Stressed Out Kids, Factless News and Websmarts All Make Vigilante Advertising's Next 5 List For 2010

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- New York based Vigilante Advertising, famous for the Oprah Car Giveaway and the force behind effective ad campaigns for Heineken, Sprint, Western Union, General Motors and others releases its Annual List of Trends for 2010. Led by President and Chief Strategy Officer Larry Woodard and Vigilante's award-winning strategy group The Urban Think Tank, Vigilante develops trends that are used by companies to develop and target more effective communications materials. In last year's list, Vigilante accurately predicted that a Fame Tax would increasingly be levied against celebrities due to our voracious appetites for celebrity scandal. The Tiger Woods scandal, still underway illustrates the point beautifully.

This year the press, our aging population and the media have all made the list. We present to you the Vigilante Next 5 List Of Key Social and Commercial Drivers.

Kid Stress

A study released in November of last year by the American Psychological Association (APA) called the Stress in America survey documented that children are more stressed than parents know. This was the first time young people were included in the study and it showed a huge discrepancy between the stress kids have and the amount their parents believe they have. Kid stress is now out in the open and this year may become a full-fledged trend. What is it exactly? The stress kids specifically are experiencing in our generally more stressful times. Young children, age 4 to 9 years old are much more aware than their parent were at the same ages. They have more information through TV and the internet, are generally more socialized at a younger age and have more responsibilities with both parents working. Almost 30% of kids 6-12 have access to a cell phone. Many kids have the responsibility of minding a younger brother or sister at a younger age. Most are responsible for taking care of personal property (back packs, etc) They are charged by their parents with protecting personal information and are generally mindful of the many dangers from abduction to robbery to violence in our schools. Kid stress will be a growing concern and dealing with kid and parent anxiety will be a growing business.

Factless News

It is an easily predictable phenomenon. On the one hand you have diminishing ad revenues, smaller TV audiences and decreasing circulations for print media on the other an increasing interest in pop culture celebrities and details about the lives of celebrities. The real, fact- based news has been no match for entertainment news and the intrusive news websites like Drudge Report, Huffington Post and TMZ. Enter Factless News. Last year was a banner year for reporting news based on fictional recreations, conjecture and entertainment value. This year the trend will continue and Factless News will become the norm. The onus will be on the viewer to recognize and seek sources with less spin.

Websmarts

The Liberal Arts education was long praised for its ability to produce young people who were well-read and had a good general understanding of critical thinking, history, literature and science beliefs in the modern world. Now, the interne has put the ability to research any topic seconds away from anyone with a computer and internet connection. The problem: there is no oversight to whether the information is good or bad. Misinformation travels at the speed of light and once it shows up on hundreds or even thousands of sites, it is difficult to prove wrong. Last year, during the Tiger Woods scandal, reputable news outlets reported that Tanya Harding was signed by Nike after the Nancy Kerrigan incident. They got this incorrect information from the Huffington Post which was picked up by hundreds of other websites. Problem...it is untrue. Increasingly, widely reported on the web means true enough. 2010 will bring increasing incidents where the knowledge being touted is not really knowledge but rather Websmarts.

Tribalism

It is hard in our increasingly multicultural world to tell friend from foe. There are Americans of virtually every race and ethnicity. How do you tell who is on our side? How can you tell an Al Qaeda terrorist from the corner shop-keeper? How can you tell your child's friend's father from a gang-banger? Americans are increasingly being forced into tribes. Groups of people who know each other by close association and can vouch for each other as being in close relationship over time. These groups can vouch for each other when one of the groups is questioned because of visible characteristics or because they belong to a specific group that in its country of origin may be at odds with the U.S.

Age Wars

As the oldest Baby Boomers turn 64, they begin one of life's most difficult journeys: The trek into old age. The problem is with the size and influence of this group, they will also be taxing every system we have from the Social Security System to the healthcare system. Used to being the center of attention, they will not be willing to take no for an answer and demand to be the center of attention. This will cause tension between them and their progeny taxed with a huge deficit and coming out of the most severe economic downturn since the depression. Look for increasing tension between the young, looking to make enough space for themselves to live comfortably and the aging boomers who have pledged to try and live forever.

About Vigilante Advertising:

Vigilante is an innovative, Manhattan-based advertising agency that helps clients stay current, win in a competitive environment, be innovative, hear the voice of the consumer and respond before the competition does. Vigilante develops advertising, promotions, creates for the digital platform and provides consumer insight. The company distinguishes itself from its competition with a toolbox of proprietary new media and buzz marketing tactics. Vigilante clients include General Motors and Cox Communications.

For information please visit: http://www.vigilantenyc.com

SOURCE Vigilante Advertising