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Glossary – Trend-watcher

Trend-watcher

Nikiforov Alexander
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What is a trend watcher?

A trend watcher is a professional who analyzes current market changes and predicts how they may affect consumer behavior. These specialists play a key role in marketing departments, closely monitoring political, economic, and social trends to provide valuable insights for developing marketing strategies.

Essentially, a trend watcher resembles a sociologist-researcher. They study societal changes and offer businesses recommendations on how to optimally respond to these changes. Although trend watching is a relatively new field in business, its tasks are often performed by product marketers or brand managers.

This profession was popularized by economist Rainer Evans, who founded the company Trendwatching, which researches trends and publishes them on its platform.

Main duties of a trend watcher

Trend watchers have a variety of responsibilities, the main ones being:

  • Market analysis: A trend watcher not only identifies trends but also validates their relevance to their niche. This includes studying the experiences of various companies and countries.
  • Internet research: The specialist continuously analyzes popular search queries using tools like Yandex Wordstat and Google Trends to identify relevant content topics.
  • Conducting surveys: A trend watcher develops questionnaires and collects data from users to identify their interests.
  • Preparing reports: Based on the collected information, the specialist creates structured reports and presentations, using spreadsheet editors and charts.
  • Participating in the development of marketing strategy: The trend watcher outlines scenarios for implementing trends into advertising campaigns and product lines of the company.

Key skills of a trend watcher

To successfully perform their duties, trend watchers must possess certain skills:

Professional skills (hard skills)

  • Understanding marketing fundamentals: Knowledge of the customer journey map and brand strategy helps the trend watcher select trends appropriately for various tasks.
  • Knowledge of social psychology: This knowledge allows for better analysis of audience behavior and prediction of responses to new trends.
  • Ability to work with analysis tools: Familiarity with Yandex Wordstat and Google Trends is essential for identifying trends online.
  • Knowledge of a foreign language: This is necessary for analyzing international research and news.

Personal qualities (soft skills)

  • Analytical thinking: This skill helps identify significant trends and make forecasts.
  • Meticulousness: The ability to perform routine and detailed work, which is important for successful information analysis.
  • Ability to adapt quickly: A trend watcher must be open to new ideas and ready for changes.

Demand for the profession

The profession of trend watcher is gradually becoming more relevant. As with most new professions, they are initially in demand by large companies and then by other brands. Currently, companies like Netflix, Spotify, Mastercard, Unilever, and L'Oréal actively utilize the services of trend watchers. In Russia, however, the demand for this profession is still low, with only one published vacancy at the time of writing this article.

Recently, the service "Shopozavr," which delivers branded goods from the USA, announced it is looking for a trend watcher who can find fashionable items for its audience.

How much does a trend watcher earn?

Currently, there are no studies on the salaries of trend watchers. However, given that this profession lies at the intersection of marketing and analytics, the estimated salary may be comparable to offers for marketing analysts. According to Sravni.ru, entry-level specialists can expect a salary starting from 85,000 rubles, while more experienced professionals can earn from 155,000 rubles.

A year ago, the salary for trend watchers started at 40,000 rubles, and if the proposed trends yield profits for the company, this could positively impact the specialist's income.

Where to study to become a trend watcher?

In Russia, there are currently no specialized programs for training trend watchers in higher education institutions. However, basic knowledge can be obtained in related specialties, such as "Sociology of Advertising and Public Relations" at the Kosygin State University and "Technologies of Sociological Research" at RANEPA. Additionally, master's programs at HSE offer courses like "Comprehensive Social Analysis" and "Digital Communications and Product Analytics." There are also online courses available, such as those from the "Center for Design Thinking" and "Russia - Land of Opportunities," which offer specialized programs for trend watchers.