U: Unabashed

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Inject some unabashed enthusiasm into whatever new products you’re developing. Customers want that.

Most people in the business world are too serious. They’re so focused on making money they don’t even give themselves permission to smile anymore. If you can come along with a product that just strikes a whimsical note and makes them smile, that little spark of enjoyment can enable your product to be much better received.

Take, for example, a new bathroom accessory collection designed for Target. This is a set of cup holders, tub accessories, bath mats and toothbrush holders with a common theme. A talented twenty-something industrial designer, fresh out of school, was assigned to come up with some new ideas for a collection to be styled specifically for children. She attacked the assignment with gusto, and came up with a collection called “Beneath the Bubbles” Each piece of the collection was whimsically styled like sea life. There was Wally the Whale, a blue tub-spout protector. Crabby the Crab was a toy bag that attached to the walls of the bathtub. The centerpiece of the collection, however, was Stan the toothbrush holder. Not only did Stan hold two toothbrushes in his rounded starfish arms but there was also a button in the center of his tummy that children could push to make Stan sing. Stan’s song went for about a minute—which just happened to be the amount of time the American Dental Association recommended children should brush their teeth for.

When the collection was presented to buyers, they were a little bit skeptical, but the designer’s enthusiasm won them over and proved to be somewhat contagious. They decided to take a risk on the collection, and it turned out to be a genuine home run for Target. Grandmothers everywhere rushed to buy the collection for their grandkids hoping to encourage them to brush their teeth more often and for longer.

Enthusiasm, like laughter, is infectious. Go spread some around. Infect as many people as you possible can. You’ll be amazed at the change in the environment!

–Robyn Waters

If you can’t get excited about your own products, just imagine how uninspired and unenthused your customers must be feeling.

–Robyn Waters

T: Translate

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Not all trends are relevant, so you’ve got to translate them into something meaningful for your customers.

There re actually vast oceans of trends out there waiting to be picked up on. There are tone of good ideas, loads of information and inspiration by the bucketful available in the world of business. However, not all of these trends will be of equal importance to your customers. To make a trend relevant, it’s got to do something your customers actually want and need.

For example, everyone knows cell phones have become quite sophisticated. LG Electronics of South Korea decided to develop a cell phone that was on-trend for customers in the Arab world. They came up with the Qiblah mobile phone that uses GPS technology to always point to Mecca. The phones can even store text from the Koran and will beep when it is the appropriate hour to offer prayers. This is taking technology and using it intelligently to provide a product with features customers will value highly.

Good research into trends must include finding a way to translate technology capabilities into a meaningful advantage. Put another way, great trends are always consumer-centric. You have to listen to what your customer genuinely needs and then translate the capabilities of modern technology into features they will love. Do that consistently well and customers will be singing your praises far and wide.

Avoid literal translations of any trend concept or hot idea. It’s hard to differentiate yourself when you merely copy what’s already out there. Think about how a musical score translates notes and sounds into emotions. There are a limited number o notes, but musicians have been arranging them into endless versions of original music for centuries.

–Robyn Waters

S: Soul

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A good trend has soul—an undefinable element of energy, excitement, excellence and desirability.

Products with soul somehow mean more than what they are. There’s an extra something there that you can’t quite put your finger on but that makes them easy to fall in love with and highly desirable. Similarly, a tend with soul connects with people at a special level, and lifts products from the ranks of mediocrity up onto a pedestal of sorts.

Interestingly, products with soul can be big or small, cheap or expensive, elegant or simple, useful or frivolous. Some examples of products that have soul would include the Hummer, the Mini Cooper, the iMac, the iPod, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, In-and-Out burgers, OXO garlic presses, Breitling watches and even Jones Soda. All of these products attract enthusiasts who rave about them far beyond the realms of their functionality. The presence of soul somehow these products a life o their own.

Can you find soul in your product or organization? If you’re not sure that you’ll know it when you see it, then go out of your way to hire people who will. People with soul follow their bliss. They can turn walls into doors. They are authentic, passionate, optimistic, and driven to deliver the best products and experiences possible. Their rarity makes them easy to identify.

–Robyn Waters

R: Resonate

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Great trends resonate with their intended audience. They really connect, and hit all the right notes.

When something is on-trend, it resonates deeply with customers. It will connect and ring true with the values of the intended audience. In many ways, an effective trend will be like an orchestra in which every musical instrument has a vital part to play. If just one instrument is flat, the entire performance will be affected.

For example, boutique hotels are doing well because they can offer personalized experiences and attention to detail that’s just not feasible for a larger hotel. All of the little touches—like fresh chocolate chip cookies at the check-in counter, complimentary fresh-brewed Starbucks coffee in the morning and a complementary glass of wine in the evening, and even an upmarket bathrobe rather than the usual plain bathrobe—add to the sensual experience and resonate.

Whether you are designing a collection of clothes or creating the ultimate service experience, it’s important to realize each note you compose has to ring true to your audience. Even one false note can damage the overall impact of your brand. When you consistently hit the right notes, you are on your way to striking trend chords that resonate deeply with your customer.

–Robyn Waters

Q: Quintessence

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A quintessential product is right regardless of the modern trends. Sometimes, the opposite of trendy is timeless.

Some products just feel “right” They’re authentic. They don’t need to be updated yearly to incorporate all the latest bells and whistles. These are products like Swiss Army knives, Mont Blanc pens or even the perfect martini. Don’t ignore the timeless entities that have earned a dedicated customer following in the pursuit of new or novel ideas.

A new dessert store called Rice to Riches has taken rice pudding—what many would consider a quintessential desert treat—and built on what’s right about the product. Rice to Riches adds in hand-picked ingredients, flavors and toppings to create bowls of desert treats customers rave about. They have twenty-plus gourmet flavors of rice pudding available and it’s not uncommon for customers to wait 20 minutes to be served.

It’s easy to get caught up in frenzy of tracking trends and to forget about the really good things that seem to last forever. Don’t be so focused on the next big thing that you forget about those things that are always in style.

–Robyn Waters

It’s important to realize that when the world seems a little out of control, or it feels like our values have gone askew, the opposite of trendy can be very trendy.

–Robyn Waters

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