At this time of the year, we see and read articles from a variety of agencies with their predictions for 2012. Some are worth the paper they’re written on, others are a bit bland and old hat. So, we thought we’d compile The Gild’s trends and top tips for 2012.
The re-shaping of Asia: looks like a China and India are up to all sorts of fun stuff. China is booming the Art market with leading galleries opening there, such as Gagosian and White Cube. India is becoming the new Dubai, with luxury stores like Hermes and Tod’s. Even Prada created a special collection called Made in India especially for Indian women! So, if you’ve got put your stake in the ground yet, you better hurry ….
Education made modern: developments in neuroscience and cognitive psychology are uncovering truths around the way we learn and think. New music classes, for instance, are now using creative and engaging ways to interact with many different areas of brain function. Looks like we’ll no longer get bored in the classroom! And if Steve Job’s dream can come true, all of text books will soon be available on the iPad.
The color for 2012 is our very own reaction to what’s happening in the world. Vibrant colors like yellow and orange will lift the spirit, natural tones will bring calming feelings and blues and turquoises sooth us. Thank goodness, the period of gray doom and gloom might be over …..
More than music gigs: We predict that there will be a rise of more than just music ‘experiences’ in 2012.
In 2011, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros played at The Old Vic Tunnels and the first thing we were greeted by was a strangely dressed lady welcoming us to Mars. This was much more than a gig — acrobats and dancers were hanging from the ceiling and eerily moving from one room to next. A giant sun shone from one end of the venue and a giant moon from the other. And just to make it all a little bit more weird… there was a ‘Wild West’ theme thrown into the Mars mix—so we were ordering drinks from a ‘saloon bar’ in the Old Vic Tunnels at Mars (naturally).
I (Hayley) also saw The Darwin Deez at Glastonbury and the highlight of their show was a strangely delightful synchronised dance routine by the entire band.
And finally, The Gild’s music showcase in 2011 saw not just up-and-coming bands play but also live art being produced by Agency Rush’s hottest new talent.
The mish-mashing of genres to create new experiences for consumers is something that trend experts have been talking about for a while and we predict that 2012 will be when it explodes onto the music scene.
Brand reappraisal: Watching brands that have jettisoned their softer values on their plummet down Maslow’s hierarchy in the scrabble for survival and short-term sales, try to re-build them in an effort to haul back-up the benefits ladder for long term gain.
The 2012 effect – health eating, living, vacations, and the re-emergence of Cool Britannia, less packaging, concentrates, going electric, stay vacations etc as a barrel of oil nudges towards $150, local branding (Boroughs, Counties, Countries), the art of writing letters as a counter culture to Twitter/Facebook/blogs/SMS/MMS etc
Foodie Trends:
Sausages – 2011 was all about the burger. 2012 is the sausage – everything from American hotdogs to bratwurst, bierwurst and currywurst
The Japanese Pub – the izakaya, a laid-back food-led establishment. There are several planned openings including one from former Zuma chef Ross Shonhan.
Home-grown alternatives to foreign foods – Tapping in to demand for local food including British air-dried ham from Oxprings in Worcestershire and Deli Farm Charcuterie in Cornwall – look out for all-English charcuterie boards on the menu this year.
Quality over quantity
The desire for quality food products from smaller producers is going to increase. Partly as budgets get tighter, we’d rather have better quality less often but also in retaliation to the big 4s (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons) low pricing policies forcing manufacturers and producers to skimp on quality or cut margins.
South American cuisine – Much anticipated openings from Lima, Ceviche and Villa Rose – Forget margaritas, we’ll all be eating ceviche washed down with a pisco sour by the summer.
Jewish(ish) food – Dedicated establishments such as Mishkin’s and The Delauney have set the tone, but expect to see everything from chicken soup to bagels and schnitzel popping up in a restaurant near you.
Pizzas in pubs -We can thank Jamie Oliver for making the pizza (or flat as he calls them) stalwartly British – and therefore acceptable pub grub. The big breweries will be opening a new breed of ‘pizza pub’ to tackle the Italian chains market share and take them on at their own game.
Wagyu Fat – the new way to cook a spud. Forget duck/goose fat and beef dripping – the best-dressed carbs in town will have been roasted in top-of-the-range wagyu beef fat. It’s not cheap though!
Iberian Pork goes mainstream – championed by Ashley Palmer-Watts, head chef at Heston’s Dinner – it can be eaten pink, is super expensive, and barely seen out of London.
The simpler things in life – An anticipated flood of restaurants serving simple, wholesome grub – eg. Meatballs (guess what they serve?) and Spud (ditto). We’re expecting soup bars and katsu curry houses at the very least.
Pop-ups go permanent – Cute and quirky in 2011, now their ephemeral nature is just annoying – we want permanence and stability. Here are some fabulous stayers – Pitt Cue Co and of course the brilliant Meat Liquor.
Dairy Cow Meat – This has come from Scandinavia – they’re already curing the meat from their dairy cows – the female Holstein breed – and serving it raw.
Real Tapas Bars – Not a microwaved Patata Brava in sight. This trend is fuelled by chefs such as Jose Pizarro and includes Barioja in Edinburgh and El Rincon de Rafa in Manchester- we can look forward to a new Barrafina in Covent Garden and Donostia in Marylebone.
One plate of good food for less than a tenner – Ducksoup is a restaurant that’s just opened in Brewer Street and is headed up by Julian Biggs of Hix Oyster and Chop House. The concept was born from the idea that in Paris you can go out and have just one plate of tasty food with a good, well priced glass of wine and you’ve spent a tenner – very rare here in London. Ducksoup is cool and informal, you can sit at the bar, have a glass of wine, eat something from the daily changing menu and still be home at 8pm. It’s somewhere lots of women go in by themselves and interestingly on Fridays there are usually more singles than pairs.