How will this year be?

It is inevitable that the beginning of the year will be full of predictions, predictions, or trends. Psychologically, we understand that January is the beginning of a new cycle and we are presenting the most likely scenarios. As readers will remember, every year I publish a document containing the topics most relevant to citizens and consumers, as I seek evidence of social changes that can help them identify risks and opportunities for brands. The document can be downloaded from www.juanisaza.com

This year we will continue to wonder if things will return to normal. Although today we are clear that this normality is more similar to what we are seeing today than the reality we were in in 2019. It is a world of partial closures, masks, new variants, and, of course, new vaccine boosters. Perhaps the new epidemic that worries us most is the persistence of the virus of polarization that has dominated our political environment in recent years and is now worsening in Colombia near the election date. The greatest danger to democracy. A citizen has less faith in the democratic system and may be attracted to authoritarian governments, especially younger voters.

According to The Economist, the new year will be, thinking globally, one full of political instability, turmoil and turmoil. Largely as a result of the pandemic and its impact on the economy. Once again, the issue of inequality will continue to occupy the headlines of many publications and be a source of concern for many governments. Tech companies would continue to be targeted by governments that, like China, wanted to curb disproportionate growth. There will be many citizens who will join this interest in questioning the big tech companies, particularly on issues such as privacy and data management.

Brands are faced with a consumer who no longer wants “the theater of diversity,” as some sectors in the United States call it. So from the words they will have to move on to work and real inclusion. The interesting thing is to see how the range of diversity opens up more and more. It’s time for companies to bring in more professionals with disabilities, people with mental illnesses, or seniors looking to join the workforce.

It’s going to be a year where we’ll be looking at the sky all the time. Not only because it will be the year when more people will travel to space as tourists rather than as part of space missions, but also because many of the geopolitical tensions will pass there. China will be the first country to have its own space station, and Russia will release the first movie in history to be shot in space. The world will be amazed at the results of the James Webb Telescope, which was launched late last year.

Brands have tremendous potential to help unite segments of communities, nurture and promote diverse talent, connect with consumers in the so-called metaverse, and discover the business opportunities that lie ahead for them there. But they will also have to continue to demonstrate that their commitment to the environment and society is real. But above all, they are here to add value, not to disrupt.