THE BIGGEST AND BEST PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES OF 2018 (POSSIBLY)

As the Institute of Promotional Marketing's Agency of the Year, there is an expectation of us that means we are constantly on the lookout for the next big thing. At the heart of TLC's proposition is story-doing and it's been that way since we began in 1954. Every brand has a story to tell, our job is to bring it to life with experiences, mostly connected to driving purchase and helping brands to gives these experiences to their customers for free.

So in December my colleagues and I produced Top Trends 2018 as part of our B2B Marketing strategy. The idea being to shine a light on upcoming trends with the aim at the very least to act as a talking point and at best, as a crystal ball, foretelling the direction of 2018 promotions for Marketing Directors and Brand Managers alike.

It is to be played exactly like Top Trumps. We painstakingly scored the trends (and fads) against each other (not without many of our own internal debates) based on Consumer Appeal, Brand Appeal, Promotional Opportunity, Longevity and Originality, but now I'm curious. I want to know what other professionals in the industry think with regards to how they are scored against each other and whether you agree, disagree or think we have missed something out. We all have strong opinions, for some of us knowing up and coming trends is what our careers rely on, so with the deck of cards as your 'muse' I'd like to prompt an open discussion. How much brand appeal do glitter tits really have? Will cold pillows ever catch on? Has personalisation had its day? Will we see even more subscription boxes through our door? And why have we become so obsessed with being Vegan?

There are 30 trends to go through and the full deck can be downloaded here as well as our notes on scoring.

When you read through or even download, print and play your deck, think about what would encourage you to try, buy or remain loyal to a product or brand and leave your comments below.