From Publishers Weekly
From "Soccer Moms," the legendary swing voters of the mid-1990s, to "Late-Breaking Gays" such as former Gov. Games McGreevey (out at age 47), Burson-Marsteller CEO (and campaign adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton) Penn delves into the ever-splintering societal subsets with which Americans are increasingly identifying, and what they mean. For instance, because of "Extreme Commuters," people who travel more than 90 minutes each way to work, carmakers must come up with ever more luxury seat features, and "fast food restaurants are coming out with whole meals that fit in cup holders." In a chapter titled "Archery Moms?", Penn reports on the "Niching of Sports": much to the consternation of Major League Baseball, "we don't like sports less, we just like little sports more." The net result of all this "niching" is "greater individual satisfaction"; as Penn notes, "not one of the fastest-growing sports in America... depends substantially on teamwork." Penn draws similar lessons in areas of business, culture, technology, diet, politics and education (among other areas), reporting on 70 groups ("Impressionable Elites," "Caffeine Crazies," "Neglected Dads," "Unisexuals," "America's Home-Schooled") while remaining energetic and entertaining throughout. Culture buffs, retailers and especially businesspeople for whom "small is the new big" will value this exercise in nano-sociology.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Take a timely look at an extensive inventory of small, sometimes unnoticeable, trends that are shaping and directing our economy, our society, and our world. In reading the tea leaves of these small movements, politicians, marketers, and entrepreneurs who get it right will be able to get the jump on those who await the coming of the significant movements as defined by the traditional polling apparatus. Narrator Brett BarryÕs pacing is excellent for the considerable amount of material the author covers: 75 intense identity groups who are demanding things that our current social structure isnÕt delivering. With a less able reader the listener could get lost--as the topics transition rapidly and often abruptly. M.C. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Kirkus Reviews
"Sound and cleverly written....will undoubtedly appeal to marketing analysts and armchair sociologists, as well as fans of Megatrends and Malcolm Gladwell."
Politico
"A striking window into 'Hillary's Brain'."
Information Week
"If small is still the new big, then the biggest book of the moment is Microtrends...Penn sifts the sociological sands to come up with a fine-grained view of where we're headed."
Bloomberg
"Stuffed with smart, offbeat tidbits....Penn and his co-author, E. Kinney Zalesne, deserve credit for leavening their facts and figures with humor and pop-culture asides."
Publishers Weekly
"Culture buffs, retailers and especially businesspeople for whom "small is the new big" will value this exercise in nano-sociology."
The New York Times
"Unrelentingly fascinating....Microtrends is a diligently researched tome chock-full of counterintuitive facts and findings."
Business Week
"Delightful and fast-paced....A breezy, entertaining consideration of niche groups within America."
The Economist
"Read it for its dozens of social insights that could well be turned to profit."
Financial Times
"Riveting....imaginative....Penn's thesis is that change in today's world is driven by small trends that are started below the radar ... . "
USA Today
"The strength of the book lies in Penn's analysis of the implications and opportunities of each microtrend."
Product Description
"The ideas in his book will help you see the world in a new way."-Bill Clinton
"Mark Penn has a keen mind and a fascinating sense of what makes America tick, and you see it on every page of Microtrends."
-Bill Gates
In 1982, readers discovered Megatrends.
In 2000, The Tipping Point entered the lexicon.
Now, in Microtrends, one of the most respected and sought-after analysts in the world articulates a new way of understanding how we live.
Mark Penn, the man who identified "Soccer Moms" as a crucial constituency in President Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign, is known for his ability to detect relatively small patterns of behavior in our culture-microtrends that are wielding great influence on business, politics, and our personal lives. Only one percent of the public, or three million people, is enough to launch a business or social movement.
Relying on some of the best data available, Penn identifies more than 70 microtrends in religion, leisure, politics, and family life that are changing the way we live. Among them:
- People are retiring but continuing to work.
- Teens are turning to knitting.
- Geeks are becoming the most sociable people around.
- Women are driving technology.
- Dads are older than ever and spending more time with their kids than in the past.
Penn shows readers how to identify the microtrends that can transform a business enterprise, tip an election, spark a movement, or change your life. In today's world, small groups can have the biggest impact.
About the Author
Dubbed "the most powerful man in Washington you've never heard of" by the Washington Post, Mark J. Penn is the worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller. He was pollster to President Clinton in his successful 1996 re-election campaign, and has been an adviser to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, numerous corporations, and 25 foreign heads of state.
E. Kinney Zalesne has served as a White House Fellow, Counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, and Executive Vice President and President of two national social-change organizations.
