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Bringing you the hottest at the intersection of emerging tech (AI, 5G, digital currency, metaverse, Web3), inclusion, and mass media/entertainment news. All in one place, to help you save some time!

The best curation and analysis of the intersection of branding, pop culture/hiphop, and emerging tech

Trend Research

Brief on important emerging trends that most senior executives are missing and how to take advantage of them

special joint-research on tech trends with findings to be released during 1st Quarter 2022

UN Report

Commissioned by United Nations High Commissioner On Refugees to research and create findings on how popular culture trends and conversations begin and become entrenched. Goal of document is to be used to make the refugee conversation more contemporary and relevant so that the situation is alleviated.

The Future Of Storytelling

Solid insights to help you run your business are always critical, but in turbulent times such information becomes even more important. The future is full of opportunity, and we will all pull through this, though it may take a bit of time; but the most important element in moving through and out of a crisis is thinking in new ways to provide true value for our colleagues, industry, community, state, country, and the world. It is this type of approach that will define the new level of leaders.

American Marketing Association - Report/White Paper

Commissioned to research and write entire report with white paper companion for the American Marketing Association, Washington DC chapter to support and educate its members.

Crisis: Media, Tech & Inclusion

Media visibility, especially as it pertains to the tech industry, is dangerously low when it comes to inclusion of women of color. Topics, guests, and more are nearly non-existent.  It's now at crisis level. Indeed, it took 9 months for even Darnella Frazier's name to be mentioned in the media (only due to the trial). Frazier is indicative of today's women of color: bold, armed with a tech device known as a smartphone, driving change, yet nearly anonymous, with little or
no wealth to speak of yet whose consumption patterns and...

Trend predictions

Lauren writes about Universal Basic Income becoming a larger talking point in the U.S. narrative based on her research piece for Forbes in March.
Also touches on this trend as part of her directives to track all things regarding cashless payments while being interviewed on Randi Zuckerberg's XM Sirius Radio show in April. Just months after, goes right to the top with U.S. 2020 president candidate Andrew Yang making UBI part of the center of his platform and turning the volume up on it boldly during his CNN debate appearance in July, 2019.


3 years ago Lauren wrote about what would become a rising concern around AI "deep fakes"

In 2021, the "deep fakes" (aka Digital Twin) of Tom Cruise and other spark concerns Coleman predicted earlier.

Lauren tells attendees during a Zoom event that she believes brands will start to use backdrop "real estate" in new ways and this area will also be sold as sponsorship. In a couple of week, Burger King announces that people who use Burger King as their backdrop will get free burgers.
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Lauren discusses how, in the Lnk Trend Blog, gatekeepers of the former era are being questioned, ridiculed, and pushed out to make way for entirely new types of thought. Within 30 days "The New York Times" uses the same theory to demonstrate the demise of Vogue's Anna Wintour: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/business/media/anna-wintour-conde-nast-coronavirus.html
 
Lauren questions the sustainability of Quibi's business model even though founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is touting its success, Less than a month later Katzenberg confesses to the New York Times that subscribers are not flocking nearly as much as he thought they would and blames everything on the COVID-19 pandemic even though streaming video numbers are up to historical highs. https://moguldom.com/278772/with-1-8b-in-investment-video-streaming-platform-quibi-founder-jeffrey-katzenberg-blames-flop-launch-on-covid-19/
 
In January 2020 Lauren says that Magic Leap will not become the consumer brand it set out to be. In March 2020, the company announces the closure of its consumer division: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/22/magic-leap-announces-layoffs-amid-covid-19-slowdown/
 

In 2013 Lauren is asked to speak at one of the first Social Media conferences in Washington, DC at a special event hosted by DC Web Women. She speaks about social "hijacks" and "fake representation" as a major trend to watch. In 2019, the concept of "deep fakes" takes hold even touching the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
See details here

Lauren writes about Universal Basic Income becoming a larger talking point in the U.S. narrative based on her research piece for Forbes in March. www.forbes.com
Also touches on this trend as part of her directives to track all things regarding cashless payments while being interviewed on Randi Zuckerberg's XM Sirius Radio show in April. Just months after, goes right to the top with U.S. 2020 president candidate Andrew Yang making UBI part of the center of his platform and turning the volume up on it boldly during his CNN debate appearance in July, 2019.

Lauren identifies a trend of lack of trust in "authority" in her book in 2012 and how it will affect larger cultural tug-of wars. On February 8, 2015, NBC's "Meet the Press" concludes that the larger trend of lack of trust in "authority" is the main drive behind the anti-vaccination movement in America.

Lauren is asked to speak at the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit on September 30, 2015 about Disruptive Trends for 2016. She indicates one of the top 3 to be a surge in Hip Hop Culture content distributed over current but unusual players that will overtake much of entertainment and social conscious conversation in America. This will be due to, in large part to, the large number of Millennials and their demand for new types of content coupled with the fact that 47% of Millennials are of color. By September 16, 2016 companies from Pepsi Studios announce an unprecedented deal with rapper T.I.'s production company, "The Get Down" begins to Air, rap artist Michel'le is set to debut a series on Lifetime, a network which also now distributes "The Rap Game." And FX, of all places, picks up "Atlanta" (about the Atlanta rap scene). On the money trend call!

On January 20, 2015 Lauren is asked to give a keynote at Destination D.C.'s Global Marketplace event where she indicates 3 new trends in travel for which all hospitality professionals should begin to prepare. Among the shifts and opportunities she mentions are that of hotels becoming live event destinations, particularly for the Millennial audience. In October 2016, Marriott announces a partnership with TED Talks for events at the hotel chain.

Lauren writes piece on Apple Music Launch citing the mlillennials probably won't pay for the service and that the trend is not right for this product in June, 2015. Read

In October, Forbes declares that "Apple Music Has Failed" Read

August, 2015 - The Center for Media Justice releases study that shows that "the Internet is shaping social change, and social change is shaping the Internet" and entitles it "Digital CultureSHIFT." Lauren talks about the fundamental and symbiotic relationship between a new cultural mindset and technology platforms during a ground-breaking taped keynote presentation at both Digital Capital Week and a fall meeting of DC Web Women, as well as a within a thought-piece in Medium. She also coins the title Digi-Cultural Trend Analyst as a description of her work via her site in 2013.

Lauren identifies the power of the television program and notes it's cultural important in an investigative piece in "The Daily Beast" in May, 2015 which includes the observation of a rise of characters of color at the same occurrence of a rise of police brutality against people of color and the meaning of the social direction. Jonathan Van Meter mysteriously comes to the same conclusion in the September issue of Vogue in his piece on "Empire".

In 2013, Lauren predicts the end of fashion logo status as the Leaderful era expands and people self-determine, in 2015 "Washington Post" reports that Gucci and other luxury brands are suffering due to logo fatigue and customers wanting to reflect individual taste, rather than confirmitiy.

Lauren talks about the power of the emoji and future communication as sole manner for Millennials as almost a form of encryption in May 2014 on her Comcast show. June 2015 Norwegian airlines announces emoji only email address.

Lauren forecasts the rise of personal encryption in interview with Scripps , for abc.com in Feb, 2014. In March, 2015, Washington Post reports plan by Yahoo to help users encrypt their personal emails.

Lauren talks about the future expanse of beacons, including museums, here, Harvard museum announces use of iBeacons.

Lauren forecasts new developments in a race model in her February "Pop of Digi Culture", FBI director scheduled to make historic address on race now.

Lauren talks to Randi Zuckerberg on her SiriusXM show about top 3 trends to watch for the rest of 2019


MobilMag

Lauren recently produced and hosted a powerful event on "Emerging Tech & Entertainment" View the multimedia recap here: