2010 is the year of the truth. Pressured by recession and the guilt feeling of environmental sustainability it is now time for the big ‘clean up’. Consumers are more value oriented and start to demand long term sustainable value in brands and products.

Changed behaviors include researching brands & products (& services) completely before buying.

What we see is that where brands used to be looking for customers using advertising, the customer is now looking for brands using social media & other online communities (such as youtellme.nl). Before we buy our camera online, we now browse forums and other ‘transparant’ consumer feedback sites to find out the truth behind brand & product. The internet provides us with unparalleled amounts of true brand and product focused customer feedback.

Nowadays, customers are empowered and demand brands that create transparant and meaningful experiences.

On twitter people are complaining about broken iPhones & warranty issues and how they are being screwed over by telephone providers. These new ‘consumer product experts’ will be be able to make or break a product/brand. The rest of us simply follow the referrals of these new ‘social media shopping queens’. Transparancy and honesty have become entry tickets.

Product Design is becoming the new brand strategy tool

We predict a continuing shift from advertising to transparent products as the main medium for transfering brand image. Developing products that deliver true and meaningful experiences will become a main brand strategy tool. A good example is Coca-Cola in Australasia, referring back to the old coke heritage with it’s ‘new’ plain old-style glass coke bottle.