Seeking content from all over the world . . . grappling with the realities of the climate crisis . . . dealing with existential challenges facing the nation . . . Read on to learn more about Moments.
Summer 2022 will contain a few important contradictions: A critical mass of vaccinations and wider availability (particularly for kids), but also a looming death toll of one million lives lost in the United States alone. A desire to let loose and enjoy the summer, but also nagging existential dread and years of pent-up stress and frustration. So many reasons to want to treat oneself to a vacation or something nice, but increased prices and tight budgets. All of these factors leave consumers in a sticky spot.
Moments Summer 2022 explored a few key themes:
- International Perspectives. American consumers are increasingly open to (and big fans of) content from around the world. While the trend didn’t start with Squid Game, that program certainly reinvigorated it, with Amazon and Disney joining Netflix to feed their content-hungry audiences.
- It’s Getting Hot in Here. The climate crisis is shifting away from a hypothetical/existential threat into a very real lived experience. Scorching temperatures and extreme weather are driving consumers to face the reality of a world changed by this crisis. And they’re leaning on solar punk, survival skills, and sustainability to combat it.
- Times of Crisis. There are too many reasons that a consumer might be stressed or overwhelmed (or worse) right now. From COVID to racial injustice to increasing violence to the frustration of paying more to get the same things, consumers are at their wits’ end. They’re turning to history to get some perspective, stoicism to help get through it, and manifesting to imagine a better future.
The summer season also includes many bookselling occasions, with a key focus on authenticity and impact.
- Mother’s Day and Father’s Day: Brands and content creators can help consumers tell their parents they care (even more important after years of pandemic parenting!). However, stiff competition from IRL experiences as the world opens back up makes this a more challenging sales win. Also, remember to be sensitive to consumers who don’t celebrate these holidays.
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Brands and content creators can help consumers meet this moment by showcasing authentic representation, honoring the diversity within this vast cultural and ethnic umbrella, and helping to make real change for consumers who are demanding it.
- Pride Month: Don’t just talk the talk, but learn from brands that have helped make a real impact for the LGBTQ+ community.
- Juneteenth: In its second year of mainstream recognition, Juneteenth presents an opportunity both for companies to make good on the promises they made in 2020 and for consumers to hold companies accountable if they’re falling short.
What Is Moments?
Moments is a quarterly report that highlights a series of macro trends to illuminate the consumer mindset for the upcoming quarter. Ideally, these trends fuel new marketing, sales, and even editorial opportunities that follow the readers’ lead, based on what they’ll be thinking and feeling. The Consumer Insights team creates Moments using a diverse array of trend sources and sales analysis; they also collaborate with backlist sales experts and the metadata team.
If you have a current or backlist title that aligns with one or more of these trends or occasions, contact your marketing team for suggestions about ways to reach and engage consumers with relevant content from your book.
Grant Griglak is Director, Consumer & Marketplace Insights at Penguin Random House.