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Mudra (and DDB) call it “a New Consumer Knowledge Model”, a New Methodology that offers “Local Perspective on Future Cultural Trends in India”. If you're interested in the jargon, it's a “global trends network that aggregates small signs of social change to effectively predict cultural and behavioral shifts while assessing both the global and local impact of these societal swings.”
Stripped of the jargon, DDB, through its 52 offices, cuts and pastes “signs” within a sociological framework to figure out “why change is occurring and where it is heading”.
Hear it from the SignBank Global leader, Ms. Eva Steensig of DDB Denmark: “The sociological approach to research has rarely been used in the commercial world but, in fact, is superior to classic quantitative data and focus groups in its ability to reveal the impact of societal mechanisms on people, companies and societies and offer new perspectives and new opportunities.”
(What is it with Denmark and advertising, anyway? First. we had Stefan Engseth of Detective Marketing and One fame, and now, we have the redoubtable Ms. Steensig).
Ashish Mishra, the India champion of DDB SignBank, met a few journos (including your's truly) and presented some “significant future trends that will have an impact on Indian masses”- trends that have been identified using SignBank. These include:
Marriages and Relationships of tomorrow: Individualism coupled with legitimized hedonism and increased tolerance would significantly alter the relationships of tomorrow. To start with, marriages would be short-term and experiential in nature. 3-year marriages could be fashionable in the not-too-distant future. Emotional fidelity would be emphasized in relationships rather than physical loyalty. Multiple partners and multiple relations could be widely rampant and accepted. Moreover, sexuality would be a non-issue and many cosmopolitan minds would be comfortable with the 'drifting sexuality' syndrome.
'Mad rush to groom kids to be dream adults that their parents couldn't be' will change to an overwhelming notion of letting the kids be kids: From teaching ABCs to unborn babies and desperation to capitalize on opportunities for their kids, the pattern of parenting will change from function-driven roles to role-bound functions. There would be a let-up in the expectations with greater allowance for the kid's individuality and interests. Etiquette schools will become necessary to overcome the brashness, intolerance and boredom of the current and future generations. And gradually some traditional methods of education like storytelling may replace TV viewing.
Bright career girls will throw it all away to be a home-maker: The social structures of old will strike back with a vengeance. Joint families will rapidly replace nuclear ones. Seeing the futility of needlessly competing in a man's world, women will spurn corporate careers to become better mothers and more capable housewives, albeit with a dominant role in the family. It will also herald a rising against the corporate rat race - thus leading people to opt out of high-flying corporate careers. Thus they will have more time on their hands to indulge in more leisurely pursuits like various hobbies and social services.
Future Living: Retreat living with professional breaks would be the new lifestyle.Work would become the thing that one would do during leisure breaks; enabled by a shift to 'talent' based jobs from 'skill' based ones. Townships would be preferred by people already showing signs of choosing their neighbours. Cities thus would become clusters of aligned villages, facilitating like-minded people to live together. Cult, Class, Interest and Spirituality-led communities would be the real bases of alignment rather than caste and religion.