Trends. Fads. Styles. Innovations. Each brings new ideas, fresh thinking and novel motivations into the marketplace. Consumers track them for new “things” and new modes of self expression. Marketers track them for new ways to communicate with and meet the needs of consumers.

In order to follow trends without sabotaging your brand, you have to monitor their impact, success or failure, and apply that information to your own products and consumers — carefully.

If you can do that successfully, you’ll gain a competitive advantage: connecting with your consumer in a meaningful way.

Here are a few ground rules to keep in mind:

1. Focus on trends rather than fads: Fads are short-lived, while trends take longer to build up momentum and tend to last longer — sometimes years or even decades.
2. Understand that there are different kinds of trends and they should weight in on your brand decisions differently. Macro, consumer and industry trends each bring unique influences that can not be handled the same.
3. Use trends to help shape and inform new new business concepts, products and services.
4. Use trends to inform the way you sell your goods and services and build better communication with your consumer.
5. Do not use trends to  shape your company’s core.

Making business decisions based on savvy trend watching does not need to be scary. Just think of it as a way to keep your brand fresh and evaluate the way you communicate with your target audiences.

Trends are shaped by the desires and values of an ever-changing culture. The newest “thing” doesn’t just “tickle” us, it actually helps us to express ourselves.

When times are good, trends follow paths of luxury, pleasure, pampering and rewards. During such times, individuals do not hesitate to impulse shop.

But times are changing.

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There is no doubt that the economic downturn has put many in a place of despair and difficulty. I certainly do not mean to make light of anyone’s personal struggle through this time in America and the world. I am quite aware of the loss of income, heavy debt, increase in cost of food, gas and basic necessities — I’m experiencing them, too.

But you have to admit there is a pause in America to reflect on what we have been doing over the last decade or so and to realize that, sooner or later,  the ever-escalating trends of spending and short-term vision had to come to an end. Just look at the housing market: I purchased a townhouse in 1998 that increased in value almost $50,000 in a little over two years. With that surge, building and home sales skyrocketed. That had to end at some point.

Now, I am certainly not going to try to pretend to be an economist or financial guru, so let me get back to my point.

I am excited about the following trends that are emerging as America and the world wrestle with the current economic crisis:

1.    Unity. The focus is moving from “me” to “we” — as individuals we can not solve the current economic crisis, but collaboratively, we have hope. Times like these put most of us in the “same boat.” The common “enemy” brings unity.
2.    Core values. Where once we spent almost without thinking, now we all have to make choices about what is most important.
3.    Thankfulness. When things become unstable, we reflect on what we could lose, and that process shifts our thoughts to what we have, rather than what we want. Health, home, family and friends become more valuable than entertainment, luxury and the latest fad.
4.    Less waste. Fix it or replace it. Careless or careful. Cash or credit. Need or want. The challenge we are living through gives us an opportunity to positively impact our lives for the better.
5.    Better ideas. When the going gets tough, the tough come up with great ideas. That means ideas for life and business, including better business products and more efficient business management.
6.    Focus on the future. When times are good, one does not worry about what might happen tomorrow. But when things get rough, we build plans and move with purpose.

Finding the sunny side of a desperate situation gives us all something to build on rather than to dwell on.

Changing a brand mark is not only a costly endeavor, but also one that can change your relationship with customers, key stakeholders and the general public dramatically, for the better or for the worse. So, it goes without saying that changing your brand has to be a strategic decision, rather than a reactionary one — but, how do you know when it’s time?

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Beauty and functionality rule again! Check out these creative computer keyboard designs and see how this simple tool could evolve from mundane to engaging. Gotta love designers — they just don’t settle for plain. Ya know, the world would sure be boring without them.

This year, Staples Business Depot in Canada continues its ongoing effort to honor teachers with a “Show Your Teacher Appreciation” contest. The contest asks students to write a 200-word essay telling Staples Business Depot why it should appreciate their teachers, and the five winning essays will garner each of the teachers a $1,000 Staples gift certificate and each of the students an iPod Nano. By recognizing excellent teachers, Staples positions itself in a market traditionally owned by large department stores. This relationship-building strategy is becoming more common and will soon be the norm rather than the exception. Kudos to Staples. This is a creative way to win the hearts of teachers — who are the main influencers of the next generation’s office product purchasers — and put their products and brand in front of young people. Staples is sure to create a level of loyalty that is not easily won. Everyone has a teacher they love and the fond memory stirred by just taking part in such a campaign is sure to make a positive connection that just might bring someone back to the store when they need, for example, a ream of paper.

Check out their news release here.