7 Fads Which Could Fizz or Fizzle

Do you remember your first celebrity crush when you were a teenager? Mine was Matt Goss from Bros. Then it was Johnny Depp from 21 Jump Street days, and yes I might have had a thing for Jordan from New Kids On The Block.

I had their posters on my walls. I covered my school books in glossy magazine pictures and I played Bros and New Kids on The Block over and over and over.

But the next year I had moved on. I had an ABBA phase. I had a Madonna phase. And I totally had a grunge phase; Nirvana, Pixies, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. But it was only when I discovered REM and Radiohead I truly discovered my music.

These two bands have been on constant replay in my life for 30 years. The other music discoveries and momentary fetishes I had were fads. They were important moments in my development as a teenager and as a person, but REM and Radiohead have become essential to my sense of identity and shaping what I now appreciate in art and sound.

For other people I know well, Britney Spears started as a teenage obsession and became a lifelong commitment; a close colleague loves Michael Bublé forever more, and I have a number of school friends who would rate Bob Marley as a strong musical influence in their lives.

The fads we discover in our journey through life are not unimportant. They create fun memories or for some, cringeworthy moments which build and shape us as people. But these phases are generally short-lived.

It’s a very rare occasion when something that starts out as a fad, sticks and becomes an essential part of our being.

The same is true for business. There is a burning temptation to create ‘new’ or ‘different’ products or services to attract popular attention.

But are you creating something with genuine fizz? Or could it fizz for a moment, only to fizzle out and be forgotten?

Fizz or Fizzle?

There’s a lot to be said for beer, wine or spirit producers to consistently adapt, adjust and keep adept at what’s going on in the industry. Creating small batches, new styles, collaborations or something completely new says a lot for the artistry of the maker and the dynamic vision of the company.

However, there should be careful consideration given to how constant change and new creations bring you long term success.

Products that fizz then fizzle only satisfy the fickle corners of the market.

And could there be another way you can express your creativity beyond the beer, wine or spirit you make? For example, if you bring the same level of creativity to the ways you choose to engage your customers, you could build something much more rewarding to your community and your bottom line.

If you’re debating whether you should try this or try that, I encourage you to go back and read the other Needs and Trends articles in this series first. If you know your business is meeting or exceeding your customers needs, and you have a plan to build in more solid market trends, then why not leave some space in your production plan to play?

The satisfaction makers get from dreaming up a concept and seeing it through to a superbly delicious outcome should not be diminished. Just ensure it does not also mean you compromise on quality or safety as we have seen happen in some unfortunate instances.

What you do to capitalise on the insanely new or fun product you create will make any short term attention well worth it for the long term. Reach out to us if you’d like to know how.

Fad
noun | fæd
a style, activity, or interest that is very popular
for a short period of time.
Cambridge Dictionary 

 

Below are seven fads emerging in Australia and overseas which relate to both product and positioning, to give you a little inspiration and insight into what you might ponder for your next innovation or amusement.

Unleash that unbridled passion and creativity, only don’t forget the purpose and rationale for why you are doing so.

1. Lounging

Lockdown and the hesitation to travel or go out like we used to, has made lounging a lifestyle. Lounge wear is now considered high fashion and demanding equally high prices. This doesn’t mean you skimp on make-up or accessories, it just means you dress up your sweat pants with heels and a bit of bling.

The same goes for drinks. People are still investing in craft gins, expensive wines and exploring sours and stouts, but they are replacing the bar with their sofa, the restaurant with their kitchen table, the pub with their balcony.

Small home experiences are also being expressed in luxury bathroom escapes, closet remodelling, shelf art and textures as well as creating indoor greenhouses, resulting in some obsessing over their plant life instead of their social life.

2. Home-Made

An extension of the lounging fad is the home made fad. We are making our own pasta, bread, braises and baked goods. In 2021, we are seeing this evolve into epic food creativity, such as home cake decorating and designer antipasto, charcuterie or breakfast platters. All perfect photo fodder for instagram!

Home brewing kit sales increased in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. The desire to bring what people were tasting at their local tap house home, has seen home brewers extend their brewing skills from take home malt and wort ingredient packs to all-grain brewing.

The home bartender is also creating their own simple syrups, bitters and flavoured spirits to achieve all the the sass and skill of their favourite cocktail bars.

3. Eco-Focus

Plant-based meat products are verging on a trend rather than a fad. We now see dedicated sections in supermarkets and it’s unusual not to see vegan meat options on menus. What’s new is plant based fish products taking centre stage in 2021. Similarly, eggless eggs are emerging alongside fishless fish. The options for consumers to completely eradicate animal products from their life is becoming more flavourful, fashionable and accessible.

Vegan only restaurants, stores, brands and prominent vegan labels now apply to wine, ice-cream, chocolate, bakery items and much more.

A vegan life is closely tied to the alarm and concern for climate change. People are wanting to make active choices to reduce emissions by what they buy. Greta Thunberg, Tik Tok, Black Lives Matter and many other social icons are becoming intertwined with eco-activism and veganism.

The more you can make change in your business to signal a strong eco-focus, the more trust you could generate from an emerging economic power in Generations Z and Alpha.

4. Colour

Fashion is a good signal for what’s ahead of us. The 80s is back with oversized jackets, baggy or wide-leg jeans and white boots. But, we’re also seeing strong pops of colour. Yellow handbags, blue bucket hats and multi-coloured head scarves are in. Bright pastels combined together in one outfit is also a fad we are seeing in US and European fashion.

What does this mean for you? Brand design, product positioning and any narrative for a new product could tap into these fads to signal that you too are all about the 80s, colour and the right accessories. If you’re releasing a new product this season, align it with the lifestyle fashions of the day and show you are ahead of the curve.

5. Single-Serves

Single-use packaging is definitely out, but single item products are very much in. Ready to Drink (RTDs) cocktails, spritzers, seltzers and wines in cans, jars, pouches or other single-serving containers have grown in popularity during these pandemic times.

Likewise, we’re seeing single-serve celebrations in the form of individual snack items and desserts.

Cup-cakes, donuts, foil pack snacks and glass jar salads are all popular single serve options available to buy.

People tend to want their exercise in single serves too. Online classes, one-on-one personal training, and walk and talk therapy sessions have replaced more organised fitness options and expensive memberships.

We’re prepared to try and taste things in smaller quantities at more premium prices, particularly with more and more choices available online. Except for pasta and toilet paper of course.

6. Intuitive Simplicity

Post-2020, people have turned away from restrictive eating like fasting and low-carb diets to embrace ‘intuitive eating’. This is about mindfulness and listening to your body to eat what you need when you need it, focusing on a nutrient rich intake but not denying carbs or sugar when your body craves it.

‘Upcycling’ is also a wellness buzz word for 2021. This means taking ugly fruit and vegetables, potential waste or offcuts and upcycling it for new or creative uses.

At home skincare has forced many to question the need for weekly manicures, pedicures, facials, spray tans or fake lashes. We are simplifying our temptations and expectations.

7. Sweet and Heat

Like spicy foods? Hot sauces are all the rage, but so is hot honey. Hot honey is simply honey infused with spices, and in most cases super hot chilli spices. Use it as a condiment for anything you want to enhance – from brussel sprouts to pizza, ice-cream to granola.

This adventure in sweet and heat, is taking us to all corners of the Earth. Hot honey is a US invention, gochujang is a fermented sweet chilli paste from Korea, and Carribean hot and sweet sauces are on the rise.

The spice of life in 2021 is dressing up your favourite foods with chilli and all things nice.

– Kerrie
14 May 2021