Every year, at the exact time when our collective energy elevators are on the lowest floor (the lead-up to the holidays), trend season kicks off. 

December has become a centre point for brands showcasing their look back and look forward reports on everything from the state of social to shopping. For a researcher or strategist, these are invaluable paywall-free resources that provide spikes of thinking, case studies and stats throughout 2025. 

The challenge: With so many reports circulating, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

So, for the last five years, a collective group of us, myself, Amy Daroukakis, along with Iolanda Carvalho (researcher at Havas Media Network), Ci En L. (media strategist at Publicis Groupe) and Gonzalo Gregori (head of strategy at PHD), have come together across myriad countries – the UK, China, Portugal and Singapore – to do one thing collectively: gather all the reports in real-time. 

We're all strategists and researchers – some full-time and others, like me, running our own shops. Regardless of our titles, we share a common ethos: small teams and independents deserve equal access to the data that big-budget agencies can afford. 

The trend file is a hit and looked forward to globally. In the last two weeks, 10,000 varied visitors have taken a peek at the open-source folder (found here) and bookmarked it. 

A sampling of the 200+ reports includes YouTube, Pinterest, Design Hotels, Accenture, BlackRock, Deloitte, MØRNING, We Are Social, EY, Hubspot, Ipsos, etc. We only include paywall-free reports and we’ve never had a brand or agency ask us to take a report down in five years. 

Instead, we’re asked regularly if we can add their report. It’s also a chance for smaller agencies to be discovered; we received this message from Damola Oladapo at House Captain this year: “Your support of Strat Tape Vol.1 was a big part of House Captain’s 2024 story. There were pitches, projects, and visibility that came off the back of you, including us, in the reports database last year. We're forever grateful for that first shot!”

AI has also raised a hand and joined the party...

...Both in the reports and with community creators. AI became a very real heat point discussion point last year (and again this year), so in line with our ‘grow and learn together’ ethos, we’re hosting our second annual AI x Trend reports ‘show and share’ session on 15th January. Last year, eight AI creators played with the data and shared their key learnings and tools  (hint: human voices and being able to see weak signals over sameness is still our magic sweet spot as an industry).

Community for the win is our motto. Our industry isn’t exactly known for generosity with time, energy, or resources – so consider this a nudge. While this might look like a functional file, it’s more than that. It symbolises what we can achieve when we come together: learning, growing, sharing, and connecting.

What is the value of trends?

But this file is not met without critics – both about the sheer volume of reports and the very value of “trends” in the first place. 

Every year, I wave a bright red flag: these reports remain far too skewed towards the Global North, overly youth-centric, and often reduce culture to sweeping generalisations. In doing that, we’re overlooking a rich mosaic of society that defies easy categorisation but is no less crucial to consider. The most compelling reports are always those that venture to the edges, uncovering the nuanced, the unexpected, and the overlooked.

As an industry, we need to examine who and where our trends are coming from critically. After two decades in this business, it’s clear that 90% of all trend reports originate from just ten cities: London, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Berlin, São Paulo, and Seoul. And let’s be honest – New York, Paris, and London are the primary lenses through which we view the world.

If we want trends to remain relevant and resonant, they need to evolve. They must reflect a broader spectrum of perspectives, voices, and geographies. Full disclosure: I’m working on something for 2025 that is designed to flip everything. 

What excites me most is that, even after 20 years, this conversation feels just as critical as the reports themselves. It’s not just about what’s in the file – it’s about challenging how we frame the future.

So, what next? 

Here is your standing invitation to take a peek, join the debate or shift our industry forward. 

And as always, keep an eye out; we’ll be back again for 2026. 

Amy Daroukakis is a cultural strategist and founder of Culture Concierge