Nigel Goodwin & His Top 20 Trends

Nigel still doesn’t know what to do with his life.  But in the meantime, he’s having a hell of a good time.

Nigel travels throughout the Asia-Pacific region, writing and publishing business case studies for the Richard Ivey School of Business.  Prior to this gig, he worked as a management consultant with the Monitor Group in Canada, the US and South Africa, and also consulted to the United Nations Development Program in New York City.  He craves innovation, culture and international travel, and could happily spend the rest of his life living out of a suitcase.

He is currently wandering somewhere near the equator, in the far east, looking for the next big thing.

TrendHunter.com/nigel

The following is a list of Nigel Goodwin’s 20 most popular trends.  If you would like to join Nigel Goodwin with your own Trend Hunter portfolio, Sign-Up FREE.

Nigel Goodwin’s 20 Most Popular Trends

1. World’s Most Expensive Homes

The world’s most expensive homes sell at fantastic prices—some in excess of US$100 million—and those prices are rising ever higher.

New wealth is being created around the world, affluent buyers are increasingly willing to cross borders to find the homes they want, and residential real estate… [More]

2. Saudi Sex Changes

If you don’t like it, change it.

That’s what five women in Saudi Arabia have done.

The conservative Islamic laws of Saudi Arabia place significant restrictions on women’s freedoms. Women are not even allowed to drive or go to public places without male relatives.

Tired of being second-class citiz… [More]

3. Invisibility Cloak - For Real!

If this works, it’ll be the greatest invention in history and the coolest gadget known to mankind.

Researchers at Duke University and Imperial College London have developed the blueprint for an invisibility cloak. The Harry Potter-style device would hide objects so well that they’d be undetectable … [More]

4. Pet Fashion

My dog’s too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan. And he does his little turn on the catwalk.

Pet fashions have become big business. A year or two ago pets were fashion accessories (a la Paris Hilton), but now they have fashions of their own. Major retailers now produce lines of clothing and accesso… [More]

5. Pimp My House

At the recent Smart Home Show in Birmingham, UK, high-tech home designers showed off the latest ways to pimp your house.

Designers can add mood lighting, TV, DVD, music, surround sound, CCTV and so much more, and control everything from panels placed in strategic locations throughout the living spa… [More]

6. Tracking your Teenager (with a GPS phone)

Disney is lauching a new service in the US to allow parents to monitor how their kids use mobile phones. Parents will be able to keep track of voice, text, video and picture messages and set limits on their kids’ calls.

And here’s the kicker: the phone will allow parents to locate their children vi… [More]

7. Plastic Surgery Vacations in Colombia

So much for coming back with a tan. How about coming back with a new nose and larger breasts? Book a vacation in Colombia and you can pick up some souvenirs you won’t soon forget.

Travel agents and plastic surgeons in Colombia are promoting their country as a destination for both vacations and body… [More]

8. Scarlett Johansson Ties Up with Reebok

Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has signed a deal to create a new line of clothing and footwear with Reebok.

The Scarlett Rbk line will feature t-shirts, track jackets and hoodies and will appear in high-end department stores and boutiques next spring. Johansson will also be featured in Reebok’s … [More]

9. Girls Gone Wired - Technology Gender Gap Closing Fast

Forget the shoes and the diamonds, buy her a flat-screen TV.

A recent survey found that three out of four American women would prefer a plasma screen to a glittering necklace.

The survey, entitled (I love this) Girls Gone Wired, found that 77 per cent of women would prefer a plasma screen to a dia… [More]

10. Luxury Movie Theatre

At least one movie theatre owner—or exhibitor, as they’re known—is trying to lure consumers back to the big screen with a luxury cinema.

In 1946, the average American went to the movies 28 times per year; the number has since fallen to less than five times per year. There is simply too much c… [More]

11. Supersized Eva Longoria

It might seem like a mirage, but it’s not. It’s a publicity stunt for Maxim magazine.

In celebration of its 100th issue, Maxim placed a massive reproduction of one of its magazine covers in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas. The cover features bikini-clad Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria and r… [More]

12. Japanese Ear Cleaning

Get ready for a beauty salon with a twist: cleaning your ear canal, with full-color coverage on TV.

A small salon called Mimi Kurin (which means Ear Clean) recently opened near one of Tokyo’s biggest train stations. A therapist will clean inside your ears with a special tool designed to do the job… [More]

13. The Cruise Ship of the Skies

This sure beats economy class on a 747.

A privately-funded California firm is developing a new vehicle for air travel called the Aeroscraft. An airship the length of two football fields elevated by 14 million cubic feet of helium, the Aeroscraft has the potential to revolutionize air travel and add… [More]

14. Hollywood Films Available Online (Legally!)

Hollywood is embracing digital film distribution like never before. Half a dozen major studios have launched a download website, Movielink. Major movies will be available for download through the site. Users will not be able to burn the movies to DVD, except as backup copies, but the move is still s… [More]

15. Personalized Bobbleheads - Pretend You’re Famous! (GALLERY)

The macro-trend of personalization has scored again, and this time it’s personalized bobbleheads. You know, we’re talking about those little plastic caricatures of athletes and other celebrities with the big wobbly heads. They used to be mass produced and sold by the thousands (and they still are), … [More]

16. The Anger Bar - Smash Glasses, Rant or Hit Workers

Here’s a bar that caters to a very specific niche market—angry people.

The Rising Sun Anger Release Bar in Nanjing, China lets customers smash glasses, rant and even hit specially trained workers. The bar employs 20 men who have been given protective gear and special training. Customers can ask … [More]

17. Luxury Adventures in Thailand

Adventure travel has gone upscale, thanks to Four Seasons, the hotel company that “invented luxury for the modern traveler”.  For an exotic vacation that still offers a high thread count, check out the new Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand.  The camp is situated in the fabled locati… [More]

18. Virtual Golf at Home

The new Real World Golf game for PlayStation 2 lets you play a round of golf in the comfort of your own living room. With a foot-long plastic club attached to a motion capture unit, your swing will be mirrored by an on-screen player.

According to the BBC, “Real World Golf offers a completely novel … [More]

19. Destination Weddings: Something Different

Let’s be honest: weddings are repetitive. Just the same old show with different faces. So why not escape the local country club or community hall and find an alternative?

An all-inclusive destination wedding will make the experience more memorable and enjoyable for the bride and groom, and will pro… [More]

20. Action Advertising

Why just tell people what you do when you can actually show them?

Take this ad from Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” campaign as an example. Sure, the bus is plastered with the campaign’s regular ads—but check out the guy who’s actually dragging the bus.

Now that’s what I call walking the talk. [More]