June 2009

Issue Twenty-nine

ANTENNAE
Contents

TREND REPORT
P.03 Introduction
P.04-05 Catching up with
the kids
P.06-07 Txt generation

JUNE 2009
P.08-09 For a new
generation
P.10-12 Keep on feeling
young
P.13-17 Connecting and
informing people

Aging population
ANTENNAE May 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
TREND REPORT
JUNE 2009

29
The Antennae Trends team at NewEdge +
The Brewery carries out research in new
design trends, ideas and creative thinking
- from global product innovation through to
changing consumer lifestyles.

The population in the West is rapidly aging,

and this is changing our cultures and habits,
and in turn affects the products that we need
and desire at different points in our lives. This
issue explores some of the products and
trends that are visible today.

If you’d like to know more about The

Antennae team and our trends research
consultancy or if you would like to comment
on anything you have read in this issue,
please email us at:

antennae@newedge-thebrewery.com

Page 2

Aging marketplace
In Western countries the population is rapidly aging
Innovative products, and particularly technology,
are generally considered to be the preserve of the
young, but it’s at the other end of life’s spectrum that
designers face some of their biggest challenges and
greatest opportunities.
Older consumers now make up a huge swathe of
our population. The UK now has more people aged
over 60 than under 16, and by the 2030s more than a
quarter of the population will be over 60.
By 2030, people in their 60s will be the relative majority,
with greater spending power and leisure time than the
elderly have ever had. In the UK the over-50s already
control 80% of wealth.
However, tomorrow’s pensioners will not be like that
of today – they will be tech savvy and with people
living longer they will have a much more youthful
outlook. The elders of tomorrow wish to stay young
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
both physically and emotionally, and that will reflect
both in the products that they will buy and how and
where they will buy them.
The segments that the aging ‘baby boomers’ fit into
today will continue into the future. Design should
address these varying tastes, desires, and needs
rather than create solutions that look like disability
aids.
Designing for those who are less able-bodied often
engenders products and services that are better for
everyone – the core of inclusive design. But it may
be that the elder market may not wish to have the
products that the young want, but they have different
needs and desires. The same technology could be
executed in very different ways if designed with the
varying age segments in mind. Those that meet these
needs will profit from what is a rapidly growing market.
Page 3

Catching up with the kids
Social networking sites finally come of age as baby boomers embrace them
Social networking has long been associated with the
younger generation by the mainstream media, though
this could soon change. Facebook, currently the most
popular social networking in the world, has recently
released figures showing that over 50% of its users
in the US are over 35 and that the fastest growing
demographic is women aged 55 or more.
Is this is a growing trend amongst social networking
sites, and how does this effect how they are marketed
and run? Could this explosion of older users change
how younger consumers view particular sites?
The ‘graying’ of certain social networking sites was
to be expected. For example, Facebook is already
saturated with the younger consumer set, so the only
area with growing room was the older demographic.
Although much slower at grasping social networking
than the younger generation, Baby Boomers (those
born between 1946-1964) are now fully embracing
popular consumer technology applications at around
20 times faster than younger consumers. Due to this,
social networking sites are now being flooded with
larger marketing budgets, as brands try to reach out
to the lucrative dual income, no kids, demographic.
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
However, this could lead to massive turn off for Above
The Internet is now filled
younger consumers, who will no longer associate with a plethora of social
that networking site as cool or appealing. Although networking sites
sites like Facebook have huge consumer bases, it is
not unlikely that its core users, the 18-24 year olds,
would gravitate quickly onto another site, particularly if
the new site made it easy to transfer contacts, photos
and so on. This could also lead to a more segmented
market, where specific social networking sites are
tailored to particular age groups.
This is already emerging as a likely scenario, with both
Bebo and MySpace capturing the teen market well
with specific unique selling points, such as music
and media downloads. On the other end of the age
scale, Linkedin has captured the 25-34 market, with a
considerable hold on the 35-44 market too.
By promoting itself as a vital business tool, Linkedin
has made social networking a valuable asset to its
users. It has also found considerable traction among
consumers in the current economic climate, as they
use Linkedin as a job searching or recruitment tool.
With the increase in marketing revenues due to an
increasingly older consumer base, could sites like
Facebook diversify and ‘split’ into more specialised,
Page 4
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

age centric sister sites? In the last few years, social

networking has seen a huge increase in specialised
and niche sites, such as Last.fm and Flixster. It is not
inconceivable that sites such as Facebook will break
out into other small, more specialised sites, each one
containing more targeted marketing campaigns to
that particular demographic.

Perhaps just as surprising as the increase in baby

boomer consumers, is the stagnation of adoption by
the technologically savvy generation. For example,
last year participation in virtual worlds by this
consumer group fell 4%, and they consumed no
more video online as they did last year.

Could we be seeing the result of gross over-saturation

of technology for a particular consumer group? Will
the next few years see a gradual decline, by the 18-
24 age group, in the participation of online social
networking?

Although this shift won’t happen in the next couple

of years, there are substantial opportunities for
innovative social networking sites to capture the
consumer bleed from some of the main networks,
such as Facebook and MySpace.

A new, cool take on social networking, with innovative

new features and design, and the ability to seamlessly
synch with mobile devices, could find considerable
traction with the 18-24 age group who will be
desperate to find their own sites, away from Mum and
Dad. Conversely, the older generation are starting to
see sites that are focused solely on their age range.
For example, the Australian social site About My Age
is aimed at those who are over 50.

Social networking is already a matured market, yet

it still offers opportunities for innovative and market
focused concepts that aim to capture certain
demographics. It is unlikely that there will be one
social networking site that will satisfy the needs of all
ages, and so we should expect the next evolution of
these sites to focus on retaining a particular consumer
group of an already large and diverse audience.
Top
The number of over 50’s on
social networking sites is
getting closer to the number
of under 25’s

Middle
If a site becomes too ‘grey’,
younger members could
migrate

Bottom
About My Age is an Australian
site for over 50’s only

Page 5

The txt generation
When is it too young for our children to have a mobile phone?
Children have always wanted to imitate their parents,
though with the rise of technology and its increasing
integration into our adult lives, children are seeking to
have a part of that lifestyle too.
And some parents are only too willing to satisfy
those needs. The trend for mobile phones that are
specifically designed for children has been gaining
momentum for a couple of years now. But could we
soon be seeing an evolution of this trend?
Children are already a powerful consumer market, as
any parent who has spent huge amounts of money
on ‘must have’ trainers would testify. It was only a
matter of time before consumer electronics started to
target children as a viable market for their products.
Already in Britain more than a million children under
the age of 10 have a mobile phone.
The Apple iPhone also has apps designed specifically
for use by children, and although this could be for
parents to install on their phones for their children, it is
known that the iPhone is popular among the ‘tween’
demographic due to its multimedia capabilities. The
USA has had child centric phones for a little while now,
but the recent launch in Britain of the Firefly phone has
brought the issue to the mainstream media.
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
The Firefly phone is a small handset, designed Above
The Firefly phone is
for children aged as young as four. It implements developed especially with
extensive parental controls and includes just five children in mind
buttons. The phone can only hold 20 contact
numbers and parents can set the phone up to reject
any incoming calls if they so wish.
Although the phone doesn’t contain any dialling
functions other than the predetermined contact
numbers that have been selected by the parents, child
and parent charities have been quick to condemn the
products. Many see them as a way for parents to feel
they can relax their responsibilities to their children, or
have an excuse as to not be around their children.
However, many manufacturers have marketed
their products as ‘safety phones’ and not as mobile
phones. The Teddyfone includes two SOS buttons
which, when pressed, automatically text’s 3 numbers
in an emergency. The manufacturers of Teddyfone
use various statistics to back up why such a product
should exist, noting that “78% of children admitted
that they felt safer with a mobile phone”.
The manufacturers of Teddyfone have also drawn
attention to the fact that whilst a lot of the negative
aspects of mobile phone usage, such as bullying
Page 6
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

over text, fraud scams or even phone theft, are viable

reasons for a child not to have a phone, if the product
doesn’t contain the features that attract unwanted
attention it can be useful and safe.

Although this is true, it is hard to imagine that many

children who are at an age to understand aesthetic
values, would want a phone shaped as a bear.
Some could argue that this would even be counter-
productive, with the child being bullied for having
such an unusual and featureless phone.

Could this also apply to other consumer electronics?

If, for example, laptops were to be heavily restricted in
their features as to make them unattractive to would-
be thieves or impenetrable to unwanted attention,
would parents buy their toddlers one?

Children are fast becoming adept at using the

Internet and utilising computers for all sorts of
school and personal work. Introducing them sooner
to technology would almost be a natural course of
action. This has already been used by big technology
brands to find traction amongst families.

For example, Microsoft has released an advertising

campaign using children under the tagline ‘I’m PC’.
The adverts show how children using the Microsoft
package to create movies, and other multimedia.
Whilst trying to demonstrate that the Microsoft OS is
easy enough to be used by children, it also shows
that the needs of the family as a whole, including
the young children, should be factored into such a
purchasing decision.

Expect to see an increase in products and technology

for children that are seen as just the preserve of
adults. With children having such strong, indirect,
purchasing power, brands will be looking at them to
buy cost effective, ‘dumb’ products that are similar to
their standard adult product range.

Top
Children are being introduced
to mobile technology earlier in
their lives than ever before

Bottom
Teddyphone

Page 7

For a new generation
Pepsi’s new identity is keeping them young
One of the biggest rebrands of the decade was
revealed earlier this year – the revamp of Pepsi’s design
and identities, initiated in light of the decrease in sales
between 2% and 5% in various beverage categories.
The carbonated industry was last hot in the 1990s,
but has been in gradual decline in the 2000s, with
the rise in bottled water and juice drinks, and as the
economic slowdown continues to pressure the North
American liquid refreshment beverage category.
The new logo is Pepsi’s 11th in its 110-year history.
Five logos have been introduced in the past 21 years,
with the last update in 2002.
Pepsi repeatedly rebrand themselves with youth-
orientated strategies, and it has given them continued
success over their long-history. Since the rapid
rebrands have occurred since the 1960s, when Coca-
Cola outsold Pepsi five to one, they have managed to
close the gap to two to one.
In 1963 Pepsi launched the advertising campaign
‘You’re in the Pepsi Generation’, and later ‘For those
who think young’, aimed at enticing young Baby
Boomers. In 1984 Pepsi launched the campaign
‘The Choice of a New Generation’, and in 1997 they
introduced ‘GenerationNext’.
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
This year Pepsi launched ‘More Happy’, and although Above
Pepsi’s 2009
not generational in word it has a youth-orientated feel product family
with package designs, advertising and websites that
are fun and playful.
Designed for the new generation who are immersed
in digital media, the new branding adapts to all
formats. The three-dimensional globe adapts, and
is not a static two-dimensional logo that would have
been limited in the past to printed media.
The new global look launched with new package
designs across cans and bottles, and across all
marketing and communication mediums. The
designers have helped build the relationship between
Pepsi and its youth audience.
As it was in the 60s, Pepsi’s new design is in sync
with the times. The new branding is airy, minimal, and
quiet. Coca-Cola’s recent redesign is also simpler,
cleaner, and stronger than its previous incarnation.
Coke’s and Pepsi’s new designs make it clear that
we’re in a new era of ultra-clean brand design. These
products stand out on cluttered shelves by virtue of
their white space. However, Coca-Cola’s design is
classical harking back to their heritage, whilst Pepsi’s
is looking forward to a new generation of drinkers.
Page 8
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

The white band in the middle of the logo will

now loosely form a series of smiles. A ‘smile’ will
characterise brand Pepsi, while a ‘grin’ is used for
Diet Pepsi and a ‘laugh’ is used for Pepsi Max.

Frank Cooper, Pepsi’s VP Portfolio Brands, stated

“We felt like, as we move out of this traditional mass
marketing and mass distribution era into today’s
culture, there’s an opportunity to bring humanity
back, both in terms of the design but also in the way
we engage consumers, by making the logo more
dynamic and more alive.”

The new variable nature of the marque is a new

and innovative way to use a brand’s core element,
and has been developed in the hope that the brand
will remain relevant into the future. However, many
corporate rebrands have failed in the past, and could
Pepsi lose their core customers by trying to gain new
ones?

After its package redesign, sales of the Tropicana Pure

Premium line plummeted 20% in the first two months
after launch. The design was confusing and generic.
In addition to the fall in sales Tropicana received a
large number of complaints, and they brought back
the old motif of an orange with a straw sticking out
of it. The motif resonated with Tropicana’s customers.

It is important that brands stay relevant in the future

by innovating, and changing with the times. But Above
brands must consider their current customers, whilst Pepsi’s changing identity from
1898 - 2009
trying to gain market share with new customers.
It is also important to not be over-revolutionary in Below
The old and new identities of
embracing new medium as to forget the core. Have both Coca-Cola and Pepsi
Pepsi developed an identity that works best digitally
rather than in-store?

Page 9
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

Age is only skin deep...

The mens grooming market is maturing - and so are its consumers and their needs
Men’s skin care has been a booming market for the
last decade, with increases in sales year on year,
and with increasing numbers of product launches
every year. However, recently a sector in this market
has been making startling gains in sales, with major
cosmetic brands ploughing considerable funds into
new product development – that area being anti-
aging cosmetics for men. Without a stigma attached
to men who pursue youth as being less masculine,
how big can this market get? And how far are men
willing to go to look younger?

At the start of the decade, anti-aging products

for men were few and far between, and usually
consisted of premium, niche products that were
found in boutique or premium stores. By 2007 anti-
aging for men consisted of 20% of all US male skin
care sales. Now big cosmetic brands like Neutogena,
L’Oreal, Clarins, Bulgari and Aveda have a strong
presence in the market. Anti-aging is also seen as a
big opportunity for premium products and brands, as
the typical consumer has a considerable disposable
income and discerning purchasing habits.

The cosmetic products that leverage their scientific

and clinical credentials find more traction among
a consumer group that uses statistics and facts
to judge if they can ‘trust’ a product, and make an
informed purchasing decision. Brands are also luring
men with strong, powerful messages, evident in their
marketing language.

Despite having very similar active ingredients as their

female counterparts, male anti-aging products are
marketed at preventing the signs of age, ‘fighting’
and ‘defending’ against the physical signs of aging –
all very powerful, forceful messages compared to the
language used in women’s cosmetics.

One of the largest barriers to men’s anti-aging

products becoming more popular was the
accessibility of such products. Until recently, men
had to buy such products from women’s counters
in department stores, which was seen as a massive
consumer turn off, and deterred many from making
the purchase. With the introduction of men centric
cosmetic counters in many department stores, sales
were stimulated considerably and new product lines
released. But what else has drawn men into using
anti-aging products, and why this sudden explosion
Top
in interest? L’Oreal for men has an
extensive range of anti-aging
products
One reason is that many of the first generation of
‘metrosexuals’ that were originally targeted by the Bottom
A fifth of all Botox injections
cosmetics industry have now reached an age where in the UK are for men

Page 10

they feel they require products that prevent them
looking older. And with this consumer group having
such strong purchasing power, cosmetic brands were
keen to satisfy their needs. Although many cosmetic
brands were slow to react to the maturity of the male
grooming market, once they did it was easy for men
to buy anti-aging products, and at a variety of price
points.
Many brands, such as L’Oreal, have just extended
their male product lines to now include anti-aging
products. L’Oreal has increased its moisturising line
to include products that ‘de-crease’ wrinkles, and
a lot of products that ‘revitalise’ and ‘re-energise’.
Rather than mentioning age, L’Oreal uses the subtle
messages of tiredness and ‘waking-up’ to connect
with consumers.
And how much further will men go to look younger?
As far as women it would seem. Male only spas
are on the increase, with treatments and products
specifically engineered for the male body. Being able
to pamper oneself for a day is no longer seen as just
the preserve of women.
Although plastic surgery still has a predominantly
female consumer base, men are increasing their
market share year on year, without any signs of
slowing up, despite the recent economic climate.
Botox has been particularly popular, with usage
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
tripling with men in the US between 2001 and 2007, to Bottom
Anti-aging products for men
over 300,000 consumers. A fifth of all Botox patients are now common place in
in the UK are men. With men feeling that a more drug stores
inscrutable, expressionless face enhances authority in
the boardroom, demand for Botox has risen steadily.
Most men who use Botox use it to remove vertical
lines between their eyebrows and to smooth out
horizontal creases on their forehead. A vast majority
of men that use the technique also supplement the
treatment with anti-aging products, feeling that a day-
to-day treatment is as important as having an injection
in the face every four months.
Will cosmetic brands go as far as to release
supplementary products to be used in conjunction
with Botox? Although unlikely, it is highly probable
that men’s anti aging products will become more and
more potent, seeking to satisfy the needs of a very
demanding consumer market.
The obvious purchasing power of the mature male
grooming market presents rich rewards for those
brands that want to develop innovative products,
which communicate well with the consumer. Without
an in depth understanding of the market and of the
consumer, the brand message won’t be able to find
traction among the male grooming market, no matter
how innovative the product is.
Page 11

Packaging for all
The development of inclusive and universal packaging designs
The age boom isn’t on the horizon anymore. The
eldest of the baby boomer generation are already in
their 60s, and the size of the elder population is rapidly
accelerating.
The biggest problems facing packaging designers
are ease-of-use and label legibility. Aging consumers
gravitate towards easy-to-use packs - senior sensitive
designs allow these consumers to continue their life as
before, seeking products that make them feel young,
whilst avoiding products that make them feel old.
Within the last year we have seen many packaging
introductions that are attractive to the elderly
population, and have helped to boost sales.
Many retailers and FMCG brands have shifted
their packaging away from difficult to open blister
packs – albeit from a sustainable perspective, but
the consumer advantages are clear. Amazon’s
‘Frustration-Free Packaging’ initiative focuses
on diminishing ‘wrap-rage’ – the frustration that
consumers have when trying to open ‘impenetrable’
packs.
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
It’s clear that Amazon and its Frustration-Free Above
Opening blister packs can
Packaging partners are not only reducing headaches often be a frustration
for customers, but also reducing the amount of waste
that goes to landfill. The manufacturers are producing
products that have been designed to ship in their
original containers, directly to the customer.
Clamshell packs may deter thieves in-store, but with
the growing purchases online there is no need for
such a security measure. In addition to improving the
shopping experience (the second moment of truth),
the initiative is aiming to benefit the environment.
Streamlined packaging equates to fewer non-
recyclable materials used, smaller boxes, less space
taken up in a delivery truck and less fuel consumed.
That means shorter waiting time between ordering
and receiving items.
Many other packaging initiatives will need to be
introduced to ensure that their products and brands
are easy to use for all.
Page 12

Connected patient
The consumer diagnostic revolution is coming
In Europe and the USA we are about to experience
a consumer diagnostic revolution. With advances
in technology coupled with increased consumer
demand for information, we could be on the verge
of an explosive new market in consumer-based
diagnostic products. It is predicted that home health
monitoring and telemedicine will grow to a $7.7 billion
market by 2012 from a $3 billion market today.
This growth will be influenced by the large increase in
population within the elderly category who are part of
the ‘internet generation’ – those that understand and
desire greater connectivity and information, and wish
to actively play a role in their health care. The growth
could reduce pressure on the healthcare system.
Wireless medical devices that connect patients
to doctors and online applications offer improved
compliance, better outcomes, and reduced long-term
treatment costs.
At the moment the worldwide consumer diagnostics
sector is predominantly focused on glucose and
pregnancy testing. However, with the prevalence
of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high
cholesterol and obesity there is a major commercial
opportunity and patient benefit for in-home testing
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
and monitoring. By making positive changes to Above
Cambridge Consultants are
their lifestyles, as the result of early identification and developing new technologies
subsequent monitoring, patients can eliminate or within diagnostics
better manage these conditions. cambridgeconsultants.com
Last month Cambridge Consultants previewed its
‘connected patient’ concept to life with a low-cost
wireless platform that lets medical devices deliver
readings to a central monitor located at home, or
to an online health record such as Google Health or
Microsoft Health Vault. The Vena respirator is a demo
unit that connects via smartphone or computer to
help keep track of when it’s being used, and can
provide reminders for patients who need to scheduled
doses. The system could also help facilitate the
early detection of problems and lead to proactive
intervention.
The information can be sent to relevant doctors and
anonymously to health care specialists to mine the
data and find trends. Both patient and health care
specialists can access the secure information to
monitor progress and connect with one another.
Other ‘enabled’ devices are in the pipe-line that will
connect patients and doctors similarly. Connecting the
patient and their therapy with the broader healthcare
Page 13
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

community makes possible a number of other new

and valuable applications that would support the
patient, and ensure proper monitoring and treatment.
Parents, children of elderly, or carers can monitor
compliance and be alerted if a therapy is not being
followed correctly. Patients can link into consumer
healthcare communities, and share information or get
encouragement from others.

In April this year Intel and GE announced an alliance

to develop technology to help care for the elderly and
chronically ill in their homes. The Intel Health Guide
will help patients track their health and provide data
about their condition to their health care provider.
A prototype named ‘Arlington’ is being tested
that offers reminders to take medication, a social-
networking program to connect to people in a similar
predicament, and games to help keep the mind
active.

For commercial success, diagnostic firms will have to

understand consumer needs, by collaborating with
consumer companies and designers.

It is important that these devices not only diagnose,

but they offer actionable advice and support. The
results of any diagnostic should be presented in a way
that will allow easy interpretation and an appropriate
action suggested.

There are already a number of consumer products

on the market in the health and wellbeing category
that assist consumers to live healthily. MiLife and
Nike + Apple are prominent examples of where
simple diagnostics and information can help improve
lifestyles, by giving personal feedback and advise.

Successful collaborations between key players from

the pharmaceutical, diagnostics and consumer
sectors will create a powerful and convincing offering
for consumers. New products need to be simple,
reliable and produce an actionable result. These
innovations will assist the aging population to live
better and for longer, whilst reducing costs on a
health care system that has not readily provisioned
for a more dependent population.

Top
Vena inhaler
www.cambridgeconsultants.com

Middle
Nike Sportband
nikeplus.nike.com

Bottom
Intel Health Guide
www.intel.com/healthcare

Page 14

Bio-panic
When it comes to childbirth, 40 is the new 30
Back in the 1960s, women had their first child at an
average age of 23. Since then, it’s been getting later
and later – today, the average woman gives birth to
her first baby at 29, and many are much older.
A generation ago, 30 would have been the age when
women began to be concerned that they hadn’t had a
baby yet. Now it is common for women to experience
‘bio-panic’ 10 years later than that.
For the first time, more babies are born to women
in their thirties than women in their twenties – more
than one in seven women in Britain now conceives
when they are over 35. In the UK in the past ten
years, the number of women over 40 having babies
has doubled, and now accounts for more than 2%
of births.
The theory behind this trend is a combination of
relationships not lasting as long as they did, and the
economic state meaning that couples are leaving it
until they are more financially stable.
As a culture, our perspective on when it is best to
give birth has changed over a generation, but in many
cases women are not realising the risk they are taking
leaving pregnancy until later. Unfortunately, society
June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine
has changed, but biology has not. The best age to Top right
eleMENt - fertility test for men
have a baby is before the age of 35. It takes twice as
long on average for a woman over 35 to get pregnant. www.priadiagnostics.com
Menopause still occurs at around 51, with fertility Bottom right
stopping on average 10 years before. Clearblue easy
www.clearblueeasy.com
The result is that would-be-mothers in their late
thirties and forties face a hugely increased chance of
infertility, leaving thousands of women desperately
trying to conceive and not being able to.
This has led to a large increase in fertility treatments
and testing, with fertility clinics a growth industry. As
fertility-testing becomes more accurate there will be
high-growth in home diagnostic testing in the next
five-year period.
Products already on the market include the First
Response Fertility, which tests FSH level to assess
ovarian reserve (egg quantity and quality); the
Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor that tracks hormones
to identify up to 6 fertile days per month; and Plan
Ahead that gives women a predictive assessment of
how many eggs remain in their ovaries which helps to
decide whether to have a baby now or whether she
can wait.
Page 15
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

Although, attempting conception later can lead to

problems, 40% of the time the problem lies with
the man, and with men notoriously un-inclined to
visit their practitioner there is now a home testing kit
for determining male fertility, which gives results in
minutes. The Element is expected to be as appealing
to women as it is to men, as many women may end
up buying it for their partners.

When older couples do conceive, and eventually

become parents they have saved up more money,
which has resulted in the market filling with designer
products for mums to purchase.

Despite the downturn in the economy, spending

on children appears to be unaffected – Mothercare
recently reported a ten-fold increase on a year ago.

The pram is increasingly a premium purchase, with a

recent study finding 12% of women saying that they
regard them as status symbols. The pram is what
they are seen out with, and as such it has become
an accessory. A decade ago it was rare for prams
or strollers to retail for over a thousand dollars, but
now sales in that range are a daily occurrence. Many
parents have more than one, for different roles.

The trend extends beyond prams with a fifth of the

respondents to the survey stating that parents want
their children to wear clothes that matched their own.

With better fertility treatments, and better diagnostics

to assist parents in understanding the right time for
them to conceive the trend for premium products for
parents is only likely to continue.

Images
Taga bicycle / pram

www.taga.nl

Page 16
 June 2009
Issue Twenty-nine

Our aging society

In summary the average age of the population
in the West will continue to increase and as it
does, will begin to affect society as a whole.

The elderly of tomorrow will not be like the

elderly of today - they are from the ‘internet
age’, and desire products and brands that
meet their needs and desires as well as they
have done in the past. A large percentage of
the population, and as such spending power,
are in the elder category and as a result it is
important that companies and brands stay in
touch.

If you’d like to know more about The

Antennae team and our trends research
consultancy or if you would like to see how
we can help you with any of the trends
emerging from this issue, please email us at:

antennae@newedge-thebrewery.com

Page 17
 antennae@newedge-thebrewery.com

London
ANTENNAE Richmond Brewery Stores

TREND REPORT 18 Petersham Road Richmond

London TW10 6UW UK
JUNE 2009 T +44 (0)20 8439 8400

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