Back to the future

Can you really call yourself a ‘trendspotter’ when you’re spotting trends that have already emerged?

Let me tell you, that’s exactly how I felt after receiving an email that JWT had just issued their 2007 Trend Forecast.

As you can imagine I was keen to see what lay over the horizon for 2007.

Hmmm!?

Have a look at JWT’s top three trends for 2007: Skype/VOIP, Wii and next generation gaming and the business of social networking.

Now I hate to be critical of the agency network that made me the creative thinker I am today, but talk about missing the boat.

My Dad’s been using VOIP for at least 18 months and he’s 70 next year! He’s also managed to get most of his relatives into it as well, which is a great example of social networking if you ask me.

So how on earth can VOIP be a trend for 2007? You really can’t get more mainstream than my old man.

The next generation gaming thing is interesting, especially after the point that my son made in my previous post. Me thinks the whole notion of next generation gaming has been completely rewritten by the success of the Wii.

If, as young Max says, the 360 is just an X-Box with better graphics, surely neither it nor the Playstation 3 can be considered next generation gaming?

As for the business of social networking, surely the dotcom era amounts of money paid for MySpace and YouTube confirm that social networking has long since passed the status of trend?

Like I said earlier, I hate to criticise JWT. It’s great to see some of the innovative thinking Aussie boy Craig Davis has brought to the network. But this trends thing looks like it should have been written a year ago, not this week.