthropologist and part technologist. The Change: Cookie-cutter marketing will no longer survive as marketers must take a broader view of people and the world. This includes the need to be environmentally-conscious and socially responsible. ‘Renaissance marketers’ need to be up-to-date on key social, economic, financial and cultural issues. Check: Chief Experience Officer, Ecosexual, One degree marketing, 4P 2.0, Zenployment Definition: Is a Chinese TV anchor who posted a blog on how Starbucks’s opening in the Forbidden City “trampled on Chinese culture”. Following his post, an online campaign to remove the coffee outlet drew more than 500,000 signatures. The Change: When Starbucks opened in the Forbidden City in 2000, this symbol of American culture was seen as a sign of progress and a way to raise money to maintain the historical monument. Seven years later, two major things have changed: Chinese people are revolting against global consumerism to protect Chinese culture and bloggers have gained tremendous influence. Watch for more ‘Western-free’ environments and anti-US/global backlash. Check: Rare Generation, Renaissance marketer, Vogue India, Western-free Return on Attention Definition: Is the return in monetary or entertainment value that people expect when they trade their attention with brands that want to engage them in a commercial conversation. In the ‘Attention Economy’, where consumers get increasingly exposed to more choice and commercial messages than they can handle, people decide where their attention is spent. The Change: With the advent of social networks where more people are going to be able to broadcast recommendations, consumers’ attention is becoming more valuable. ROA is going to become a new marketing metric that marks the advent of ‘fansumers’ and the change from brand advertising to people endorsing a brand and sharing that commitment online. Check: Chief Experience Officer, Fansumer, Mercenary consumption, PayPerPost, Privacy economy, Social ad, XLTNads ROA Shopcasting Definition: Is a new form of social shopping where people broadcast their shopping taste and purchase preferences on the Internet. With shopcast lists, people recommend to other shoppers what they think is great and worth spending on. The Change: Ten years ago, Amazon added people’s recommendations to e-commerce. Today, shopcasting adds e-commerce to recommendations. Shopcasting is thus evolving the concept of e-commerce from goods to people and from online store to a network of recommenders. In the future, with an ever wider array of choice, people will shop first for opinions and recommendations before shopping for a product so marketers will need to focus their efforts on targeting the right ‘shopcasters’. Check: Brand Swarm, Facebook, Fansumer, Lifestreaming, PayPerPost, Peerchasing, Shoi Ke, Social ad, Trendmatching Definition: Is the literal translation in Chinese of “leftover women”. ‘Sheng Nu’ an emerging segment of highly-educated and successful women in their thirties are also known as the ‘3S’ girls for ‘Single Seventies Stuck’. They have prioritized career over family so their romantic life is non-existent. They have extremely high expectations when it comes to a life partner, making it even more difficult for themselves to find someone compatible. The Change: With high spending power, ‘Sheng Nu’ are likely to look for fulfillment in pursuits other than love and success, and seek experiences that money can’t buy. Thus, ‘Sheng Nu’ are an ideal target for two opposite ends of the spectrum: luxury and charity. Check: Ban Tang Fu Qi, Dong Rong, Gold Miss, NOMU, Xoomers Definition: Is the literal Chinese expression that translates to “people who expose themselves to dry in the sun”. It refers to a person or ‘blogger’ whose new behaviour is to put every aspect of his life in great detail in the public space – most often on the Internet through a blog. The intention is not to seek attention, fame or money but for others to share one’s life through discussion, and learn more about oneself. The Change: In the past, it was frowned upon to expose oneself publicly in China but ‘Shoi Ke’ have no reservations, literally taking their private lives out to air in public and sharing even their most vulnerable moments. By exposing themselves to public comment and inviting feedback, they are defining their identity–similar to companies that engage consumers to cocreate their brands. Check: Facebook, Lifestreaming, Micro-blogging, Privacy economy, Social ad, Twitter Social ad Social search Starchitect Definition: Is a new form of online advertising placed on the profile page of users on a social network. It searches in people’s profiles for opportunities to match keywords with commercial messages or for ways to broadcast someone’s online purchase as a recommendation to his or her friends. The Change: Advertisers are excited about the opportunity to insert themselves into conversations on social networks. But some brands will have an easier time engaging users than others. Expect brands with the least entertaining factor to rely more heavily on branded entertainment in the future. Check: Brand Swarm, Facebook, Fansumer, Passionista, PayPerPost, Renaissance marketer, Shopcasting Definition: Is when human judgment informs a search engine about the nature, relevance and timeliness of some web content. The Change: The Internet is growing too quickly for humans to keep up with it so search engines won’t be replaced by human powered search. However, because whatever one is searching for has usually already been found, human enabled search will prosper for very specific information-gathering requests. Along with recommendations and ‘word-of-mouse’, social search will soon become a key element of the communication mix. Check: Social ad, StumbleUpon, Vertical search engine, Wikia Definition: Is a celebrity architect whose highly visible work produces landmarks that help developers sell ambitious projects to municipalities willing to bring attention, prestige, traffic and growth to parts of a city. The Change: As Asian cities compete for talents and the most lucrative industries, developers and municipalities are discovering the value of architecture to differentiate themselves. Expect the most avant-garde projects to come from Asia, the new playground for architects in the world. Check: D-Park, Hongapore, I-Land, MIPIM StumbleUpon Supculture* Definition: Is an online application that helps people discover great websites on 500 topics by jumping from one user recommendation to another. The search results are potentially more relevant than those from generic search engines because the content has been pre-discovered and rated by people with similar interests. The Change: Since the Internet reached critical mass 10 years ago, search engines have been the main way to look for content online. Increasingly, human recommendations are driving the new way to catalogue the vast amount of information. New ways of online searching keep on emerging, mostly driven by people instead of technology. Check: Clickprint, Google drift, Mystream, Mouse Potato, Shopcasting, Social search, Vertical search engine, Wikia Definition: Is the term given to a person, group, event, product or brand mostly known by high-net worth individuals and able to attract an elite following. The Change: In the Internet age where information is available online to everyone, the value of secrecy is being turbo-charged. As the rarity of luxury becomes more easily available to the masses, brands that want to offer some form of exclusivity need not be available ‘over the counter’ but secretly ‘under the counter’. Check: aSmallWorld, Luxplosion, Ning, Xoomers *Coined by Bat es 141 TerraPass T20 Definition: Is a brokerage firm that trades emission allowances for gases that cause climate change on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). The company enables individuals and companies to offset the carbon emissions they are responsible for, by buying allowances to emit carbon. The Change: People are becoming more aware of the consequences of global warming and are increasingly holding themselves and businesses accountable for the impact their consumption has on the environment. In the future, brands will look for opportunities to give consumers control over their carbon-emitting activities by linking carbon offsetting mechanisms to specific products and services. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Freecycling, Greenwashing, Precycling, Upcycling, Zenployment Definition: Is the new-age cricket format inspired by ‘street cricket’ that has taken the Asian sub-continent by storm. It is a concise version of the game which previously could take up a full day to play. T20 has turned cricket into a shorter, faster, high-excitement game and has renewed everyone’s interest in the sport once again. The Change: T20 is giving companies shorter commercial time to speak to spectators, so marketers need to understand the mindset of the medium and audience during games. Messages are kept short when relating to T20 e.g. 5 second TVCs instead 30 seconds ones. Communication should be quick, attention-grabbing and not continuous banging of emotional content. Check: Minisode, Pecha Kucha Trendmatching* Twitter Definition: Is the action of matching the trends that people respond to favourably by increasing the number of products and services that follow these trends. The Change: In the fashion world, speed is now everything. Companies like Zara are now able to shorten the cycle, from an entire season to just 20 days by creating on demand different variations of the products that sell best. Consumers, rather than fashion designers and editors are becoming the biggest influencers of fashion so the whole world is now participating in a global fashion co-creation exercise. In Asia, given the cultural variety from country to country, local context and sub-cultures are becoming increasingly important for marketers to grasp. Check: Beta brand, Brand Swarm, Fansumer, Mercenary consumption, Passionista, Shopcasting, Social ad Definition: Is a mobile social network that broadcasts real-time updates of your life to your friends via mass SMS. Using messages of up to 140 characters long, users send micro-minute updates of their thoughts and activities to the Twitter website which then broadcasts them to selected friends who have signed up to receive them. The Change: Because of the limited number of characters, most Twitter messages are like short blog posts communicating very personal ideas to an audience in a one-way communication. Designed especially for the mobile phone, Twitter is more about keeping in touch with your ‘friemily’ than actually spending time with them. Check: Facebook, Friemily, Lifestreaming, Microblogging, Ning, Privacy economy *Coined by Bat es 141 Transmedia storytelling Definition: Is the new way of telling stories from one screen to another, from TV screen to iPod, outdoor LCD display to computer, etc… The Change: The 360 model that often ends up as a repetitive interruption of a consistent message through different media is becoming obsolete. Convergence of technology and the multiplication of video display options are creating new opportunities for crafting stories and engaging consumers. To draw people in to a brand, weaving unique parts of a story using different media is becoming more compelling than stretching a unique message across all touchpoints. Expect to see more marketers use this transmedia approach to propose branded entertainment in a media with possibilities for people to input and interact with one another. Check: Invergence, Mystream, One degree marketing, Renaissance marketer, TVIP Definition: Is Chinese for team buying or consumer power. The practice originated in online chat-rooms but has quickly inspired several specialist websites, such as 51tuangou.com. The goal is to drive unprecedented bargains by combining the reach of the Internet with the power of the mob. It is spreading through China like wildfire. The Change: The empowered consumer is not only more marketing and digitally savvy, but also more networked. Armed with mobile phones, people everywhere are harnessing the power of crowdsourcing, smart mobs, and swarm theory to drive a good bargain. As reported in the news, in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, 500 shoppers gathered outside a Gome electrical superstore in the downtown district. They arrived en masse at the designated time and date that they had previously agreed online. Several hours later, they emerged clutching boxes, having secured 10-30% discounts on cameras, DVD players and flat-screen televisions. “It was great,” says Fairy Zhang. “We just bought an apartment and this way we can afford nice things for it”. The previous weekend, over 100 locals visited Meizhu Central, a well-known furniture outlet, to haggle over the price of kitchen cabinets and dining-room furniture. Check: Brand Swarm, Mercenary consumption, Peerchasing, Pin Ke TVIP* Definition: Is TV over IP. Today, television websites like Veoh and Joost enable people not only to watch what they want, but also gives them access to more channels than those on cable and with a high quality resolution. The Change: Gone are the days of grainy YouTube videos. The computer is becoming an excellent viewing device, as good as television. People are now at the centre of the entertainment universe, able to personalize everything, even television programming. In the future, branded entertainment is likely to give people options in terms of viewing, character-casting and story-ending. Simultaneously, convergence of technology and the multiplication of video display options will create new opportunities for marketers to craft stories and engage consumers using ‘transmedia storytelling’. Check: One degree marketing, Ning, Mystream, Transmedia storytelling *C oined b y B ates 141 Upcycling Definition: Is the process of moving recycled materials up the consumer-goods chain by using them to create a new product with a higher quality or value. It’s about using the properties that already exist in existing materials to build a chain where goods are only recycled once they are no longer usable. The Change: In the future, as people become more aware of environmental damages and resource scarcity, provenance will become the most important characteristic of a product. Brands that are able to upcycle products to produce their own will gain tremendous goodwill. Check: Carbon offset, Ecosexual, Localvore, Freecycling, Greenwashing, Precycling, Wind rush USB Definition: Is the new CD for the MP3 generation. In 2007, the band “The White Stripes” sold and promoted its latest album on limited edition thumb drives that looked like cartoon renditions of themselves. The Change: In less than a decade, MP3 has become the main music format. As music gets more digital and intangible, the need for tactile experiences and unique premiums is being revived. Unique design and experiential marketing is paving the way for the future of record labels: selling ideas more than selling music. Check: Last.fm, MusicToday, Premiumnization, Radiohead, Widget Vertical search engine V-commerce Definition: Is an Internet search engine that specializes on a specific topic or an industry, and addresses the particular information needs of niche audiences and professions. While broad-based search engines are synonymous with exhaustive return of information, vertical search engines are all about finding less content that is more relevant. The Change: Vertical search engines aggregate a much more targeted audience and thus offer the opportunity of targeted advertising. Such niche advertising will drive more marketers to vertical search engines since people who use them are potentially closer to making a purchase decision than the average user on Google or Yahoo. Soon vertical search engines will eat into the audience of broad-based search engines the same way cable television and specialized channels have done to network audiences. Check: Ning, Social search, StumbleUpon, Wikia Definition: Is the use of voice authentication, speech recognition and text-to-speech to activate electronic products and services using voice. The Change: According to a recent Accenture study in 25 countries, the next three years will see a five-fold increase in the adoption of automated voice commerce technologies in consumer-conscious sectors, such as financial services, telecom and government. Beyond automating and speeding up typical voice transactions, V-commerce could become a new way for retail brands, banks and telecom carriers to engage consumers at the last mile. As a region where a multitude of languages is spoken, Asia represents a fantastic laboratory to develop V-commerce applications friendly to tourists, foreign workers and expatriates. Check: Clickprint, Chief Experience Officer, Feelware, Kiva, Renaissance marketer, Web 3.0 Vogue India Definition: Is the Indian edition of Vogue magazine launched in September 2007. Distributed in over 5,000 outlets throughout 40 towns in India, the magazine represents for its editor, Priya Tanna, “the symbol of India’s arrival on the global fashion scene”. The Change: Vogue India epitomizes a change in Asia where, according to Priya Tanna, “the West is no longer the arbiter of fashion and there is now evidence towards a new belief that Asia is set to become the next cradle of style and creativity”. Check: Chindia, D-park, Monkey: Journey to the West, Rare generation Web 3.0 Western-free* Definition: Is an expression coined by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, referring to the future possibilities of ‘Semantic Web’ where web content and web searches can be expressed in a natural language that is understood by both humans and computers. The Change: Today, search engines can return millions of documents but they do not understand context and have little ability to select the limited pages that a user really needs or wants. In the near future, the ‘Semantic Web’ will give a reasonable and complete response to a simple question and become a valuable tool to offer packages personalized as meticulously as if they had been assembled by a human. In marketing, the ‘Semantic Web’ will help marketers and communication planners sift through mountains of data to pinpoint trends. Check: Offline-online life, Social ad, Social search, V-commerce, Vertical search engine, Wikia Definition: Is the absence of Western symbols, brands and commercial messages in places where local culture require consumerism to take a step back. The Change: As developing nations graduate from emerging countries to emerging powers, multinationals will have to be increasingly aware of not only cultural sensitivities but nationalistic reactions. Commercialization and heritage conservation are going to go hand-in-hand so brands will need to learn when to limit their profits to gain goodwill. Check: Chang’e 1, Kangen, Renaissance marketer, Rui Chenggang *C oined b y B ates 141 Widget Wikia Definition: Is a small web tool that performs simple tasks for people while acting as a promotional shortcut to a website. Widgets can sit as standalone applications on one’s desktop or become a button embedded in one’s web browser. Online marketers use them to channel internet traffic to their websites or extend their brand experience. The Change: Widget marketing is changing how brands communicate by shifting the focus from crafting relevant messages to creating useful multimedia applications relevant to people’s online needs. Check: Offline-Online life, QR Code, USB, Web 3.0 Definition: Is the social search engine launched by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales in 2008 that integrates human input with computer algorithms. Wikia’s search engine concept is that of trusted user feedback from a community of users acting together in an open, transparent, public way. The new venture backed by Amazon.com is publishing the code supporting its search tool to push other industry players to be more open. The Change: Wikia aims to change the way people search the Internet, whichever engine they use by getting human feedback on a global scale to make sense of the randomness of the Internet. By involving people in a giant co-creation exercise, being open and committed to people’s privacy – unlike Google and Facebook - Wikia is set to influence the way brands will be created from the start. In the future, brands will become a project that you join more than a product that you consume. Check: Adhocracy, Beta brand, Entreprenerd, Facebook, Garage attitude, Social search, StumbleUpon, Vertical Search Engine, Whatever, Anything Definition: Is a soft drink created in Singapore in 2007 with six flavors and a generic can design made to tease drinkers so that people do not know which flavor they pay for until they taste it. The drink was designed for people who ask for ‘anything’ or ‘whatever’ when their friends offer them a drink. The Change: In a world of ever-increasing options, the concept of blind drink illustrates how it can be more important for brands to offer surprise over choice. Society is moving towards a surprise economy where business is a theatre and where brands will increasingly have to learn to stage experiences to stay relevant. Check: Chief Experience Officer, Garage attitude, I-land, Organism Wiinjury W00t Definition: Is an injury caused when playing with the Wii, Nintendo’s new game console that enables people to simulate virtual fights and play virtual sports by imitating the action of a tennis racket, sword or golf club. Players around the world have been left bruised after losing their grip on the new console controllers. Nintendo has offered to replace any of the 3.2m wrist straps in circulation with more durable equivalents. The Change: Interestingly, while the phenomenon immediately impacted popular culture, no real bad publicity has happened. Instead, people have reacted with humor to the situation and posted videos mocking their wiinjuries on YouTube. This is also creating a new ‘Wii culture.’ Check: Grey Gamer, Nintendo Wii, K.O., W00t Definition: Is the Korean expression for the generation of people who make little money in spite of their high education, enthusiasm and long endurance at work. The 880,000 won stands for the estimated average monthly salary a 20-something non-permanent worker makes. The Change: These days, becoming civil servants who can work until their late 50s or even 60s without threat of being sacked seems to be the most popular occupation among students in Korea. According to the government, only half of university graduates managed to get permanent jobs in 2007. Check: ABG, Dong Rong, Gold Miss, Youthquake, Zenployment Definition: Is an interjection to express joy similar to ‘Yeah!’ which has received top honors in the Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2007. Although the double “o” in the word is usually represented by double zeroes, the exclamation is also known to be an acronym for “we owned the other team”, stemming from the gaming community. The Change: ‘W00t’ first became popular in competitive online gaming forums as part of what is known as l33t (“leet,” or “elite”) speak—an esoteric computer hacker language in which numbers and symbols are put together to look like letters. Expect more gaming words making their way into common parlance. Check: Grey Gamer, K.O., Molleindustria, Nintendo Wii Wind rush Definition: Is the high amount of investment that energy firms and countries are pouring into wind power ventures to reap the benefits of providing sustainable and profitable alternatives to fossil fuel. The Change: Global-warming concern has turned wind into gold and Scotland, the windiest country in Europe, is now described as “the Saudi Arabia of the renewable industry”. China, which gets two-thirds of its power from coal, is trying to cut pollution and ‘Chindia’ will be the biggest market for locally-produced renewable energy in the next decade. Check: Carbon offset, Chindia, Ecosexual, Greenwashing, Localvore, Terrapass Xoomer Definition: Is, according to GQ, the “Gen X man who loves luxury, grooming and looks for cheap ways to show off”. The Xoomer is a brand-aware savvy shopper and, just like his female counterpart, heavily inclined towards spending on ‘boy bling’ and luxury products. The Change: As Gen X boys are growing up into men and spending on a more polished identity, they are becoming a more sought-after consumer segment. Expect more cosmetics and jewellery products to be now targeted at Xoomers in Asia. Check: Boy Bling, Chuppies, Luxplosion, Metlog, NOMU XLNTads Definition: Is a web platform that connects brands with video creators. Brands call for ads by providing brief, brand guidelines and logos. Amateurs submit ads reviewed by XLNTads; those that pass are posted online. The Change: XLNTads aims to empower a new community of videographers to channel their creativity into commercials. In the future, consumer ads won’t replace commercials, but brands will increasingly leverage the power of co-creation. Agencies will remain key but their role will evolve from film director to crowd conductor making sense of the randomness coming up from the suggestions of six billion minds. Check: Adhocracy, Fansumer, Passionista, PayPerPost, Social ad Definition: Is Chinese for ‘Moonlight generation’ which refers to an emerging segment of Chinese youths who spend every single penny they earn every month and even borrow to spend, notably on luxury goods. The Change: A major shift in attitude towards money is happening in China. Being incredibly optimistic about the future has led the younger generation to increase its consumption to higher levels. As a result, Chinese are changing from super savers to super spenders. Check: Chuppies, Luxplosion, Metlog, Youthquake Definition: Is Chinese for ‘gaming workshops’ known as ‘virtual gold mines’ where Chinese video gamers spend hours earning virtual goods and money that they trade to Western gamers for real money. In China, there is an estimated 100,000 ‘virtual gold miners’ paid less than $1 USD per hour who produce the bulk of what has become a $1.8 billion worldwide trade in virtual items. The Change: Gaming is changing from hobby to business. The distinction between work and play is blurring and fortunes can be made playing video games. Tomorrow, virtual jobs will lead to successful careers and gaming will become a mass-media platform for brands to engage people. Check: Grey Gamer, K.O, Wiinjury, W00t Youthquake Definition: Is the massive number of young people in Asia who are changing traditional attitudes, role models and consumption patterns. While Asia is getting older in general, by 2015, there will be 500 million young Chinese alone, the equivalent to the entire projected population of the European Union. The Change: The growth in youth population is pushing youth culture to evolve even more rapidly in Asia than in North America, leading a creative renaissance and a new pop culture that’s a mix of Eastern and Western influence. Young Asians are wealthier, more image-conscious, more demanding and more brand-savvy than their parents. Check: ABG, Ben Ben Zu, Chindia, Crunk, Eatertainment, Neocha, Rare Generation, Won 880,000 Generation, Yue Guang Zu Zenployment Definition: Is the quest of 40 something workers who are looking for fulfillment in the form of a more compassionate career and are willing to sacrifice their current jobs to achieve it. Charity worker, counsellor and yoga teacher feature high on the list of ‘zenployment’ career choices. The Change: With the raising of social awareness, conventional measures of success are being redefined as more people seek jobs that are fulfilling spiritually. Sociologists have said this is the mark of an evolving society that is increasingly less selfish. The ethical and spiritual dimensions are more of a priority, and people want to believe that their careers contribute towards a better future - not just for themselves, but for society as a whole. Check: Ecosexual, Lohas Park, 4P 2.0, Rare Generation, Renaissance marketer, Won 880,000 Generation Zazzle Zuckerberg, Mark Definition: Is an online on-demand retail platform for consumers and major brands, offering billions of retail quality, one-of-a-kind products shipped within 24 hours. In 2007, MySpace made a deal with Zazzle to allow its members to promote themselves the way big brands do. The Change: Taking the on-demand concept to retail, Zazzle is redefining the shopping experience on consumers’ terms – instant, customizable, limited editions, shipped to your doorstep. Check: Last.fm, MusicToday, Premiumnization, Renaissance marketer, USB Definition: Is the Harvard College student who founded the online social networking website Facebook, and now serves as its CEO. When Mark Zuckerberg showed up in Palo Alto three years ago, he had no car, no house, and no job. Today, he is touted as one of America’s richest men under 25, with a networth estimated at $1.5 billion. The Change: Zuckerberg’s greatest contribution goes beyond Facebook’s success. He’s not only shown that young entrepreneurs can impact the business world beyond the stereotypes of fashion and music, his company suggests a new model for how connection, communication, and commerce can work online — a radical and ambitious rethinking of the Internet’s potential. Check: Beta brand, Entreprenerd, Facebook The Change A-Z 2009 starts here Feel free to use these few pages to write down your own ‘CHANGEWORDS’ CONTRIBUTE YOUR CHANGEWORDS! Write to: Guillaume Pagnoux, Regional Intelligence Manager Mail to: guillaume.pagnoux@batesasia.com Bates 141 Group