By Laurie Tema-Lyn of Practical Imagination Enterprises,
Reva Dolobowsky of Dolobowsky Qualitative Services & Marcia
Mogelonsky of Mintel International Group © 2001, Dolobowsky,
Tema-Lyn & Mogelonsky
What insights for your
own industry can you discover from these trends?
1. Choose one of the
trends that intrigues you. Or, pick one at random!
2. Grab a pad, draw
a circle in the middle, and jot down a word or two inside the
circle to note the trend (Hispanics, Teens, Kids, etc.)
3. Temporarily set
aside thoughts of your industry and products, or any particular
business challenge you are faced with. Focus on this trend, letting
your mind spin out as many connections and associations as possible.
Don't self-censor!
4. Draw lines shooting
out from the circle, like wheel spokes, and note your thoughts,
connections, associations, (however strange they might seem at
first) on these "spokes".
5.
If you can spare a bit more time, get out of your office for a
few minutes, to gain even more physical and mental distance from
your work. Take your pad along, and capture more thoughts and
images from whatever catches your attention.
6.
Now, dive into the wealth of raw material on your pad. Chances
are you will find a host of intriguing starting points and new
ideas that will be useful to your business.
