GLIMMER GLAMOUR for the win

Deb Dana, is a clinician, consultant, and speaker who recently coined the term "GLIMMERS" to describe the micro-moments of joy that help us through our days.

The concept resonated deeply with the trend forecasters at WGSN trend service as they saw how it aligned with the research they were finding across all markets and industries. They have written extensively about this topic over the past year, reporting on how GLIMMERS translate to apparel, hard goods, packaging, marketing and many other aspects of business.

We are living in an increasingly complex and confusing world, where we are looking for ways to help us adapt and be resilient. GLIMMERS can help us do that.

If you want to learn more about this rich topic, check out these two very informative podcast series WGSN produces - fair warning - you will be hooked!

I have also been enjoying the podcast by Yara Shahidi called The Optimist Project. My ears perked up one day when I heard Yara say...

"Joy is the goal, optimism is the practice."

That's the way I also see GLIMMERS - as joyful opportunities that teach me how to gracefully (hey, fake it till you make it, right?!) move from one moment to the next - no matter if some moments are super stressful.

Speaking of super stressful moments, that I got through...gracefully? Last week at PPAI EXPO in Las Vegas, NV, I had the opportunity to speak to a full house of fellow trend wranglers about how to utilize the GLIMMERS concept in the promo industry. I built a case for utilizing GLIMMERS in our businesses by starting with describing what they are, why we need them, and then brought it home by making the link between the idea of GLIMMERS and real life products.

The take away that day was - and still is - GLIMMERS can help us design and merchandise products with personalized, joyful, meaningful - and importantly profitable, success. It's a new lens you can use to look through as we ask... "What do we need product to do for us as we move into the future?"

If you sign up for this newsletter as a member, you will gain access to a VIMEO I made of that presentation - as well as a PDF of the presentation with clickable links that will take you to almost all of the brands, photographers, artists and research that I showcased in the presentation.

Please let me know what GLIMMERS mean to you in the comments! What products do you see GLIMMERS translate to in your own brand/business? I'd love to know, because I'm going to be sharing some merchandising matrices over the next weeks on the topic of GLIMMERS - so including real products from our industry that fit the bill will make the ideas come to life.

With Sincere Thanks - Vicki Ostrom, Chief Trend Wrangler...or as a friend christened me last week...CTDubs!

Giving it a try...

Yours in Trend,