Next : Trends for the Near Future [Hardcover]

Ira Matathia (Author), Marian L. Salzman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

A nonfiction armchair journey into the near future, "Next" breaks down the art of trend-tracking that made the authors' company, The Department of the Future, one of the most sought-after in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

site, www.nowandnext.com.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Two experienced advertising pros present a wide-ranging menu of changes to be expected in the next few years and beyond. Change is the key factor driving profits for the goods and services advertising promotes, so the industry has developed an increasingly sophisticated set of analytical methods and systems for keeping clients up-to-date. This title treats readers to the latest information derived from such efforts. With prose echoing the casual patter of advertising lingo, the book reads like a lengthy popular magazine article, in contrast to the weightier pronouncements of similar efforts from academic sources. Both authors have extensive backgrounds in market research and foreign markets; the latter experience adds international flavor to many forecasts. They state that the contents are a ``road map'' to the future, and like these utilitarian guides, the contents are focused more on specifics than theory. Short segments cover a wide range of issues, from ``trend bites'' about ``hobbyist cooking'' and ``discreet branding'' to discussions of cyberspace commerce and ``the new man.'' Only a few subjects are covered in depthmedia audience trends, for exampleand many are presented as if only a single scenario were possible. Still, this fat compendium of useful items may help consumers and professionals sniff out essential targets of curiosity, investment, or entrepreneurial initiative. The major strength comes from the collections breadth and its intriguing tidbits about consumer culture in other countries. We learn, for instance, that in Japan 38 percent of males under 30 have changed the shape of their eyebrows. While these and other facts are drawn from conscientious research, the authors often fail to combine them into satisfactory arguments in support of larger themes or conclusions. A broad yet light-footed jumble of observations about the near-term future. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; First Edition edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879519436
• ISBN-13: 978-0879519438
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,604,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business tool for the future, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Next : Trends for the Near Future (Hardcover)

Next is a great general business guide for showing both companies and employees how to navigate the turbulent changes ahead. Insightful and entertaining bytes of information round out what the country as a whole can expect from the near future, in terms of home, business, politics and technology. The book also gives Americans a good view of where they stand in terms of the rest of the world. The What's Next sections are "food for thought" for new business and product ideas.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hokey and naive, August 28, 2000

By 

Jeff J. Ong (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Next : Trends for the Near Future (Hardcover)

The offenses in this text range from citing surveys that show the emotional differences between the sexes narrowing (hint: surveys about attitude reflect the desired perception, rather than reality) to the usual hackneyed predictions about the growth of e-commerce and Java-based refrigerators. It's a superficial and uninspiring roundup of all the press release style journalism you'd find in Wired or Business 2.0. This is the kind of material that might be "inspiring" if you were to set your sights low enough. No breakthroughs here, although I suppose it's a serviceable summary of many of the trends that have already been predicted to death elsewhere.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative AND fun to read, October 11, 1999

By 

Merritt Walters (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Next : Trends for the Near Future (Hardcover)

It's not often that a book about the future comes along that give the reader not only a sense of what's to come but that does so in such a human way. Dire predictions, a la Nostradamus, these ain't. What this book provides, instead, are well-concepted, easy-to-digest chapters that cover a great breadth of material with obvious expertise and somehow manages to do it without preaching. It's invaluable for business, also, since who among us couldn't use some good global insight?