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Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,335 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The adviser to Senator Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, and President Bill Clinton proves that small is big by identifying 75 hidden-in-plain-sight trends that are moving America, revealing that the nation is no longer a melting pot but a collection of communities with many individual tastes and lifestyles.
"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.
- You have to look at and interpret data to know what's going on, and that conventional wisdom is almost always wrong and outdated. The nation is no longer a melting pot. We are a collection of communities with many individual tastes and lifestyles. Those who recognize these emerging groups will prosper.
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.
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"the author, mark penn, is hillary clinton's chief strategist and a well known pollster. in this book he describes many small trends in American (and to an extent global) culture. some of these trends are hilarious (cougars, diy doctors, social geeks), some are obvious (internet marrieds, second home buyers, surgery lovers), and some are unexpected (aspiring snipers, smart child left behind). worth a quick skim."
— ranjit (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Unrelentingly fascinating…Microtrends is a diligently researched tome chock-full of counterintuitive facts and findings that may radically alter the way you see the present, the future, and your places in both.”
— New York Times -
“Delightful and fast-paced…A breezy, entertaining consideration of niche groups within America.”
— Businessweek -
“Riveting…imaginative…Penn is as much a business consultant as he is a political junkie—a symbiosis that helps explain why so much of his book is so original.”
— Financial Times -
“Penn does more than spot trends, he also shows how responding to them can make or break companies and campaigns alike.”
— Newsweek -
“Despite the vast amount of ground Penn covers, Microtrends’ readers won’t be lost in a sea of statistics. Though the book is a trivia-lover’s dream,…Penn adroitly manages to convey the relevance of such minutiae to the world at large.”
— USA Today -
“[Penn’s] generalizations are sound and cleverly written, despite their brevity, and will undoubtedly appeal to marketing analysts and armchair sociologists, as well as fans of Megatrends and Malcolm Gladwell.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Buy it—no question…Microtrends might be the finest nonfiction book you read this fall.”
— American Politics Journal -
“Narrator Brett Barry’s pacing is excellent for the considerable amount of material the author covers: seventy-five intense identity groups who are demanding things that our current social structure isn't delivering. With a less able reader the listener could get lost.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
Microtrends Listener Reviews
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" Interesting flow as it is broken up into two to three page self-standing chapters. Each one being a separately discussed trend. Still manages to give good detail about each one, where it came from, its cause, strength and where it might go. The most annoying thing about the book? Seemed like every other chapter had a graph in it. Unfortunately each graph looked exactly the same. Two points connected by a single line that went from the bottom left to the top right. Great, now we know what a trend looks like. It should have been the picture on the cover so he wouldn't have to include 40 copies of the exact same graph repeatedly. "
— Kevin, 2/14/2014 -
" A microtrend is something that is practiced or used by one percent of the population. That's 3 million people. If you thought about an interesting business, check out the 75 microtrends. "
— Boku, 2/6/2014 -
" There was lots of great facts and analysis, stuff I love. There was also a lot of not. And it didn't read so well. And while I thought 2007 was current enough, it's crazy how things do change. I'm reading the section on middle income folks investing in a second home thinking, I can't believe things have changed so much in four years. All his microtrending did not predict a certain economic meltdown. "
— Remy, 2/4/2014 -
" This is specifically aimed towards micro trends in American Culture but good insight on trend developments for anyone interested in trend research or the more intuitive side of trend awareness. "
— Alyssa, 1/22/2014 -
" Very informative. I now know that investing in products and services catering to cougering women, commuting couples, and metro sexual males will prove profitalbe in the future. A very amusing and jarringly realistic economic view of modern America. "
— Nicole, 1/7/2014 -
" Interesting look at 70+ trends that are shaping the future. "
— Stacey, 1/7/2014 -
" I love this book. The author is responsible for leading the 'Soccer Mom' campaign for Bill Clinton's election. Throughout he points out emerging trends within niches of people and how these small groups effect the economy. Macrotrends are dead. "
— Keely, 10/12/2013 -
" Some interesting tidbits, but full of proofiness. In many cases, the author gave either raw numbers, or %ages, but not both, which would have been really helpful. "
— Mscout, 10/5/2013 -
" Interesting look at different niche markets. I listened to this on audio CD in the car. "
— Cindi, 8/11/2013 -
" Penn invites the reader into the detailed world of micro-trends. The author came to fame, in part, by identifying that Bill Clinton must win the vote of a new category of voters, soccer moms, in order to win the White House and become President Clinton. He did both. "
— Kent, 5/22/2013 -
" This book was a fun read, to be done in a chapter here and a chapter. Trends like pet parents, tattoos in the middle class, and the knitting resurgence are just a few of the microtrends in America. "
— Jules, 11/24/2012 -
" Interesting to see how much statistical studies are there behind a Presidential campaign...and usefult to grasp how the (american) society changes. "
— Enrico, 9/22/2012 -
" Similar to Freakonomics, this book gives a fascinating overview of trends in society today, ranging from homeschooling to caffeine consumption to extreme commuting. "
— Laura, 3/2/2012 -
" Interesting but a bit scattershot. Instead of 75 case studies, I would have preferred a more in-depth examination of 25. "
— Steve, 4/21/2011 -
" 303.4973 Well written and at times amusing account of 75 smaller trends that are influencing our world. The author has been a close associate of the Clintons. "
— B, 3/22/2011 -
" The quick 2-3 page chapters make the dry material easier to swallow. I found some of the information interesting. "
— Tiffany, 2/6/2011 -
" Read for a bookgroup at work. "
— Lynn, 1/12/2011 -
" I'd hoped the authors could offer deeper analysis of the "microtrends" with respect to effect on the larger social structure. I was wrong. "
— Beckett, 12/28/2010 -
" Cover is deceiving, that great of a book "
— Jestertim, 11/23/2010 -
" There were some interesting components of this book, but you have to be a "data geek" to really enjoy it. Lots of factoids, but not a lot of explanation for how you can apply it. "
— Mary, 11/9/2010 -
" Some mildly interesting data about overlooked segments of society, but distorted with bizarre personal remarks and hamfisted explanations. Best skimmed. "
— Kaworu, 10/28/2010 -
" probably won't finish. just skim for the graphs; the text is less interesting. "
— Shannon, 10/11/2010 -
" Fun to read but I can't forget the fact that this guy was a Hillary Clinton strategist and one of the reasons why she lost. Entertaining bit of no practical value "
— Sharika, 10/3/2010 -
" I enjoyed this small, sweet, simple book. It's a fast easy read with a great message. "
— Maureen, 7/12/2010
About the Authors
Mark Penn is the worldwide CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen, and Berland Associates. He has been called the “Master of the Message” by Time magazine, the “Guru of Small Things” by the New York Times, and “the most powerful man in Washington you’ve never heard of” by the Washington Post. He is credited with inventing both the overnight poll and the “mall test”—a method of showing shoppers prospective ads and learning their reactions in real time. Penn has helped to elect more than twenty-five leaders in the United States, Asia, Latin America, and Europe in addition to serving as chief advisor to President Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential election and to Hillary Rodham Clinton through her Senate and presidential races. He also serves as strategic consultant to top Fortune 500 companies, including Ford Motor Company, Merck, Verizon, BP, McDonald’s, and Microsoft, and he has been a key advisor to Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer since 1998. In 2000 and 2004, Penn was awarded the highest honor in his profession, the American Association of Political Consultants’ Pollster of the Year Award. He is also a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.
E. Kinney Zalesne is a consultant, author, and lawyer. She is the principal strategist at Microsoft and was previously CEO of Zalesne LLC, an advisory firm specializing in CEO positioning. She graduated cum laude from Yale University and Harvard Law School.
About Brett Barry
Brett Barry graduated from Syracuse University’s television, radio, and film program and worked as an associate documentary producer for several years before moving into a career in voiceovers. In 2002, he signed with a voice-over agent in New York and began working in this field full-time. Brett’s training includes improvisational acting at Manhattan’s HB Studio, study of the Linklater voice techniques, and private coaching with some of the industry’s top voice performers. His voice can be heard on over 100 audiobooks. He and his wife Rebecca live in New York and run Silver Hollow Audio, an independent audio production studio.