Mintel very kindly came in to see us recently to reveal their predictions for the year ahead and they are, for want of a better word, frightening.
Britain has had a number of successes in recent years and we’ve been experiencing what can be referred to as a period of “brand Britannia fever”. This has been driven by Olympic medals, Royal weddings and undoubtedly the birth of the royal baby, George.
However, according to Mintel, this is not here to stay. It suggested: “In 2014 it will be time for British consumers to look outwards at other countries. Next year’s sporting events, immigration legislation and pending referendums will put other countries’ products on the menu.”
It suggested this year would see a surge of internationalism, with the World Cup taking place in Brazil, Russia hosting the Winter Olympics, Scotland ramping up the independence debate and the lifting of migration and employment restrictions in Romania and Bulgaria to name but a few. It’s a good job then that 50 per cent of UK consumers believe “being British is now as much about embracing different cultures as it is about sticking to British traditions”.
With all this going on it’s hard to know where our focus will be. Which brings us nicely to Mintel’s next prediction – the introduction of Club Tropicalia. Apparently, the World Cup will make us fall in love with all things Brazilian, including – perhaps most importantly – the countries products. It’s expected that 600,000 tourist imports will leave Brazil, with Wines of Brazil aiming to double 2012 exports by 2016. So what does this mean for us? More Churrasco restaurants, imports of tropical fruits, sun protection products using natural Brazilian ingredients and – most crucially in my eyes – more sunless tanner! The avid travellers among you will also be glad to know that Havianas are here to stay. Great news, with 51 per cent of UK shoe shoppers agreeing that well-known branded footwear is worth paying for.
Now on to the scary stuff, as Mintel’s third insight for 2014 was what they named ‘Private Function’. Starting with perhaps the most obvious, Mintel took a look at Google Glass, predicting a term of abuse before the product even makes its next steps toward launch. According to the Cloud Security Alliance trust is lacking, with “56 per cent of non-US respondents now hesitant to work with any US-based cloud providers”. Apparently sales of products such as body temperature bracelets, the Move Yoga Suit by Electricfoxy, smart workout apparel by Athos, cooling scarves, diaper alerts and wearable solar panels are set to rocket.
In the US, Google has patented ‘pay-per-gaze’ eye-tracking technology, allowing it to potentially measure the media people look at, the length of time they view, their reaction and their emotional response via pupil dilation, creating new opportunities for measuring ad effectiveness. Australia has seen the introduction of shark tagging, allowing sharks to announce their presence on Twitter as they approach the shore. It really is no surprise that in Russia, the Federal Guard Service orders 20 Triumph Adler Typewriters to avoid the digital spread of secrets.
In late 2013 new labelling legislation – the Food Information Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 – will extend beyond the current situation, where drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre will require additional labelling. Mintel suggests this will place severe pressure on energy drinks brands and in the run up to this legislation will see them facing a new wave of competition from natural and vegetable drinks launches.
However, the legislation meant big things for a host of new launches in late 2013 and early 2014. Mintel suggested Artizen Wellness Within and Vegesentials would do well, while Argentina went a step further, with the introduction of a Coca-Cola low-calorie carbonated drink, which is naturally sweetened with Truvia. It could also be a great time for Vimto and Yazoo to step up in the health drink sphere.
That’s all from Mintel for now, but prepare yourselves as 2014 certainly is set to be a period of innovation with gluten-free dating services being just the start.
