Wrapping up the year of the booty, “vape”, and NFL drama, 2014 proved to be eventful and changing. Legalization of marijuana and gay marriages in more states than ever and the Republicans take back control of Congress framed the political news as we creep closer to another election year. And now every social portal from Facebook to Spotify are offering their “Year in Review” from all that data they collected from you. Cool use of big data, but still kind of creepy.
Being a trend watcher, I always look forward to what people think is going to be the new “it” thing for the next year in fashion, tech, music, and pop culture. And yes, I do take some hipster pride when I can say “Oh that? I’ve heard of them/it a couple months ago. Old news (pompous laugh).”
So what does 2015 have in store for us? Here’s what I think will be big for MMXV:
Pantone announced that the color of 2015 is Marsala, an earthy wine-inspired red tone. Not as fabulous as Emerald or last year’s Radiant Orchid, but it is chosen to be the color for men and women alike. It reminds me of wholesome fall activities like apple picking and throwing piles of leaves in the air. Either way, you might see this color on the racks in spring.
Women’s Fashion: I think I’ve finally seen the peak of skinny jeans and a subtle resurgence of wide leg or bootcut jeans. Perhaps it pairs well with the 70s revival of flowy bohemian clothing and rich earthy colors. And florals haven’t died for spring; they’ve gotten bigger, bolder, and in that 90s two-piece style you were dying to try. Tropical patterns, ferns and palms, also seem to be a new twist on florals seen on the runway.
Men’s Fashion: I’ve seen big jackets and coats paired with slim jeans on the runways, but what is the ordinary guy going to enjoy? Cheeky sweatshirts that feature some cultural icon or verbage have been on trend and will continue to do so. For men, the skinny trend is starting to loosen up as well, taking note from the 70s.
Passing Craze: I had no idea what a blanket scarf was and it looks like too much scarf for anyone. If it was Polar Vortex 2.0, then maybe it would be helpful. But, from what I heard, it should be a light and short winter in the US. So don’t rush out for a Louis Vuitton blanket scarf.
With the Apple Watch making its debut in 2015, I think it will finally kickoff the wearable tech scene. Samsung already has their’s out and this may drive more people to embrace the new iPhone 6/6s. I think with smart watches will be the rise of fitness tracking bands as well. They are cheaper and more compatible by being able to sync to any smartphone with an app. One product I’m excited for is the FitBit Charge HR, which tracks your workouts, sleep, and heart rate! Some other popular fitness bands are the Jawbone Up and the Nike+ Fuel Band. It’s also a great way to keep on your New Year’s resolution!
I wonder if curved screens will be widely accepted as the next advancement in screen technology. Curved screens give a larger screen size without taking up more space. But I have been hearing more about ultra-high def TVs (out of my price range!), but that may be more prevalent in the TV market this upcoming year.
Apple Pay should take off this year with many major US banks participating. Being able to pay with your phone will be an interesting luxury, but I’m curious about the security of it. The Cloud was hacked and no one thought twice about the photos and information they stored there, so how will Apple assure customers their credit card information is secure?
Sidenote: If you have SnapChat, earlier in December they released a snap informing that they will introduce SnapCash, a way to pay friends through SnapCash. I don’t know if they are going through with it, but I feel the only people who’d use it are drunk college kids paying back their friends for drinks and highly evolved 10 year olds.
Women rocked the music world in 2014 and I don’t see it dying out anytime soon. Powerhouses like Beyonce and Nicki Minaj released new albums late in 2014 and newcomers like Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, and Megan Trainor show no sign of letting up. Rumors are that Adele may be coming out with a new album after 3 years.
Also, I think you’ll hear some new tunes that sound old and familiar. Hozier’s soulful, gospel sound and Bruno Mars’ new swing style are reminiscent of an older time. Each gives a modern twist that both Millennials and Baby Boomers can enjoy!
With Pharrell’s billion dollar lawsuit against YouTube for hosting copyrighted songs without getting royalties, there is the threat of music videos being removed from the platform all together. But, MTV barely plays music videos anymore, so where do they think this content will live? I doubt music video sales are that remarkable, so perhaps music videos are becoming irrelevant? Or do we crave a long-format music film, like the Justin Bieber movie or Beyonce documentary, where we can get a more complex story and pay movie theater prices to see it?
ABC has introduced a few new sitcoms that embraces multicultural families with ‘Black-ish’, ‘Cristela’, and soon to debut ‘Fresh Off the Boat’. The first two have been well received and should prompt other networks to follow suit. We need TV show that reflect society today. Also, some big series finales in 2015 include ‘Mad Men’, ‘Glee’, ‘Parks and Rec’, and ‘Parenthood’.
Movies based on YA books are still going strong with Divergent’s sequel ‘Insurgent’ out in March and the final Hunger Games movie out in November. Another James Bond picture with Daniel Craig is to come out in 2015 and ‘Avatar 2’ as well. (Shame on me, I haven’t even seen the first Avatar movie.) It’s the year of the sequel with ‘Finding Dory’, ‘Alvin & the Chipmunks 4’, ‘Smurfs 3’, and ‘Batman vs Superman’ as just a few of the next installments. Hopefully, we’ll see some intriguing and captivating original movies to break up the predictability of Hollywood. I’m particularly intrigued by Pixar’s other project ‘Inside Out’ which is about a girl who is going through a tough time and the different emotions in her head. Each emotion is vocalized by a famous actor, which includes one of my faves Mindy Kaling!
Lastly, I have to give my predictions for advertising this year being that I’ll be in the industry soon enough! Social media and digital are increasingly important in advertising campaigns (especially since we are glued to our phones), and I think we’ll see new creative ways brands connect with consumers.
Hopefully we’ll see a decrease in brands sounding like teenagers. Check out @BrandsSayingBae on Twitter, where they aggregate corporate tweets talking like the youngins! It alienates the old people who don’t get what they’re saying and the young people who think it’s weird that Denny’s is saying ‘bae’. Beware, social media managers, beware.
Transparency has been a key word in business, and I believe that companies and brands will find the need to be more straight forward with their customers and themselves. Brands that are true to themselves have reaped in the benefits, like Chipotle and Dove, and consumers respect it. And with the rapid availability of information, it is easier than ever to fact-check and prove a company’s claim wrong.
Personalization will be key; consumers want to feel catered to and have the ability to make things their own. The unique values of each person and the ability to embrace that can be an important factor to leverage in the market. One example that stands out is the Moto X smartphone, which goes up against supergiants Apple and Samsung. They are taking the personalization approach against the limited, mainstream look of both Apple and Samsung products. People can design their own phone aesthetic to their desire — they even have a football leather back! Those who seek to be apart from the mainstream can enjoy the ability to personalize their products.
Lastly, I think we will see more of the super brands advertising emotional, storytelling brand commercials — much like Apple’s holiday ad. With the ubiquity of the brand, they strive to keep the human element and the heart of the company. The tone of the ad was vastly different than the traditional holiday ad sale mania, which set it apart. We may also see these types of ads debut only in digital, for higher sharability.
What are your predictions for 2015? Better, or worse, than 2014? Comment!
Pop Rocket is hosted by comedian Guy Branum, who has worked on amazing shows like Chelsea Lately, The Mindy Project, Awkward and does stand-up! He has a power panel consisting of Margaret Wappler (journalist), Oliver Wang (academic and DJ), Wynter Mitchell (digital strategist), and occasionally Karen Tongson (academic). It’s smart, hilarious, and it feels like you become best friends with them after a couple listens.
Amelia Enberg 