by Marian Salzman & Ira Matathia
Next Now (Trends for the future) by Salzman & Matathia represents in our view one of the best books on how to view your trends in the market from an investment perspective. We especially love the use of Chindia, which is the new word that represents the consolidation of China and India. The book explains the need for investors to understand the future by examining current trends.
What Does Chindia Mean and Why is it Important?
As mentioned “Chindia” is a word which has been created to represent the regions of “China and India”. The reason for this is that Chindia is widely considered a growth region from an influence perspective, whereas Europe is a shrinking region from a political influence perspective. This is important to the investor since it may have an impact on long-term investment decisions.
The themes of “Next Now“
This investment book covers a few themes, namely:
- If you’re anxious, you’re not alone.
- How reality is changing.
- How personal identity is changing.
- How families and homes are changing.
- Work and spending.
- The role of brands.
Next Now Investor Theme 1: If You’re Anxious, You’re Not Alone
The 21st century world is speeding up fast which is creating unease. The world has sped up and shrunk. It is now a lot easier to reach Australia than it was a hundred years ago. This globalization creates new conflicts and new opportunities.
Next Now Investor Theme 2: How Reality is Changing
The media are having an ever increasing impact on our perception of reality. Reality and instructional shows are a simple example of this. This is changing the nature of reality and how we perceive ourselves in the global community.
Next Now Investor Theme 3: How Personal Identity is Changing
The nature of identities is splintering and becoming ever more complex. This is also against the backdrop of ever increasing threats of identity theft. Both of these trends create market opportunities.
Next Now Investor Theme 4: How Families and Homes are Changing
The nature of families has changed and will continue to change. For example there are increasing numbers of families which are not based around a couple who are married. The home environment is also changing as technology advances rapidly. These changes create economic opportunities to the investor.
Next Now Investor Theme 5: Work and Spending
This theme describes the pervasive nature of work today and how work is now trickling into all aspects of our life. This may be by email or by phone. This also has the advantage of enabling people to be freer and work remotely on a scale not seen before. This pattern of life will create opportunities for highly niche offerings.
Next Now Investor Theme 6: The Role of Brands
This investor trend theme discusses the role of brands and how the power of brands is an essential part of the modern world. Even politicians now speak of branding themselves, which implies a concept of “buying and selling”. Understanding branding is therefore critical to understand the economic opportunity of selling to those consumers who buy intensely, but without loyalty.
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