The world is changing faster than ever, and brands need to keep up with the emerging trends and movements that are influencing consumer behavior and expectations. To help them do that, TBWA’s cultural intelligence unit, Backslash, has released its 2024 Edges glossary—a deep dive into 41 cultural shifts that have the scale and longevity to help brands capture a greater share of the future.
What are Edges?
Edges are not just fleeting fads or buzzwords. They are major global cultural shifts that are reshaping the way we live, work, play, and communicate. They are driven by social, technological, environmental, and political forces, and they reveal the tensions, contradictions, and opportunities that are defining our times.
Backslash has been tracking and analyzing Edges since 2018, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including interviews, surveys, social listening, and data analysis. Each year, they release a new glossary of Edges, highlighting the most relevant and impactful ones for brands and businesses.
What are the 2024 Edges?
The 2024 Edges glossary covers a wide range of topics, from health and wellness, to entertainment and media, to sustainability and social justice. Some of the Edges are new, while others are evolving or maturing. Here are some examples of the 2024 Edges:
- Demise Duality: As end-of-times thinking takes root, a feeling of collective indifference threatens to derail the path to progress. To reignite a sense of individual responsibility, there is a movement to convert nihilists to optimists.
- Inclement Armor: Extreme weather is no longer extreme—it’s our new normal. As we acclimate to a future of record-breaking temperatures and frequent natural disasters, the need for protections will reshape everything; from what we wear to how we work. Weather-proof armor is becoming an essential shield from a world that feels out of our control.
- Intimate AI: AI is getting personal. While we’ve come to accept that AI has the potential to solve big challenges, the next step is normalizing its role as a sidekick in our daily lives. From companionship to coaching, AI is becoming more human-like and empathetic, offering us personalized and emotional support.
- Rerouted: The pandemic disrupted our routines and habits, forcing us to rethink and reimagine our lifestyles. As we emerge from the crisis, we are not going back to the old normal, but rather creating new ones that suit our needs and preferences. We are rerouting our lives, finding new ways to work, learn, socialize, and travel.
- Untourism: Travel is no longer about ticking off bucket lists or chasing Instagram-worthy moments. It’s about immersing ourselves in the local culture, learning from the people, and contributing to the community. Untourism is a more mindful and meaningful way of exploring the world, that respects the environment and the people.
Why are Edges important for brands?
Edges are not just interesting insights or observations. They are actionable opportunities for brands to innovate, differentiate, and connect with their audiences. By understanding the Edges, brands can:
- Anticipate the needs and desires of their customers, and offer them relevant and valuable solutions.
- Align themselves with the values and causes that their customers care about, and demonstrate their purpose and impact.
- Adapt to the changing market conditions and consumer behaviors, and stay ahead of the competition.
- Amplify their creativity and storytelling, and engage their customers in memorable and meaningful ways.
How can brands access the Edges?
Backslash has made the 2024 Edges glossary available online, where brands can explore each Edge in detail, and learn about its drivers, manifestations, tensions, and implications. They can also access the proprietary data powered by TBWA’s Disruption Index, which measures the Strength, Speed, and Spend of each Edge across 29 countries. This allows brands to quantify the disruptive potential of an Edge for a specific country, industry, or audience.
Backslash also offers customized workshops and consultations for brands who want to dive deeper into the Edges, and apply them to their own strategies and challenges. They can help brands identify the most relevant and impactful Edges for their business, and co-create solutions that leverage the Edges to drive growth and differentiation.
The 2024 Edges glossary is more than a trend report. It is a roadmap for the future, a guide for the present, and a source of inspiration for the curious. It is a tool for brands to navigate the complex and dynamic cultural landscape, and to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
