Rather than following the industry standard of putting out an annual trend report highlighting what’s “new” for 2024, we took another approach. After all, trends don’t align with the calendar year – they’re always evolving and changing. To express how current and future changes are impacting our existing trends, we highlighted new angles and advancements that are creating new opportunities and imperatives for action for brands.
Our Trending 2024 report reveals how tension and unrest is leading to the need for reckoning across multiple key areas of life: what it means to be human, what it means to be healthy, what it means to be sustainable, and what it means to belong. Ahead, we dial in on one of the four areas that will define the year ahead, and how brands can respond.
Download our free Trending 2024 Report Preview to uncover more insights for 2024.
In 2024, we will see consumers reckoning with what it means to be healthy.
What does “healthy” really look and feel like? And will our desire for continuous optimization soon reach a tipping point? Reportedly groundbreaking health innovations are constantly hitting headlines. For example, in the field of longevity, Silicon Valley investments are spurring on the quest to live forever – even as life expectancy is stalling in developed markets – while “miracle drugs” like Ozempic and Wegovy promise a quick fix to systemic health issues such as increasing rates of obesity and diabetes.
Meanwhile, a backlash is emerging against the wellness industry, driven by the feeling that it’s overcommercializing healthy practices and making health less accessible. Wellness-washing is being called out. Accepted truths are being challenged: are luxury candles and bath bombs really necessary aspects of self-care? Is “therapy speak” having a negative impact on social relationships? Are science-based solutions more effective than a back-to-basics approach?
As we enter 2024, consumers and brands will need to reckon with the very definition of health, and who is ultimately responsible for it.
What will happen next?
We considered a range of weak signals and critical uncertainties to map out 3 potential future scenarios for the reckoning with humanity:
Collision subscribers have access to more detailed scenario descriptions, as well as sector-specific imperatives for action.
How to act:
- Empower consumers to define wellness for themselves. Rather than prescribe specific actions and ideals, which could be individually irrelevant and unattainable, encourage consumers to experiment with what being healthy means for them personally. They might not care or need to lose weight or exercise more. Instead, resolving toxic relationships or limiting screentime could lead to a significant quality of life improvement. This will also help ensure healthy practices do not become a burden or contribute to burnout.
Reckoning with what it means to be healthy is one of four reckoning landscapes we explore in our Trending 2024 report. Download a preview version now for a more detailed breakdown of the trends and tensions set to define the year ahead.
