Lorenzo Biscontin.
With guilty delay I am reading the VML The Future 100 – 2024 report published at the beginning of the year.
The fault lies in the fact that it is one of the best analysis of the trends underlying people’s (consumption) behavior globally. Serves as an example the trend “Marijuana the new rosé?” indicated in 2017 report.
However, the delay is ultimately not that serious as we are talking about long-term trends.
The report divides the 100 trends to watch into 10 chapters. In addition to the specific one on Food & Drink, interesting by definition, in past years I have always found very useful to analyze also the other chapters to understand what the evolution of wine consumption could be. They are indicators of the underlying signals of society in which also wine is living.
This is the first of a series of articles in which I will indicate the trends that seem most significant to me in relation to wine and briefly explain why. Choosing what to keep and what not has often been a difficult choice, so I recommend everyone to download the full report from the website https://www.vml.com/it/insight/the-future-100-2024. It’s free, upon registration.
Then let’s start with the chapters “Culture” – “Technology” and “Hospitality”.
Emotioneering.
Globally, 2 in 3 people say they want brands to help them experience intense emotions.
It’s time for brands to abandon rationality and explore the disruptive power of emotion. In the future, a brand’s performance could be measured in sighs of joy, goosebumps or jaw-dropping moments. Consumers will invest in brands that add emotional value to their lives in the form of reenchantment.
Why is it relevant to wine? For too long wine communication has focused almost exclusively on characteristics, very little on advantages-benefits. The aim is to “educate”, a sweetened meaning of “teaching”, with rational application to study, thinking that emotions are self-evident.
Yet the slogan of Pinot Gancia’s Pinot campaign in 1989 was precisely “Let’s emotion?”. We must take up the concept again, removing the question mark.
Prosocial effervescence.
71% of people globally believe loneliness is an epidemic. Different brands in different industries around the world (IKEA, for one) are developing strategies that connect people (customers). According to Radha Agrawal Agrawal, founder of mass morning dance event Daybreaker: ““The biggest opportunity that brands have is getting people to connect with each other—how this brand can serve a community as a collective rather than as the individual within the community.”
Why is it relevant for wine? There’s no product who knows how to connect people better than wine, we must be the leaders in such strategies to get consumers involved.
Decelerating hype cicles.
According to research by the IPSOS institute, 73% of people would like to slow down the pace of their lives. People feel overwhelmed by the sheer pace at which they are urged to consume. Some brands are choosing to decelerate, slow down, and allow time for people to savor experiences before moving on to the next thing.
Why is it relevant to wine? As above: it seems like a trend written specifically for our sector which has naturally slow pace.
Luddite mode.
Luddism was an anti-technology movement born in England in the 19th century that opposed the industrial revolution.
Today 54% of young people between 16 and 24 are worried about spending too much time on social media (Voxburner’s “Youth Trends” research). Compared to the Luddites of the 19th century, today’s Generation Z are not full-time Luddites, but alternate moments of connectivity with moments of detachment, for example by purchasing basic cell phones (no smartphones) to use when they want to disconnect (holidays, evenings with friends, etc…)
Why is it relevant to wine? The consumption of wine can be proposed as a moment of detachment from technology, but to do so it is better to communicate it with technology. It seems like a paradox, but it isn’t.
The identity economy.
The development of 3D digital technology combined with that of artificial intelligence allows the creation of increasingly sophisticated clones or digital twins close to physical reality.
While ethical issues are still being debated, the economics in this field are already expanding as it allows people to be more productive and it seems inevitable that digital alter-egos will become part of our daily lives. Digital is additional and complementary to the physical sphere, not a substitute
Why is it relevant for wine? I chose this as representative of the different digital trends that are emerging in our lives. In a society that is becoming increasingly digital, wine cannot be limit itself to the physical sphere, otherwise it will be marginalized.
Subterranean hospitality.
London, Vilnius and the state of Victoria in Australia. These are the three locations where underground hotels and underground spas of “surface” hotels have been inaugurated.
The silence, the low lighting, the absence of windows, TVs and any digital instruments create the supreme sanctuary, ideal for deep rest, and allows you to offer an absolute escape from the hustle and bustle of life on the surface.
Why is it relevant to wine? Hotels around the world specifically build environments that already exist in many wineries: the cellars. Here is an easy way to broaden the wine tourism offer.
