Catch The Craze

Ok, now that you've identified the phenomenon, how do you jump on it? Iconoculture's Trend Commandments offer some sound guidance.

• Cast as wide a net as possible.

• Sift through the clutter for cultural `passion points'--look for things that elicit an emotional, visceral reaction.

• View everything as a sign requiring decoding--focus on the meaning of things rather than the things themselves.

• Look for connections, parallels and analogies--make links between trends popping up in different categories.

• Look to the margins--trends tend to bubble up from the fringes of society.

• Don't confuse trends with values--think of trends as indicators of deeper social values.

• Use history as an active resource and as a source of memory marketing.

• Expect and capitalize on backlashes. Trends usually reverse directions.

• Creatively surf trends instead of attempting to start them.

• Focus on application, not prediction.

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This article was originally published in the April 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Catch The Craze.