Crossroads Evolution: Trend-Atlas 2023 for the media und communications market

➜ Download Crossroads Evolution 2023 trend study now

Innovation is the most important driver for the progress of technologies
Today, more than ever, technologies are evolving at an accelerating pace and changing the way we live. Arrived in the age of the exponential, the accelerated technological change at breakneck speed - additionally justified by the action of technology convergence and multidimensionality - opens new paths and opportunities, positive or negative, that would have been hardly imaginable a few years ago. Linearity and habits are obsolete. We must adapt to a time in which new things are emerging all the time.

For a future worth living, we currently need a long-term change in our mindset: In addition to an understanding of what is already possible today, we must increasingly recognize potential for the future today and develop solutions that will be needed tomorrow. With our actions and decisions today, we have it in our hands to (help) shape the future and not just run after it or be overrun by it.

The foundation for this is formed by trend analyses, deductions, predictions and the consolidation and evaluation of expert opinions. We have taken on this task and present Crossroads Evolution, the new edition of the Ströer Trend-Atlas 2023.

The development of technological trends is a constantly changing process.
Two years ago, with the first edition Crossroads 2021, we created a trend atlas that organized the world of trends in the media and communications environment - taking into account the specificity of the German environment. In light of the Corona crisis, we wanted to better understand what the issues we keep encountering in the media industry really mean, what slows them down and accelerates them, where switches are emerging and how fast they are moving, how they are interconnected, and where there are opportunities for change.

Today, two years later, the perspective on the Crossroads Trend-Atlas must be different: Free from the realities of a pandemic, but shaped by the events of our time. At present, we are at a turning point in time, marked by a multitude of crises. These are influencing society, markets, as well as media and lead to paradigm shifts in thinking and acting of people, economy and politics. These changes are creating new worlds: With advantages, but also challenges. With barriers, but also opportunities.

The Trend Atlas 2023 shows movements as well as rises and falls of micro trends.
Over the past two years, some of the trends considered in 2021 and against the backdrop of a pandemic have proven to be less relevant or have become established and thus left their trend status. Some trends, such as Generative AI, have made breakthroughs, while others continue to lag, and some have new designations and manifestations. At the same time, new technologies are appearing on the horizon, which we have included in the Trend Atlas 2023. The newly included trends are based on the "Gartner Hype Cycle for Digital Marketing 2022" and the "Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies".

Crossroads Evolution includes

• a comprehensive analysis of 19 microtrends
• in the relevant context for the media and communications market,
• which are subordinated to five clusters, so-called macro-trends, as well as being
• the megatrends of sustainability, new resilience, ethics and trust, and finally
• culminating in a trend-atlas that visualizes a three-stage model for recommending action, from observation to evaluation to action.

The placement of the micro-trends within the trend atlas is mapped by their proximity in time to the present moment. The size of the micro-trends symbolizes their greater or lesser relevance to the media market in Germany. This is because the German environment is shaped differently, in particular by principles such as preservation or the pursuit of "the perfect product", and thus strongly influences the technical maturity of the trends. Ströer's trend analysis thus provides a differentiated view and stands out from many other international trend analyses shaped by American perspectives.

The core essence of the Trend Atlas shows: We must act now!
The Trend Atlas 2023 shows that we must concern ourselves more than ever today with shaping tomorrow. The relevance of action has clearly moved closer, the age of observing and curating is coming to an end. The order of the day is to act - whether to make things possible, implement initial applications, or actively engage with the possibilities.

Use the Ströer Trend-Atlas 2023 as a basis for ongoing discussions on strategic trend and action recommendations. Use it as a basis for active engagement with the future, as orientation as well as inspiration, and enrich it with your own insights.

➔ Here you can download Crossroads Evolution as a PDF document. We will also be happy to send you a print copy on request - while stocks last.

The human factor
The view of many companies, as well as the technological view on and of trends, misses an important factor in many places: the human factor. Together with rheingold, the institute for depth-psychological market and media research, we have expanded 15 of the trends considered in Crossroads Evolution to include this factor: What leads to people ultimately using a trend, accepting it and embracing it? What causes a trend not to be adapted or even rejected? If you want to learn more about what conditions need to be met for technological applications to be accepted, contact us at [email protected].

Want to stay up-to-date?
In the coming weeks, we'll dive into individual micro-trends here on the Ströer Blog and deliver exciting insights around Crossroads Evolution and the findings from the study with rheingold. So stay curious and check back regularly.

Enjoy reading, being inspired and shaping the future.