We are high on trends! – part 3

We are high on trends is a series of articles in which we present megatrends and describe microtrends, as both have an equally large impact on the activities of brands. We write about changes, values, and directions, offering lots of inspiring case studies from Poland and all over the world!

Read part one of We are high on trends! – part 1/3

Read part two of We are high on trends!– part 2/3

Megatrend #3 

#Autopracticism – the complexity of everyday life, multitasking, the merging of the online and offline worlds, technology playing a bigger and bigger role in our lives, ideologization of reality: all of this makes us lost in the world of today. We look for practical and pragmatic solutions that are simple, natural, and legible. Autopracticism is a counter-trend for ideolomarketing, which forces the consumer to make ideological choices, change his or her behaviors, and look at his or her immediate surroundings in a different way. Autopracticism is based on a completely opposite assumption. Its goal is to simplify reality in various aspects. Let’s have a look at three examples of trends that show what autopracticism is: 

  • Lifehacking: in short, this means facilitating and simplifying your life. It’s a way to be more productive and efficient in what you do. Complex and multi-dimensional reality forces us to look for tricks and methods to optimize the world around us. This phenomenon has also been noticed by brands. The response is a boom for webinars, podcasts, e-books, and infographics that help us organize reality in a pragmatic way. They usually have the form of tutorials and their purpose is to make life easier and more pleasant. Often, this is not defined as pure marketing, but as content marketing. Brands are attempting, in a native way, to build a relationship with the consumer, positioning themselves as an everyday advisor, assistant, or ally.

For an example, have a look at the Castorama YouTube channel where you will find a number of videos created together with the “5 Ways To” team, which are intended to help you design your place in a smart way. Another example is Bosch’s cooking platform, the Taste Academy, which offers thousands of recipes and tips on how to cook and design your kitchen or apartment. In the finance category, ING’s series of webinars, Let’s Talk About Money, is worth mentioning. 

  • Plain language: making language less convoluted. The idea is to design content in such a way that it is understandable and decodable for the reader. No jargon, no technical language, no metaphors. Plain language was mainly popularized by UX writers who are more and more often involved in the process of creating texts.

The marketing industry has realized that the language it uses every day is often incomprehensible for the consumer. This has been noticed especially by finance and banking departments and the beauty sector. Communication based on expressions such as “alternative risk transfer methods in insurance” (banking), “mild hybrid system” (automotive), or “innovative phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid” (beauty) tells very little to anyone.

According to a poll commissioned by PZU,[1] one in five Poles admits that he or she has made a poor decision or missed an important deadline due to incomprehensible correspondence from the providers of financial services, TV, Internet, telephony, or utilities. As a result, brands have noticed the need to simplify communication and carry out activities in plain language. An example of good practices in this respect is ING’s campaign using the “Simple-O-Mat.” It’s an innovative tool that automatically translates, much like Google Translate, from incomprehensible bankish to plain and understandable language. Another example is the Plain Language Campaign carried out by PZU. 

An analysis of those trends should lead to a reflection on the condition of the brand for which you work as an advertiser or a marketing specialist. This reflection should boil down to the question “Is my brand trendy?”

Szymon Krzysiak
Szymon Krzysiak