December 2022: Trends Issue

The business of trends might best be approached with both data and discernment. Consumer research in an age of cell phones and caller ID is called into question after every national election, the recent midterms standing out as a case in point. It can be done well, but it must also be measured against knowledge of the market. Whipstich Capital’s Mike Burgmaier speaks of balancing insider knowledge against consumer research in a Q&A on page 28. Our colleague Amanda Hartt of New Hope’s NEXT Data & Insights team explains how a seen-at- Expo quantification is factored alongside consumer research and market insider knowledge in Trending in Trends (page 1).