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Trends
Many companies employ trend analyses related to the economic, social, political, technological and environmental spheres. Often they use these as part of their SWOT analysis to identify opportunities.
Should a social trend offer potential to capitalize on, a more in-depth investigation could provide the company with meaningful ways to resonate more deeply with the needs and wants of customers.
Another way to anticipate changing customer preferences is to look at counter-trends. Counter-trends are not yet mainstream but are often emerging topics (e.g. the tradwife trend on social media). In particular the dichotomy between trend and counter-trend (e.g. feminism vs tradwife) can provide new opportunities for brand positioning.