From Fads to Trends: The Evolution of Popular Culture
I was lucky enough to meet Grant McCracken at a Planningness conference a number of years ago and have seen him speak at various industry events here and there. He’s always had smart, interesting ideas on culture and how it changes. He’s currently consulting and writing for the investment community at Tailwind Radar, applying anthropology and ethnography to consumer thinking and behavior.
He recently posted an article called “There are Several Kinds of Trends”. It’s a smart take and poignant read for the times we’re living through. He breaks trends into seven (yes seven) steps in a hierarchy: Murmurs, Fads, Fashions, Trends, Currents, Weather Systems, and Culture. I’ve read it a few times and it has me thinking about the nature of trends and change in society.
Too often I hear clients talk about trends as monolithic things that are unchanging or they’re always reacting to what’s hot but not anticipating. This often leaves clients a step behind, trying to figure out how to address consumer behaviors that are fleeting while ignoring larger, slower moving changes.
The one thing I’m confident of is that for better or worse, 2025 is shaping up to a year of change. Will they be fads or changes to the culture? W5 might be able to help. We have close to 25 years’ experience applying anthropologic and ethnographic means to meet and understand consumers where they are. In the meantime, be sure to follow Grant too for his thoughts on American culture.
“Culture was the superstructure of meanings that give a world its basic understanding and assumptions.”