The Future 100: 2018

Our annual forecast of 100 trends to watch in the coming year.

The Innovation Group presents The Future 100: Trends and Change to Watch in 2018, our snapshot of the year ahead and the most compelling trends to keep on the radar.

Today, trends scale rapidly through technological change and digital networks. New models of commerce are causing disruption, while technology like augmented reality and 5G are transforming the internet. In food, drink and beauty, nascent trends explode in a nanosecond, thanks to social media. And marketers are navigating a sophisticated landscape where they are assessed on the nuances of their visual language and representation.

The Future 100 charts 10 emerging trends across 10 sectors, spanning marketing, culture, travel and more. Highlights include:

Culture: Intersectionality. “Intersectionality” is resurging in popular discourse—both in media outlets trying to reach the highly diverse generation Z, and among diversity chiefs developing employment practices.

Tech & Innovation: Manufacturing 2.0. From Adidas’s new Speedfactory to Puma, brands are reshaping the factory with advanced rapid-manufacture techniques, creating bespoke products on demand.

Travel & Hospitality: Immersive hospitality. Spooked by stagnant audience figures, film companies are creating immersive hotels in their films’ worlds, like Disney’s Star Wars hotel, launching in 2019.

Brands & Marketing: Branded audio. First came branded content, then videos. Next, branded audio offers intimate opportunities for brands to connect with audiences in the era of voice.

Food & Drink: Algorithmic food design. Having revolutionized art and sculpture, algorithms are making inroads in food design, creating unique and Instagram-optimized shapes.

Beauty: New wave men’s grooming. Men’s skincare was one of the year’s most-searched beauty trends. New retailers and design objects reflect a sophisticated clientele moving beyond stereotypes.

Retail: Hyper-personalized products. The trend towards diagnostic, highly-personalized services is spreading from health to retail, as consumers become comfortable with exchanging personal data for solutions.

Health: Trippy wellbeing. The latest trend among high performers seeking shortcuts to optimized wellbeing is psychedelic drugs, which are enjoying a popularity not seen since the 1960s.

Luxury: Remote on demand. Services like Blink by Black Tomato offer pop-up travel in remote locations that take personalization to the extreme, as wealthy travelers eschew cookie-cutter experiences.

Lifestyle: Gen Z yellow? New zeitgeist hues for 2018. Like its namesake, Gen Z Yellow is optimistic and gender-neutral. 2018’s new shades will make a colorful impact on our everyday landscape.