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This is an archive article published on December 13, 2009
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Opinion India’s future trends

Since 2001,I’ve started writing a white paper on India’s Zap86 generation. As time goes by,the trends that they are setting are becoming more evident.

Shombit Sengupta

December 13, 2009 12:55 AM IST First published on: Dec 13, 2009 at 12:55 AM IST

Since 2001,I’ve started writing a white paper on India’s Zap86 generation. As time goes by,the trends that they are setting are becoming more evident.

What’s a trend? Mirroring society’s uncommon micro movements,often rebellious,creates a trend that lasts in society’s collective consciousness. From American Baby Boomers to Elvis-the-Pelvis,Beatlemania,Hippies,Punks,Skinheads,they all drew powerful,defiant trends on society’s canvas. Such trends have influenced literature,music,science,philosophy,invention and art. The rebellious 1970s Punk movement changed hair grooming. Because civilised society could never think of sporting multi-coloured hair,the non-conformist Punks revolted with vibrant colours on hair that stood up with boiled sugar syrup,which when cold,kept the hair shiny and upright.

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This creative Punk achievement was ingeniously taken forward by L’Oreal. With masterpiece R&D and marketing,L’Oreal created hair colour as fashion that replaced hair dye. Skillfully translating a trend into business,L’Oreal marketed this Punk product invention as an art form. Today,even formal office wear accepts hair colour.

3rd BC to 21st century: To enter India’s Zap86 generation,let’s take a snap historical perspective. There was highrise in culture and trade from 3rd century BC up to 15th century AD. The new influence of Muslim culture from 16th to 18th century saw integration and further economic boost. British colonialism from 1757 to 1947 made Indians subordinate but created one India. Freedom turned to instability in the protected 1947 to 1991economy. Sudden technical change took place when economic reforms were introduced in 1991. The WTO ratification and the TRIPS compliance in the 21st century marked a new departure. Investment came from American and European multinational companies and corporate India innovatively took the opportunity to translate that to phenomenal GDP growth from 3.9 per cent in 2003 to 9.4 per cent in 2007.

Zap86: When our economy was liberalised in 1991,a new generation could be identified—those born after 1986. Five-year-olds by 1991,these children were old enough to consciously influence purchase decisions and only saw their parents’ open pocket when the economy was booming. They have no idea about India’s savings mentality,of the scarcity of choice in a protected economy. I call them Zap86,they flit from subject to subject,the way they zap TV channels. They are totally cut off from the Retro generation born before 1968 or the ‘Compromise’ generation born after 1968.

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The Retro generation has characteristics of saving,sacrificing,routine,finding security in a government job and suppressing thoughts of sex. The Compromise generation is Westernised with Indian values,good listeners and learners,has an unbalanced lifestyle,is investment oriented,and dominated by their Zap86 children’s demands. Zap86 has global thought and knowledge,speed of technology,sexual liberation,flirtation with jobs,code language and no role models. They influence all purchase decisions in every home. Their flexibility is visible in the tremendous success of call centres in India. A 22-year-old speaks Tamil at home,“Hinglish” with cosmopolitan Indian friends,and in the BPO,she chats in an effortless American accent about the basketball game in Cincinnati before commencing business.

The billion people trend? As trends change people’s mindsets and give rise to business,India can take the opportunity of generating a trend. Zap86 is a generation today that can become tomorrow’s trendsetter. There is a way to cultivate trends. Graffiti,for example,continues to spread as an art form from the trimes of the Ancient Greek and Roman Empire to today in spite of prohibition against defiling public wall space. Even established governments give credence to rebellious wall messages. India’s ancient architecture and culture,multi-community celebrations,fashion’s profusion of mix-and-match colours are treasures not yet exploited as trends to bequeath the world with. Instead,Western trends have subsumed us. India’s new departure after the economic liberalisation,WTO and Zap 86 has created several social breaks. But current brands and products are driven by,and targeted to,Compromise and Retro generations. Foreign companies like Sony,Apple or Samsung try to connect to Zap86 by importing Western trends. Harnessing the aspirations of Zap86 can drive Indian trends. The scope for industry to fill this gap ranges from automobile to two-wheelers,beauty products,fashion,food,music,literature,art and advertising.

Retro and Compromise generations have connived with India’s socio-eco-political circumstances to create Zap86,a generation that’s poles apart from theirs. Today’s 12-year-olds are tech-born,7-year-olds teach their parents how to Google. This future of the country needs fostering at both the workplace and society to unearth the radical new. Won’t you give them space to craft the billion people’s trends for the world to emulate tomorrow?

Shombit Sengupta is an international Creative Business Strategy consultant to top management. Reach http://www.shininguniverse.com