Disruption and Opportunity

Facebook recently released their 2019 trends report based on a study of consumer messaging and behavior on the platform, over the past 24 months, of consumers who are over the age of 18 and primarily used the Facebook products “Topics to Watch” and “Hot Topics” to drive the research. If the entire 33-page report could be boiled down to two words, those words would be:

Consumers are looking for brands that reflect their values, hold their opinions, and in general seek to make the world a better place. Things like zero-packaging solutions, organic or sustainable product lines (the search for “metal straws” is up 205%), natural ingredients, and carbon dioxide removal are just some of the trending topics heading into the new year. Higher rates in the searches seems to align with the trendlines for outdoor adventures like paddle boarding, wakeboarding, and hiking, as well as searches in the realm of ‘mindfulness.’

Perhaps the most surprising trend is that after years of touting the power of the influencer and hot on the heels of the Netflix documentary “The American Meme,” the consumer is showing a preference towards micro-influencers or even nano-influencers – these are users that have much smaller audiences than a Kardashian but the audience they have is highly engaged, so they are able to convert for brands at a much higher level for a much lower cost.

2019 is bound to be an exciting year full of disruption and opportunity, brands who are willing and able to navigate the chaos and understand the trendlines will be perfectly positioned to connect with consumers in the coming year. You can read the entire report below and help get your brand ready for the next 12 months.