current projects:
The Adoption of Innovation in Technology and Media and Impact on Individual and Social Structural Behaviours
The Future Lives Study Programme will run throughout 2012 and combine elements of our previous 'Digital Lives Research' and our more general social change and Political, Economic, Social and Technological change forecasting.
It is now inappropriate to see 'things Digital' as somehow separate to the 'lived lives' of individuals, indeed to a very real extent we all live 'hybrid' lives combining the 'virtual or on-line' with traditional physical worlds in a seamless interleaved experience. To talk of 'channels' or digital and non-digital is mistaken and no longer relevant.
The Future Lives Study Programme will continue to monitor and assess the adoption of innovations in technology and media for the impact upon individual and more social structural behaviours. However it will provide much greater context, exploring these impacts against the broader backgrounds of political, economic and social change.
This work will draw on primary, secondary and expert sources, both nationally and internationally to ensure we create the most interpretive future scenarios, creating applied scenarios will be a key element of the work. It will focus on both the shorter term, from today for the next 18 months and much more explicitly than previously on the mid to longer term, five to ten years hence. In so doing we are seeking to provide a predictive and powerful guide to future behavioural trajectories.
There will be several opportunities to gain access to this work, these will include involvement in specific projects, access to workshops for corporate strategy or planning purposes and the creation of specific papers or presentations for both organisations internal and external purposes. It is envisaged that there will be some limited opportunities for organisations to directly Partner with SFO in elements of the Programme. More details of opportunities for involvement will be announced on this page as the Programme moves towards full launch.
Part of ‘New Concepts of Relationships’, a programme of research exploring the changing and future nature of relationships rising from increasing mobility and new access forms.
Building Relationships in a Cynical Age is a research/advisory project conducted during 2012, it explores consumer expectations of the changing nature of relationships with private and public sector organisations.
The past decade has witnessed enormous social and technological change much of this centred on the internet and exponentially increased mobility and access; giving rise to 24 hour coverage, social media, ever on everywhere mobile availability, information and comparison at the touch of a screen. Each has empowered the consumer in ways undreamt of 20 years ago. Yet many of our marketing, relationship and customer service models still look more appropriate for the late 20th Century era of centralised, broadcast control rather than today, let alone the future. It is hardly surprising that in recent studies:
When social and technological changes are brought together we see consumers with declining respect for authority and brands, often believing themselves to be poorly served. Whilst currently many are under financial and domestic pressure from an economy they believe has ‘gone wrong’ as a result of collective self serving by members of ‘establishment organisations’.
Whilst many organisations are building presences or experimenting with new media forms, joining this up to build a new ‘compact’ or relationship with the consumer remains a challenge. Digital Agencies and ‘New Media’ exponents all have particular takes on the new opportunities but these are often fragmented. The opportunities are great. However the pitfalls are likewise substantial. What is most concerning is that most of these initiatives are ‘point solutions’ few of these are based on a holistic, behavioural understanding of how complex relationships can be built and sustained so that each individual opportunity builds to a whole much greater than the sum of the parts, it is this the 2012 programme explores.