The End of the Trend

By Beth Teitell, March 10, 2013

Anything goes in fashion these days, according to the writer of this Boston Globe article, who went to Marian Salzman as one of her main sources. “Some days I think it started with those idiot crocs,” says Salzman, CEO of Havas PR North America and a leading international trendspotter, in the piece’s opening sentence. While a fashion forecaster says grunge started this no-trend fashion movement, Salzman adds that the way we work now really helped define it. “If I’m going to be working at home and only seen on Skype [from the shoulders up],” she says, “isn’t one vintage jacket all I need?”

More Than Words

By Marian Salzman, Feb. 7, 2013

“As a trendspotter, my eyes tend to be forever focused on the future,” starts @havaspr CEO Marian Salzman in this column, “but one of my favorite ways to look back is through various linguists’ and lexicographers’ annual words of the year lists.” Here, she gives opinions on the most respected lists; they focus on “big cultural trends and attitudinal shifts,” says Salzman, but she’s not sure how many of the words will change the universal vocabulary. Topping those lists for 2012 are capitalism, socialism, GIF and hashtag. Salzman herself topped the list when a word she popularized in 2003—metrosexual—was chosen by the American Dialect Society as its word of the year in January 2004.

What Does Lance Armstrong’s Scandal Teach Us About Personal Branding?

By Marian Salzman, Feb. 5, 2013

Bulldog Reporter picked up this post by @havaspr CEO Marian Salzman from the Havas PR blog, and it originally ran in Salzman’s weekly personal branding column on Forbes.com. Her bottom line: “Even though Lance Armstrong has been in the news for months … [f]rom a crisis management and personal branding standpoint, he has a long road ahead of him.” She says his response has been a textbook example of what not to do—from remaining silent for much too long to selfishly agreeing to testify against prominent cycling officials to giving a self-serving, hollow apology on Oprah Winfrey’s sofa. It’s a cautionary tale, says Salzman, and the sharpest lesson learned is this: “Have a clear plan for personal rehabilitation and live it.” Read the full post for more insight and personal branding advice.

An Eye-Opening Awareness Campaign

By Allison Schiff, Feb. 1, 2013

A lengthy case study from Direct Marketing News’ February issue highlights the ongoing “Healthy Sight Working for You” initiative that Havas PR started for Transitions Optical five years ago. As the article mentions, the main objective of the program is to “inform business professionals about the value of premium vision benefits to both employers and employees.” @havaspr Senior Account Executive Angela Mineo adds that “[w]ith a B2B campaign, we’re obviously addressing a business audience, but the message also has to be crafted so it can be easily repackaged for an audience of customers.” Healthy Sight has generated about
20 million trade impressions, and Transitions Optical told DMN that the program, in the words of the writer, “continues to serve as a key contributor to [Transitions Optical’s] continued growth in North America, despite an overall flat market.” Read more about the strategy, data, channel, creative and more by clicking on the button below.

Kate Middleton, Prince William Choose Baby Names—Buy Domains, Reserve Twitter Accounts?

By Jeanne Adams, Jan. 30, 2013

This blogger was impressed by a post from Marian Salzman on her Forbes.com blog about personal branding. Called “Kate Middleton and the Branding of a Duchess,” the post talks not only about the duchess’ brand but also about that of the little monarch growing inside her. The blogger was struck by Salzman’s statement that she bets “if Kate and William have chosen [a baby name], they’ve also registered the URL and opened the Twitter account.” To it, the blogger replied: “Could protecting the baby’s name now be a smart decision and a sign of William and Kate’s desire to be modern monarchs? Wouldn’t it be amazing if they made a Tumblr account for the baby a la Beyonce? I would die.”

Leading Trendspotter and Havas PR, North America CEO Marian Salzman Offers 2013 Predictions with Brand New E-book Launch

From Campaign Brief, Jan. 15, 2013

Campaign Brief (in Asia, Australia and New Zealand) gives a sneak peek at some of Marian Salzman’s trends for this year, from her new e-book What’s Next? What to Expect in 2013. Here are a few: A new and rising trend is copreneurship, as life partners of whatever gender and sexual orientation go into business together. The travel front for 2013 is all about wellness journeys, whether for plastic surgery, fertility clinics or even dental care. “Native” is now a trigger word in fashion and style; as modern life accelerates into a future that gets more virtual with every year, consumers are increasingly feeling a sense of rootlessness. We will be rethinking quality of life. We’ve all been living life at breakneck speed; in 2013, there will be more interest in slower alternatives: slow cooking and eating, slow courtships, slow travel.

Muscle Mania: What Are the New Fitness Trends for 2013?

By Vicki-Marie Cossar, Jan. 14, 2013

In 2013, we’ll be looking forward and back, according to a few experts in this article—from technological breakthroughs that let people easily assess and track their workouts to retro exercise routines, such as the Powerhoop (a souped-up version of the hula hoop). For her part, Havas PR CEO and trendspotter Marian Salzman says sweat-working will be the new networking. “Most devoted employees find time to exercise daily to reduce stress, get fit and stay healthy,” she says. Now, “more … companies will be taking steps to help employees fight the battle of the bulge.”

Op-Ed: Rays of Hope in Newtown

By Marian Salzman, Jan. 11, 2013

“The images of Sandy Hook Elementary School students returning for classes on Jan. 3, their first day of the ‘new normal,’ were both heartrending and heartwarming,” wrote Marian Salzman in this bylined piece. Therapy dogs welcomed the scared children to a building the community had transformed, uplifting banners are seen around town, scholarships and other funds have been established, and former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords met privately with families of the victims. Salzman was also heartened to hear that Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, had met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hopes their conversation and others lead to changes in the national gun law discussion.

What’s Next in 2013: A Lesson in Trendspotting with Marian Salzman

By Ronald R. Urbach, Jan. 10, 2013

“Spotting industry trends and making forecasts for a year ahead is a challenge, especially in an age of constant change and technological developments,” says the writer in his introduction to a Q&A with world-renowned trendspotter and Havas PR CEO Marian Salzman. In her answers, Salzman illustrates her process for identifying trends (pattern recognition), the future of wireless (including apps for voting), the most important trend in her 2013 forecast (“Co”), personal brands and the coolest object in her office right now, among many other topics.

The Big Burg Theory

By Marian Salzman, Jan. 10, 2013

Since 2008, more people worldwide have been living in towns and cities than suburban or rural areas, and the trend is growing. The headliners are the megacities, with populations of 10 million or more. “In a world of seven billion people and counting, big cities aren’t an option that we can take or leave; they’re inevitable,” says writer Marian Salzman. “They’re unstoppable.” But after a laundry list of problems that big cities can face (slums, lack of basic services and cars contributing to global warming among them), Salzman concludes that “by offering buzz and many opportunities for minds to meet, [megacities] also spur people to figure out megasolutions.”

One Office, Multiple Generations: How Millennial Women Are Winning the Age Game

By Lauren Brown Jarvis, Jan. 8, 2013

“Fearless and determined,” starts the writer of this post, “millennial women have overwhelmingly rejected the idea of working hours, as many respond to work emails on the go.” She adds that millennials in general are challenging office protocols. Because of all that, she says, “women are uniquely positioned to navigate increasingly multi-generational offices.” She cites speakers from the CNN Dialogues forum last October, including Havas PR CEO Marian Salzman. It was there that Salzman said this: “Millennials are the most skilled, inexpensive brain trust available. At work, they want real time feedback and employers that are mentors and partners.”

Experts Unveil Their Food Predictions for 2013: What Will Be Trending in Restaurants and Home Cooking

By Michael Kaminer, Jan. 6, 2013

In an article that asks chefs and other foodies what they’re forecasting for the world of food this year, Marian Salzman stands out as the only trendspotter. Local food, plant-based plates and fermentation were common threads. What does Salzman foresee? “Veggies are moving to the center of the plate, prepared in innovative ways. Kale is being hailed as the new bacon (complete with backlash), and new greens are on deck to take its place: Beet greens, chard, and mustard greens to name a few. Local produce is increasingly in demand, with chefs outdoing one another by foraging or growing kitchen gardens on rooftops.”

Dads Fear the Social Stigma of Staying at Home

By Emily Dugan and Susie Mesure, Jan. 6, 2013

In a survey from The Independent, more than half of working fathers in Britain want to cut their hours in order to help more in raising their kids. A case study profiles Ben D’Alton, 27, the father of young twins, who recently went part-time as his wife’s maternity leave was finishing. The article also cites Marian Salzman’s prediction that 2013 would be the year of the stay-at-home dad. “Rather than being diminished by the rise of women,” she says, “the growing ranks of devoted and capable dads are likely to find their new role liberating.”

How to Get Ahead of the Curve

By Amanda Baillieu, Jan. 2, 2013

In this blog post on Building Design magazine’s website, there is not only British architectural news but also a look at one of Marian Salzman’s predictions in her annual trends report, What’s Next? What to Expect in 2013. “What caught my eye,” says the writer of this post, “was her prediction that copreneurship is on the rise. The term, meaning life partners going into business together, is something architects have always done, pretty successfully.… Now though, according to Salzman, the tougher economy is making others realize that copreneurship—collaborating, pooling resources, and sharing practical and financial support—is a good thing and something we will see a lot more of in 2013. In this, if nothing else, architects are ahead of that troublesome curve.”

The Rise of Africa

By Marian Salzman, Jan. 3, 2013

Six of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies from 2001 to 2010 were in Africa, and a growing number of African nations have been largely stable in recent years. The continent “is not yet a paragon of peace and prosperity,” says Havas PR CEO Marian Salzman in this bylined piece, but it is “morphing from basket case to case study.” Among the reasons she gives in the article, part of a 14-post series expanding on her annual trends report, are China’s investments in Africa, the fact that Africa wasn’t tightly connected to the fragile global economy in the recession and Kenya’s position as a pioneer in mobile money.

What 2013 Will Bring: Green, Yellow, Fear and Control

By Amy Kuperinsky, Jan. 2, 2013

On the list of what the New Jersey Star-Ledger believes will be out for 2013 is trying to unplug. The writer quotes Marian Salzman, CEO of Havas PR, as saying, “[I]t’s almost unimaginable that you could get away from it. Really, how would you do that? The train has left the station.” Continuing in the tech vein, Salzman says we are choosing to do more things digitally than manually. Plus, she says, food is one of the things we’ll want “as straightforward as possible.” That includes detoxifying with supergrains, buying chickens for the eggs, and seeing more organic foods available in mainstream grocery stores.

What’s Next for Places?

By Marian Salzman, Jan. 2, 2013

From Bilbao to Dubai, a signature building can put a place on the map. Movies and TV shows can do the same (just ask New Zealand and Copenhagen). But ‘[t]here’s nothing new in the need for places to grow their appeal and maintain it,” says Marian Salzman in this bylined piece. “What has changed is that globalization has increased the speed, geographical range and intensity of competition among locations.” With examples in the U.S. such as Austin, Savannah and Pittsburgh, it’s apparent that we are now in the era of placemaking, “where any city can be turned into a destination for business and tourism alike.”