 GET
THE SKINNY ON TRENDS
By
Jenny Fujita and Joy K. Miura, Fujita & Miura Public Relations
Pacific
Business News recently reported that "Hawaii's ubiquitous L&L Drive-Inn
chain has rolled out a low-carb meal it calls the Hawaiian Atkins Plate…a
high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate meal with no rice and no macaroni salad."
However appetizing (or not) that sounds to you, the move to tap into a trend was
a smart one PR-wise. The trick is to know what's trendy and how to apply the "fashion
to your passion." In
general, the following are good places to find out what's hot and what's not:
www.msn.com, In Style magazine, TV, cartoons like Doonesbury or Dilbert, the New
York Times bestseller list, the water cooler at work, E! Online, the stock market,
the World Future Society at www.wfs.org, political speeches - there are tons of
sources.
If you want to know the next big thing for your particular target
public, a little research may be in order. Check out publications, organizations
and products aimed at your audience. For example, if your target is children,
you can bet Nickelodeon will be marketing all things cool and tasty to our keiki.
If it's seniors your after, AARP will be one aficionado on elderly issues. There
are also a wide variety of trend-spotting specialists like www.trendwatching.com
and www.springwise.com. Both sites offer free e-letters and ideas for all kinds
of industries, situations and cultures. Whatever
resource you use, if you keep your finger on the pulse of what's popular and adjust
your products, services and messages appropriately to fit the times, you will
be able to continuously spark the interest of and please your publics. And remember,
once you make your move, tell the world. |
