rich in contacts and opportunities, cities act as a magnet, attracting continuous streams of talent and innovation: Tokyo and New York, for example, have a GDP comparable to that of Canada or Spain. The new challenge in consumption will come from large urban citizens: by 2050 the urban population will be 70% of the total. If the business will grow, be prepared to meet that demand. Indian cities could generate 70% of new jobs by 2030, the economy of Shanghai accounts for 13% of Chinese gross domestic product, housing less than 2% of the population of the Asian country.
The city as a land of consumer culture - Observatory says Trendwatching as is currently the "urban culture is the culture," then, you can not escape from the city: new trends are born and develop in the urban area, where the new consumers, called "Citysumers" (city + consumer) continually seek new channels, new connections, with a continuing desire to experiment and to embark on new experiences. The result of this dynamism is reflected in the emergence of urban middle class, about 2 billion people, potentially ready to spend 6.9 trillion dollars a year. One example is the Chinese community in a short time has grown from a mentality of "survival", which spent only for the narrow necessary, such an attitude as possible: 54% of Chinese are now willing to have a way of life richer and more diversified. "Today the city is again becoming places of production of new trends, to declare Affaritaliani.it sociologist Francesco Morace, with its emphasis on the urban dimension as a laboratory for new ideas. The city of tip? "Surely Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Cape Town, Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, Mumbai and Bangalore India's Silicon Valley where there is a producer of engineers and programmers with more than 10 million inhabitants." In short, all open-air laboratories are complemented by those who for years have been the capital of fashion and design, such as London, Paris, Tokyo. The news is that most other towns on the outskirts of the world are at center stage: "St. Paul, said Morace, is today the most interesting city in the world, the most lively and creative, advertising design, with a rapidly developing market , enthusiasm and demographically a very young population in a country that has not experienced the first modernization of the '60s and '70s that has characterized the West European countries, the U.S. and Japan. A third phase of modernity today involves the emerging economies, and the so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) even if today Russia is a bit 'in your pain. "
citizens are proud and always on. Here are Citysumers - "The Urban Culture is definitely a macrotrend that sees the city as a catalyst in the planet's energy and at the same time centers of gravity of services and locations, tells Affaritaliani.it Elena Marinoni, Managing Director of 'Research Institute on consumption GPF. But who are these new consumers? "In terms of behavior, precise Marinoni, are a people of prevailing urban pride, or pride in being citizens of a city, with more spending power high and a higher degree of information than in other areas. Second, citizens are active, interested in exploiting the various opportunities to live the urban context and finally, very important feature, are always connected, always on, through smartphone, iPhone, iPad. " An average young people, connected and curious, twenty-five - thirty to forty years living the city as if they were websites, "but not only adds Morace, a generation is very involved, which also includes the senior class and social changes, by virtue of the technological revolution that has now produced a major democratization of consumption. All now have mobile phones, from the boys immigrants. We live and then an extension privilege that was previously reserved for the wealthy. " The network becomes the third arm to exploit the possibilities of the city and vice versa. "In some cities, Morace said, it is as if there were doors to enter the virtual web. In Sao Paulo, for example, the wifi is very extensive, there are shops where you can collect with your phone information. In Australia there are paths which if seen in a particular monument is told his whole story. It 's a double entry table, the city will introduce the world of web and the web allows you to experience the city in a new way. " What Google Earth through applications that allow you to navigate the city and other places felt before: the encounter between the real and the virtual. The more a city is bigger, has lots of neighborhoods and stimuli, the more it lends itself to this sort of treasure hunt that mimics the activity on the web.
Eco - urban, the frontier of successful brands - These concentrations of activity and consumption are therefore the key to modern trends, and as such, can only highlight one of the many opportunities of our time: "Go Eco-Urban, "the trend is making the city become places of sustainable development and eco-innovation. "Many brands now develop products specifically for these so-called second citysumers marketing strategies that are to decline so dedicated to certain audiences with precise characteristics, "says Marion. The social dimension is certainly crucial in terms of consumption. Social networks are experienced both online and offline. "The most striking example, continues Marinoni, is celebrating the success of Foursquare hotspots of the city and today is undoubtedly the most popular social network able to tell whether this phenomenon by flows of people moving, make the check- in certain places in a playful very strong which helps to network people who do not know but who attend the same places in the city. " For many urban consumers in fact phenomena are mediated network, another example is the crowd-buying in the city and "the most emblematic case history is certainly adding, Marinoni, the phenomenon Groupon CityDeal", a place where we publish a daily "business" you can do in the city and through forms of associations of consumers can achieve a much lower price for services that usually have standards of luxury. These are dynamics that are discovering little-known city services, creating opportunities for super price from 60% up, linked to welfare, food and non-standard training courses. So, again, chances are that post about being citizens. "The vast majority of brands, states Morace, you are still moving in that size, depending on the commodity sector. " The car world has been working on the city car and forms of sustainability linked to living in cities with more attention to materials. Then there are companies in the retail world, such as Muji, which gives space-time dimension to urban consumption. Tucano Urbano in Italy is another example of a brand that was created and developed the idea of \u200b\u200bwho moves into town and then offers practical accessories for motorcycles. "All the world of sports, said the sociologist, from Nike to Adidas pays increasing attention to the sport practiced in urban cities and therefore is to change the style on these tracks and their communication. "
In our country everything orbiting in Milan and Rome, where certainly focused people who want to enjoy the city with various services, but in the future, warns Marinoni, this phenomenon will spread to other Italian cities as well as the great capitals. "Of course, keep Marinoni, so far, following the successful example of regional marketing implemented by New York, Milan has exploited the potential of the urban context during the week of the Salone del Mobile in which he has been able to communicate, through a 'process of branding, as design capital of the world, developing their own merchandising. " In general level of marketing and communications, all strategies of guerrilla marketing and unconventional take advantage of the trend of urban culture. A global brand like Starbucks has used (placing glasses of coffee on the taxi, thanks to a magnet) to this type of communication that relies on situations that occur in the city. The same applies to the temporary store retail strategies that create situations of special events as if they were shopping and this fulfills the desire to be continually caught in the city. "In terms of brand, claims Marinoni, are the multinational that has developed this attention to local markets as more global brands are more are required to resolve the negative aura of standardization that is around them. " From Nike, Prada, for example, has made grants written with Capri, to the same McDonald's, brands are learning to modulate their products on the basis of citizens with whom they speak. In conclusion, new languages \u200b\u200band aesthetic reality are characterizing the Italian market, just think of the growing community developed around the cycling enthusiasts in the city, as well as the growing community around the skateboard until you get to parkour. What do you suggest to the marketing men? "Analyzing the phenomenon, absorbed aspects of the imagery associated with a certain kind of experience cultural, but be careful to contextualize everything, "warns Morace.
 picture of Salone del Mobile in Milan |
