I recently came across an article about a new book by Mark Penn, the man who coined the phrase “soccer mom.” In his book, Microtrends, Penn warns that small movements are about to change how we all think in a big way.

“So what’s a microtrend?” you might ask. According to Penn, it is a group of people who identify with each other in some way, and are finding that they are not only growing larger, but aren’t having their needs met by companies, policymakers, advertisers, and even sometimes their families and friends. And he predicts that as they continue to grow, they will change businesses, marketing, and society as a whole as we know it.

The book chronicles 70 of these groups (including soccer moms) along with the trends in our everyday habits, diets, jobs, interests, education, and so forth, which have given birth to these small-scale trends. Other groups include the home-schooled, “caffeine crazies,” and “neglected dads,” people we are probably all familiar with.

With moms already complaining that companies, advertisers, and policymakers just don’t understand, it seems the stage is set for a big change in the products and services offered to today’s families, as businesses will soon start taking note of these groups and their interests. Penn claims that this country is not moving in one or two big directions, as some think, but rather that it is quickly moving in numerous directions at the same time, creating a culture that is diversified and sometimes difficult to understand. 

Where will this new trend lead us? Only the future will tell. But one can only hope that it will include more respected dads and cheaper Starbucks beverages.

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