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The IT List 2012: Other Notable Trends

January 8, 2013 Pam Goodfellow Leave a comment

With a big list of 145 personalities, trends, and current events vying for a position in our Top Ten Hottest Trends for 2012, we thought we’d take a look at some of the other noteworthy findings from the past year:

Golden Girl: The top personality on our list of 145 was one of my four favorite Golden Girls, Betty White (May-12, #18). The nifty nonagenarian bested other celebs – and royals – including mom-to-be Kate Middleton (Dec-12, #31), late-blooming action star Liam Neeson (Oct-12, #40), The Avengers’ Scarlett Johansson (May-12, #44), and Las Vegas favorite Prince Harry (Sept-12, #64).

Making History: The past proves not-so-boring when paired with additive stories from the likes of Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and Hatfields & McCoys, with the History Channel (Jun-12, #12) finishing just shy of the top ten. It appears that portraying “Devil Anse” Hatfield was a boon to Kevin Costner’s stock with consumers; the veteran actor (Jun-12, #65) landed six spots ahead of Magic Mike’s Channing Tatum (Jul-12, #71) #whatistheworldcomingto?

Big at the Box Office: Among last year’s blockbusters, The Amazing Spider-Man (Jul-12, #17) seemed to be the most highly anticipated, though The Dark Knight Rises (Jul-12, #23) and Marvel’s The Avengers (May-12, #26) weren’t too far behind. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec-12, #32), Prometheus (Jun-12, #37), Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (Nov-12, #51), The Hunger Games (Mar-12, #56), Total Recall (Aug-12, #58), and Skyfall (Nov-12, #59) landed a bit lower on the list.

Fashion Trends to Try: By their very nature of not appealing to most of the male portion of the population, fashion trends tend to fall a bit lower on our list, but here are the top trends consumers were willing to try in 2012: 1. Ankle Boots (Oct-12, #61), 2. Skinny Jeans (Oct-12, #76), 3. High-Low Skirts/Dresses (Aug-12, #80), 4. Jean Jackets (May-12, #82), 5. Colored Denim (Aug-12, #83). Trends to avoid? Hip-enhancing Peplum Tops (Sept-12, #144) and Elmer Fudd-like Trapper Hats (Jan-12, #143).

Not-So-Honorable Mention: At #145 on our list this year, Man Candles (Jun-12) wins the prize as the unhottest (coldest?) trend for 2012. So, it’s confirmed: guys prefer the smell of fresh cookies over mowed grass, lumber, and other icky boy stuff. #noththattheresanythingwrongwiththat

Source: BIGinsight.com

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development

Hot Trends for December: Not a Creature Was Stirring, Except for a Mouse…

December 27, 2012 Pam Goodfellow Leave a comment

Do you hear what I hear? That wasn’t eight tiny reindeer up on the housetop recently, but the soft sounds of mouse clicks bringing joy to all of those good little girls and boys, as holiday shopping online topped out “Hot or Not?” segment for December.

Those who love the annual Christmas tradition of fighting for a parking space, scouring the [sale] racks for perfect gifts, and braving the long checkout lines, however, kept holiday shopping in stores alive at #2 in our heat spectrum this month. Buoyed by a large proportion of celebrants under 35, New Year’s Eve Parties clocked in at #3.

And perhaps one of the stories we’ll hear most about in 2013, mom-to-be Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, bested the results for Princes William and Harry earlier in the fall. She’s certainly shaping up to be the next people’s princess [at least among us Yanks] – particularly among women 35+.

Proof that you can put anything in front of the word “diamond” and find gift-giving success among the female crowd: about two in five women gave brown/chocolate diamonds two thumbs up. Ditto for cashmere. And rounding out fashion, while ugly christmas sweaters registered pretty cool on our heat-o-meter this month, those under 35 found the humor in this new holiday tradition.

Finally, while it appears that consumers certainly intend to celebrate as the ball drops for 2013, don’t expect them to be rockin’ with Ryan Seacrest.

For more on what we found “Hot or Not?” for the month of December, plus other consumer highlights, check out this month’s video briefing:

Happy New Year!