Current Concepts
3D TELEVISION
The first current concept I will be talking about is the 3D Television. This is a television which conveys depth perception to the viewer. In 2012 41.45 million units were shipped, according to DisplaySearch. 3D Television was invented in 1928, by John Logie Baird. (Wikipedia) However, the quality was bad and due to technical developments this is improved very much. Nowadays all cinemas own advanced technological devices to play high quality 3D movies.
Another development has resulted in people being able to experience 3D in their own homes. To do so you need a 3D television and the 3D glasses.
(Televisies.nl)
This concept is of significance for the companies that create them, because there is a need for the televisions. To understand the significance for the company you need to understand the significance for the consumer. The consumer always has the need for entertainment and since the technologies are developing very quickly, people also have the need for more advanced entertainment. For the television this means an experience of programs and movies as if you are right there where it is recorded. If technologies develop and people therefore have the need for these technologies to be used in products and concepts, it is necessary for companies to satisfy these needs. When looking at the trend pyramid we can conclude that at the top we can state
3D Television, in the middle we can state the need for entertainment and esteem and at the bottom technological developments. The esteem need is retrieved from Maslow's need pyramid. It stands for the need for respect, confidence and self-esteem. (Wikipedia)
SMARTPHONE
The second concept I will discuss is the Smartphone. At this moment you can almost not find a person older than 16 without a smartphone. In the third quarter of 2012, one billion smartphones were in use worldwide. In 2013, 65 percent U.S. mobile consumers own smartphones. The European mobile device market as of 2013 is 860 million. In China, smartphones represented more than half of all handset shipments in the second quarter of 2012. (Wikipedia)
"A mobile phone that is able to perform many of the functions of a computer, typically having a relatively large screen and an operating system capable of running general-purpose applications." (Oxford Dictionaries)
(Palmer, 2013)
Again I believe that the significance for the company is linked to the significance for the consumer. If there is no need under consumers for a product, there will be no need for the company to create it. The significance for the consumer is based on their needs. To see what needs consumers have that are satisfied by the smartphone we look at Maslow's pyramid.
(Factoryjoe, 2009)
The smartphone does not satisfy physiological or safety needs, but does help people to satisfy the love and belonging need. The need to communicate with the people you love and belong to is satisfied with a smartphone. In another way, when you own a smartphone you gain respect of others and self-esteem. The total package of needs for communication, belonging, respect and self-esteem lay at the core of buying a smartphone. The mega-trend behind the smartphone is the one of digitalization and technological development. The definition of digitalization is:
"The representation of an object, image, sound, document or a signal (usually an analogue signal) by a discrete set of its points or samples." (Wikipedia)
Without the technical advancement of today and the digitalization it would not be possible to create a smartphone at the complicated level it is.
The target group of Smartphones is every person between the ages of 16 and 65, who live in western countries. It is not of any influence if the person is in a
relationship or not. The person should be economical stable to be able to afford a smartphone. However, everyone can save for a phone. The prices differ
much.
ARTIFICIAL NAILS
The last concept I will be talking about is the artificial nail. Nowadays we see a lot of girls with fake nails. By this we mean coverings that are placed over
fingernails. It is purely for fashionable goals. There are two ways to create artificial nails, with tips and forms. Tips are placed over the ends of the nails and after this acrylic is put on the entire nail. Forms are fitted over the nail and then an artificial nail is moulded out of acrylic. You can also create artificial nails
with gel preparations or fiberglass or silk wraps. These are just some of the materials and you can have them in all different colours. (Wikipedia)
(wisegeek)
The target group of the artificial nails consist of mostly younger women between the ages of 16 and 30, who live in western countries. The relationship status is not of any influence. (Crystal Nails) Companies create the products you need for this, because people have the need for artificial nails. The significance for the companies lay in making money out of it. Consumers have the need for these fashion items, because it makes them feel respected and confident. When looking at Maslow's pyramid we can conclude that the esteem need lays at the core of this concept. We now have the two top layers of the trend pyramid, but what would be the mega-trend behind this concept? Developments within the cosmetic industry is the best option I could think of. Due to
these developments it became possible to create artificial nails of all sorts of materials and colours. The idea that lays at the core of the creation of this concept is in my opinion that every women wants to look fashionable in every possible way, even with her nails. Instead of putting on nail polish, what disappears after a short period of time, we could paste entire artificial nails on our own nails.
