Meeting the Moment with Authenticity & Curiosity

Recently I sat down with noted trend hunter and cultural cartographer, Lynn Casey. As the founder of the consumer insights consultancy, Shine Scout, she spends her days (and nights) thinking about the market-shaping movements that influence our daily lives. From authenticity to curiosity, we talked about how brand marketers can help their companies meet the moment and embrace the opportunities ahead.

This year has already been full of some unexpected twists and turns. As a cultural cartographer, what emerging trends are on your radar at the moment?

“Now we’re seeing this trend towards hyper-localism emerge in other ways, largely spurred by the influence of Gen Z.”

So much is happening right now, but there is one trend that I find particularly fascinating and almost counterintuitive: Radical Realness. In some ways, we’ve seen it coming and in other ways it’s been happening completely under the radar. I would consider it an offshoot of “hyper-localism” which is a trend I spoke about quite a bit last year. The idea that our focus – in part because of the pandemic and rising nationalism and the desire for community – has shifted closer and closer to home.

Now we’re seeing this trend towards hyper-localism emerge in other ways, largely spurred by the influence of Gen Z. If we remember when Gen Z came to Instagram, unlike the Millennials before them, they were put off by all of the shiny sharing. So they created “Finsta” accounts or “fake insta” profiles where they could low-key share their most authentic selves with their closest friends. This is where they would tell true life sad stories or share their insecurities, and save their ‘official’ Instagram accounts for those with whom they didn't have the same deep relationships.

Well those same behaviors are now manifesting in the desire to create safe physical spaces to express and share their authentic selves. Instead of the Metaverse - where many pundits anticipated they would be playing, they instead have embraced IRL where they can dig into three-dimensional experiences that are incredibly honest, and incredibly private, giving them the freedom to explore themselves safely. These sensory environments are heavy on texture, with a multi-layered design and embraces the awkwardness that is part of their daily lives. And that kind of experience that doesn’t come through their devices, but requires them to be there to have it. This is new for them (hello, pandemic) and therefore incredibly special.

So what does this mean for brands that have been leaning into the notion of Gen Z as “digital natives”? How do they reconcile creating specialized physical environments with more scalable online experiences?

The term “digital natives” was often used to describe earlier cohorts, but in fact, true digital natives are people who can live their entire lives online, but instead are choosing a world that exists outside of that. This doesn’t mean that online experiences are going away, but rather we’ll see two courses – physical and digital – continue to emerge and influence each other. The online space will continue to be an environment for shareable, connectable experiences. The physical space is going to be a more heady, human experience that is made just for them, and will be ephemeral. It will be a moment in time that is unique, and fleeting. Think underground movie clubs, pop up boutiques with designers creating in the moment, one night only bars or bowling alleys. Something that is real and irreplaceable. So brands are going to have to meet them in this whole new layer of something that we may have previously taken for granted.

As brands move to embrace this duality, how might they avoid the pitfalls of connecting with a trend in a way that feels forced?

Brands must do the hard work of unpacking the ‘why’ behind trends. Gen Z is seeking physical experiences - ironically - because they are the most private. They are not tracked in a physical place as long as they don’t share on social. So the goal would be to build out an experience that speaks to the why - wanting to be valued as individuals, wanting to connect with others, wanting to have one off experiences instead of the fire house of streaming…. Brands must make connections in this way, and trust the value, instead of just tracking it.

“Brands should know what they stand for and also understand their customer well enough to know what would surprise and delight them.”

So it’s not that companies should be afraid to step out of their comfort zones, it’s about understanding the brand’s true purpose and finding the right entry points to credibly make new connections?

That’s absolutely right. Brands should know what they stand for and also understand their customer well enough to know what would surprise and delight them. And that is particularly important right now. I have never seen a population more starved for surprise, more starved for variety because we have been serving it up to ourselves for the last two and a half years.

Last question. Many people might aspire to be cultural cartographers, but there is so much more to it than meets the eye. What are some of the characteristics and skills that make you so good at what you do?

In a word: curiosity. There is so much happening around us and beyond us at all times, but we don’t necessarily see it because we don’t take the time. I’ll give you an example. I recently did a favor for a friend and she sent me a gift via DoorDash as a thank you. When the guy came to drop it off, I was in the middle of a call but I noticed he was wearing the coolest sneakers. We started talking, and half an hour later I learned about a charity organization he established to create soccer leagues for young girls in Brazil. That led me to his Instagram account and a number of other people and sources to unpack from that conversation. He opened up a whole world to me, all from my own curiosity. The world is simply a question away.

We can learn so much by asking just the simplest of questions. How did you get here? Why do you do what you do? What do you wish you were doing? What's the most amazing thing that happened to you today? And then take your hands off the wheel and listen, really listen.