The Lounge predicts trends for 2011

The Lounge was trend forecasting in The Evening Standard this week, From 11 for 2K11: Trends to watch out for in 2011 (Mon 20/12/10) :

Anti-social networks

Forget having 1,576 Facebook friends. James Layfield, director of The Lounge marketing agency, predicts that 2011 will be the year we begin to personalise our online friendships. "We will choose to tighten our friendship circles, turning to the likes of Path, which allows a maximum of 50 contacts, and Diaspora, which sorts your connections into aspects so that any private information you post will only be shared with the people you really know," suggests Layfield.

Chromaroma - turning mundane journeys into a game

Chromaroma is a new immersive game that aims to make your real-life journeys around London more fun by using travel details logged by your Oyster card. It maps visualisations of your journeys around the city online in your account and encouraging competitive gameplay with others.

Brought to our attention by Lounge Trend Hunter Rachel, 23, the real fun lies in joining one of four online teams and accepting missions to earn points, such as visiting a new station. It's similar to becoming mayor of a venue on Foursquare, as when you check in a location enough times your team 'owns' it. Other teams can usurp your ownership by checking in more often.

Chromaroma feeds into the emerging digital trend of turning mundane aspects of daily life (in this case, the commute to work) into a game with digital platforms and 'real life' become increasingly blurred. Another example of this trend is the smart phone application Epic Win that turns your to-do list into a game - you reach new levels as you complete your real-life chores.

Timberland and the gift that keeps on giving

As Jack Frost was just about to start doing his rounds, The Lounge hit the streets to raise awareness of Timberland’s range of Earthkeepers footwear.

Our trusty Brand Ambassadors were deployed onto Oxford Street and Regent Street armed with Timberland jackets and shoes (which helped to avoid the bitter elements!) and were tasked to hand out Timberland's specially made ‘bags for life’. In line with the range of footwear, the bags were made from recycled products and were a gift from Timberland to the lucky Christmas shoppers.

After an amusing start to the day where the general public thought we were handing out free Timberland clothing whilst we were getting the staff their uniforms (“You can’t blame me for asking!” said one person), the bags literally flew out of our hands and by the end of Sunday we had made 64,000 people a little happier and a little greener.

- Anthony, Operations Manager

Nokia's ice touchscreen

Martin Homent, The Lounge Group's Creative Director comments:

Six years ago at a D&AD lecture, I was told that my entire world would fit in my pocket. My photos, videos, friends, diary, entertainment, music and games. And not just that. It would all be
on one device.

Six years on it seems to be something we take for granted. But at the time, this was the vision of Frank Nuovo, the Chief Designer at Nokia. He referred to it as the 'digital pocket'.

It's easy to forget just how pioneering Nokia are when the handheld market today is seemingly dominated by Apple and Blackberry. But it's this kind of thinking that has set Nokia apart from the competition and given them numerous 'firsts' in the world of technology. (I was lucky enough to see a museum full of them at their headquarters in Finland - a gadget geek's dream).

Can you handle 33 HOT girls?

Take a look at this fab Lynx Top Trumps game which launches on Facebook today.

The stunning Alex is but one of a selection of 33 hot Lynx Mynx’s who make up Lynx Top Trumps. Each girl is rated on a set of key pulling criteria – curves, kissability, brainpower, naughtiness, stamina and Lynx Factor.

The first 1,000 guys to prove they can handle a bevvy of Lynx Mynx's by ending up with all the cards in the palm of their hand, win a pack of Lynx Top Trumps so hurry up and play for your best chance to win!

Lynx Top Trumps enables guys to test the power of the new Lynx Eau De Toilette range, which gives a concentrated Lynx Effect, meaning guys might just get more girls than they can handle.

Visit the Lynx Facebook page . 'Happy Playing!'

Imagine... a boat like this as part of your campaign

This is fantastic - a 'capsized' yet fully functional half-boat, made to look like it's full-sized and sinking. Imaginative and playful, it certainly makes you look twice and could generate great publicity for a campaign.

Created by the French artist Julien Berthier.


Submitted by Lounge Trend Hunter Lily, 20, Venice.