Daily Inspiration: “Trends are like bread. They go stale, fast. The fact is, you need deeper trends insight. Freshly baked.”

“Trends are like bread. They go stale, fast. The fact is, you need deeper trends insight. Freshly baked.” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Tomorrow’s trends come at you fast – what was predicted yesterday for tomorrow is now changing, morphing, and evolving faster than ever before. The job of anyone trying to align to what’s next – CEOs, leaders, futurists – has become vastly more complex and will continue to be even more so going forward.

That’s why I always work hard to differentiate myself from my peers – through customized research, and by utilizing a number of sophisticated tools that feed me a constant overview of key trends impacting most sectors of the economy. I describe it this way on my home page:

• his sophisticated trends tracking and research system regularly scans dozens of rapidly emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, digital twin technology, advanced genomics, material science, and more than 100+ other topics
• he uses this trends tracking insight by assessing the impact of these trends across healthcare, consumer goods, manufacturing, insurance, agriculture, and dozens of other industries and sub-industries
• he shares this insight through sophisticated trends research reports that cover near-term (1 to 6 months), medium (6-24 months), and long-term trends (> 2 years) and weaves the insight into his stage presentations, combined with the up-to-the-minute deep research undertaken for every customized keynote

I also sprinkle this throughout my site, such as in this video, which summarizes what I do with customized, up-to-the-moment insight.

I’ve long worked hard to try to capture the essence of this in some type of mind hook; a type of ‘branding’ phrase; a memorable phrase.

You know the type. I’m looking for Nike: Just Do It;  L’Oréal: Because You’re Worth It;  Apple: Think Different.
Mastercard: There Are Some Things Money Can’t Buy. For Everything Else, There’s a Mastercard phrase. Over the years, I’ve tried a few: Jim Carroll: I Help You Invent the Future. Innovator Jim Carroll. I Turn Your Ideas into Reality.  Stuff like that. But none of those really captivated me – they seemed bland, lame, contrived, and stretching.

I was thinking about this the other day after writing my piece about creative genius Neil McOstrich – the master of the phrase – I thought to myself – “I should think like Neil.” As with all things, I began running this through my mind – during the day, while out on my regular daily walks; while driving in my car. And early this Saturday morning, while out chasing the sunrise on my morning walk, this phrase hit me.

“Deep Trends Insight. Freshly baked.”

The hook, the hit, the bait?

“Freshly baked.“

It’s unique, it’s catchy, and it’s memorable. It implies what it means – brand new, fresh out of the oven – or in this case, fresh out of my mind. The thing is, this phrase leads to a ton of potential variations.

Like “Disruptive Trends Insight. Freshly baked.”

Or “Creative Innovation Insight. Freshly Baked.”

And “Future scenario insight. Freshly baked.”

And even “Intelligent AI Insight. Freshly baked.”

Catchy! I’m already sprinkling it into my site and into my materials.

I’m thinking it works. Do you?

Let me know your thoughts. Make sure they are freshly baked!