There are many apparently rational ways to go about prognosticating the trends/fads of an upcoming season. Go ahead and be as logical and empirical as you like, however, and one fact remains. You're still guessing.
So cut the astrologer a little slack. If your prognostications involve research generalizations and his rely on Jupiter, do you think one is less funny to an alien intelligence? Is there any reason why "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference" should be heralded as a marketing masterwork and "Signs of Success: The Remarkable Power of Business Astrology" should languish on the shelf? I've read both and I know how I would answer that question.
Anyway, to show the good faith of a very earnest researcher into cosmic commerce, I offer here exactly what Jupiter is trying to tell us about the fads and trends across a host of industries for the upcoming summer season. The echo period is January/February of 1998. Free your mind...
ADVERTISING
Mail boxes and Sunday newspapers work best when they are not only filled with information, but are additionally crammed with actual stuff. Heavy duty in-home product sampling is due for a resurgence say the auguries. What are we gonna do with all that crap piling up in warehouses anyway?
AUTOMOTIVE
The Oldsmobile Alero, announced in winter of 1998, was GM's acknowledgment that the American consumer of 1998 would rather drive a Honda Accord than an American car in a similar price range. People who bought the Alero seemed to like its styling and handling, although it never earned great marks for its mechanical reliability. In 2004...and here may lie the chief resonance of this tale...the brand folded, along with Oldsmobile itself.
CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS
The Mach 3 is coming, the Mach 3 is coming! That was the buzz in the business magazines during the winter of 1998, although Gillette had yet to reveal its triple-bladed, and oh so top secret, razor's name. While for some the razor will always call to mind an early SNL parody (the third blade shaves even closer "because you'll believe anything"), the razor with "racing stripes" on the handle was a large success for the manufacturer. Watch for renewed interest in 'gourmet' versions of very ordinary products. (Are you listening, Chef Boyardee?)
FASHION
Devotees of Jupiter cycles have no problem understanding why Michelle Obama (or at least somebody very highly visible and fashion-influential) is a J. Crew fan. One need simply hearken back to the winter of '98 pre-publicity campaign for the landmark WB teenage drama Dawson's Creek that included the show's young cast, including Katie Holmes, being featured in the J. Crew catalog. What I'm thinking is a fairly conservative look, with a surprising amount of steamy stuff going on in the inside.
FOOD
On the very first day of 1998, the Chicago Sun Times proposed Moroccan food as the upcoming year's likely number one food trend. Now certainly this was meant to be a bit of a "grabber," whatever the level of sincerity behind the patently ridiculous prognostication. But have you heard about this Moroccan chef who just recently beat Cat Cora in an "Iron Chef America" showdown and who now has cooking show and recipe book in development for PBS? All aboard the Marrakesh Express!
INSIGHT
Principals of the estimable trend consultancy, Iconoculture, released their book "The Future Ain't What It Used To Be, " in February of 1998. I disagree with the title assertion, of course, but it's only fair to give credit to a really cool title. So let's just celebrate the authors' identification of "grackers" (grey hackers), as an increasingly hip AARP crowd will most certainly continue to get in on the social networking fun...twaddling rather than twittering, I suppose.
MANAGEMENT
It's difficult to pin an exact date on the fruition of Y2K angst, but the portion of business literature concerned with CEO pontification had a noteworthy flurry of activity in the winter of 1998. Basically, corporate heads were told that they would have to take responsibility for a new Dark Ages if they weren't already firing pretty hefty wads of cash at their IT departments and the resolution of their cracked computer code. I'm simply here to tell those same CEO's that they won't know what trouble is until 2012 when the Mayan calendar cycle ends and Neptune moves into Pisces. Paypal accepted.
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
As a result of new FCC regulations regarding children's television, CBS launched its Fall '97 season with an ambitious slate of Saturday morning educational shows, including the quite highly regarded science show Beakman's World (pictured above). What CBS quickly learned was that children didn't particularly like educational programming and so, in mid-January of 1998, CBS canceled all of its Saturday morning shows. So one may safely conclude that this summer will not herald a renaissance in educational media for children. Fortunately we have some time before we will need those Y3K engineers.
RESTAURANTS
To be honest, the most pressing 'insider' restaurant preoccupation in the winter of '98 was the concerted effort by chefs to save the swordfish from being over fished. So a lot of menu makers benched the broadbill and, safe to say, most consumers didn't have a clue that it was gone. Meanwhile, a lot of ink also went to bagels, yogurt, flavored ice teas, and coffee kiosk drive-throughs; the sort of things that were happy impulse buys in good ol' 1998...and will probably be considered luxury indulgences this far less economically carefree July.
RETAIL
It was in January of 1998 that the trade literature of the supermarket industry got particularly serious about covering the industry's HMR (home meal replacement) opportunity. In the next few months seemingly every grocer in America went out and bought an electric rotisserie unit. By the end of the year the Boston Market restaurant chain, specializing in rotisserie chicken, had gone bankrupt and become the wounded property of McDonald's. Amidst a host of other well-documented challenges, the restaurant industry may well expect ever-increasing HMR efforts from supermarkets this summer. Poor Ronald.
TECHNOLOGY

At the 1998 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, Scott McNealy, the founder of Sun Microsystems, was virtually everywhere preaching the open-platform gospel of JAVA and networked intelligence. "It's too complicated," said McNealy of Windows-dominated general computer applications, telling ABC's Aaron Brown that the personal computer was "the massive hairball of computing." Looking towards a future when extremely smart, application specific, handheld devices would rule the consumer electronic space, McNealy might have been looking at a future about 11-1/2 years ahead...say the summer of 2009.
TRAVEL
In 1998 Hawaii's tourism industry, which accounts for one-third of the state's jobs (some say three-fourths if you figure in 'influenced' work) and one-fourth of its tax revenues, went so soft that the state government formed its first ever statewide agency to address the decline. This year, after a very healthy decade-long tourism recovery, the predictions are that Hawaii will see its worst tourism revenue declines since the Great Depression. So please buy a pineapple this summer...and support your local astrologer.
For more information please contact Steve Weiss at smw@stevenmarkweiss.com .
Whatever else this year will be about, one can expect the main plot line to be the quest for resilience in the face of adversity. Disappointment is a given in business affairs this year, as most everyone in the general population will experience a degree of unrequited “need.” Of course, the specific shortfalls will be meted out with regard to the nature of one’s status in society, but there will be plenty of pain to go around for all.
What will compound the test that many of us will face is a very genuine uncertainty about where civilization stands at this moment. Some will see a kind of glamour or at least hopeful mystery in the beckoning of an historical cycle change, but uncertainty about the course of human events will manifest for most as real world anxiety, vulnerability, and fear of abandonment. The issue of self-discipline, the rigorous honoring of one’s own inner code and the stewardship of one’s real asset base, is going to be a premier universal concern in this time frame.
The preceding with its implication of sacrifice and effort is, of course, likely to prove untenable for a large portion of the population. It is clear that the masses, including consumers and colleagues, enter into this year with a genuine and energetic sense of collectivized hope as best reflected in the political regime change in Washington. Howsoever, the auguries most powerfully suggest that this hope is flimsy at best, and that the flip side may be a Pandora’s box of insecurities leading to nervous instability and the potential for grass roots fanaticism and aggression in the face of inevitable economic and social strains and disappointments.
To those who are sensitive to the currents of time, the feeling that will pervade the zeitgeist might be fairly characterized as a basic training situation. It may be a grand simplification, but the essence of training is the impartation of constructive discipline by the trainer, just as the key to its success is a willing attitude on the part of the trainee. Right now it’s bound to feel like we’re all in God’s boot camp…and strong bosses with the appropriate messiah complexes should correspondingly have the authoritarian time of their lives.
Anyway, on a serious note, I found myself getting into an enormous amount of material, including among a whole bunch of other stuff:
I flatter myself that the material may be of interest to some, and if you would like a complimentary copy of the report please just drop me an e-mail at smw@stevenmarkweiss.com. Please put "2009 Report" in the subject line and send your contact information (confidentiality will be respected).
(EXCERPT) Assets
It is a bit ironic that in an era during which so much blame for economic crisis is being
placed at the door of financial 'experts,' the auguries suggest a universal desire for a strong executive hand in our investment activities and general allocation of assets. Rather than the casino-like vibe of the markets, however, a metaphor that suggests itself is ship-building, an activity in which the master ship builder and the vessel's captain play godlike roles in the serious and dangerous mission of eventually getting everyone safely across the ocean to the new land. Issues of concentrated attention and the deep appreciation of an organic cyclical wholeness to the flow of material and human assets are very much in play right now. The auguries suggest that it will indeed be hard for many too refrain from headstrong speculation, as the desire to recoup recent losses quickly is strong but those who find the development of long-term strategy constraining had better practice the phrase "easy come, easy go."
As for a December report, I'm giving myself the month off. Pass the nog.
Cosmarketing (c) is a sophisticated business term that can be etymologically detailed as "cosmos" and "marketing" smooshed together. What follows here are some observations based upon a 'first publicity' horoscopes cast for specific product or service launches. If you are not pleased with the observations here just calmly remind yourself: "this is only astrology." Ultimately, the material in this section is for entertainment purposes only...unless it turns out to be accurate.
M&M's Puts Kyle Busch Face On Its Candy
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch is so hot this year that even M&M's would probably melt in his hands. And if he was disposed towards testing this out he probably wouldn't have far to look for a bag of the candy-shelled chocolates, as they're a sponsor of his Joe Gibbs race car right now. So cozy is the relationship that M&M's has just announced a promotion centered around a customized blend of M&M's, featuring the driver's car number, autograph, inspirational message and photo on each piece (what, no Gettysburg Address?).
Anyway, the astrological tale told here is a story of a business partnership that starts out brilliantly, with each party drafting happily on the success of the other. The timing of the customized candy launch contains a remarkably felicitous energy flow between the concepts of indulgence and racing. And horoscopes cast for Kyle Busch and last year's original announcement of the M&M's sponsorship bespeak a relationship born of easy compatibility and cooperation.
Alas, however, there may be some trouble down the track related to competitive grandiosity tantrums and a certain lack of clarity regarding the concept of "who's actually driving this relationship?" Busch is likely to feel that the M&M 's team is taking all of this way too seriously, and he may well flash a little petulance about the enterprise producing less fun (and cash?) then he thinks he deserves. Astonishingly, M&M's will want to treat this whole deal as a business effort for which they are footing the bill.
Interestingly, an escape valve is suggested via a meeting of the minds over the concept of philanthropy. There is already a small philanthropic component to this promotion, in support of the Kyle Busch Foundation. If push comes to shove, the greater opening of hearts, minds and wallets to this cause may be the best route to reconciliation.
Dunkin' Donuts Does Better-For-You
I look at the name of Dunkin' Donuts new healthier menu program, DDSMART (tm), and I can't help but think of a store that specializes in selling professional supplies to dentists. Although it's certainly not what the name is meant to convey, it feels like an uncomfortable etymological smooshing. And etymology aside, something doesn't feel right here.
Certainly one should have no objection to an enterprise that has made its bones in the doughnut and coffee game wanting to expand its gastrological and nutritional horizons. Why not knock off 25% of the fat and calories of a bagel or muffin if you can pull it off without noticeable culinary compromise? And who's to say the world won't beat a lunchtime path to the door of the first restaurant chain to offer an Eggwhite Flatbread Sandwich, with turkey sausage or vegetable filling to boot?
And another thing, you might almost think that Dunkin' Donuts consulted a good astrologer before launching this program. There's a very forceful and well-timed information flow at work here, with all the i's dotted and all the (iced) t's crossed. There's also a healthy "good fortune" complex of aspects here, so there's certainly at least a shot that this program is going to be a winner.
What no astrologer or marketing department could accomplish, however, is the obvious...and it is amply reflected in the launch horoscope. Net-net, it is going to be very hard for the average customer to reconcile their vested highly-caffeinated treat-oriented image of Dunkin' Donuts with the gospel of good-for-you food. It is not conceptually credible, and no matter how good the Dunkin' Donut product(s) may be, there is likely to be a nagging disconnect between product and place...maybe not on the lips or hips, but definitely in the back of the mind.
