Stage style used to predict new mainstream fashion trends

If you went to Coachella this year, you were probably unaware that scouts from Express, Vans, and The Gap were watching. Dozens of trend analysts and their field photographers arrive at musical hubs like Coachella and SXSW with ultra-zoom lenses in hopes of spotting the freshest trends.

Style Sight, a trend forecasting company, showcased a photo compilation of concert go-ers and bands at the Art Center College of Design last week to manifest how their influences are infiltrating mainstream fashion.  One of the major focuses of the images was the “emo” movement.  Black, white, and red colors synonymous with the “emo” movement emerged from earlier bands like The Cure and have continued to surface in stage style and album artwork from My Chemical Romance, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy.

Bold and distinct, the color trio is now appearing in products from Toms Shoes, Threadless, and even in the big box brand Urban Outfitters pictured above. Other hints of “emofluence” are abstract stripes, subtle play on graphics, and a lower emphasis placed on masculinity.

If too many people catch on, what will the emo movement do next – shift to black, blue, and purple?

Personal finance for the Facebook Generation

“Generation F”, a demographic Gary Hamel refers to as the ‘Facebook Generation‘, is now influencing how financial companies design and develop new products.  While social networks like Twitter and Facebook become increasingly ubiquitous, applications for personal finance are scarce.   Most tools I have tried have yet to improve my bottom line, until now.

Mint.com is a web-based financial analytics tool for consumers that is changing how Generation F manages its finances.  By summarizing financial transactions from its users, Mint is able to provide valuable tools to track spending trends and habits.  Shedding light on these trends could potentially save consumers hundreds, or even thousands each year.

I’ve personally been using this service since 2007 and recently set a $200 monthly budget for gas.  Mint will display a graph of my current usage, allowing me to visualize whether I’ve exceeded my monthly expenditures.  If I’m over budget, I will adjust my spending habits and perhaps resist a last-minute Starbucks run.  My favorite feature: the ability to manage my account via an iPhone application launched last December.

Another company fast-tracking personal finance for Generation F is Revolution Money.  This Florida-based firm now provides the Revolution Card which is printed without the customer name or signature in order to increase security and reduce identity theft. The unconventional card, shaped like a bone, attracts users who appreciate design and creativity.  Moving beyond the constraints of PayPal, the company also features a free money exchange service between members, making it easy to pay a friend back for concert tickets.

Revolution Money only charges merchants a half-percent processing fee per transaction versus the 1.5% to 4% fees charged by giants in the industry.  This is great news for companies which are trying to reduce selling expenses.  Essentially, Revolution Money aims to pass cost savings to its consumers the same way ARCO did for retail gas in the 1980s.  Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom are among the 650,000 merchants which have already signed up to accept payments.

Once these financial institutions prove to be secure and reputable, they could become as powerful as Google.  After all, spending habits, consumer trends, and personal finance are the underpinnings of a great micromarketing strategy.