When TH hit 1 Billion views last Thursday, the entire office was abuzz with excitement; it seems, however, that the buzz reached beyond the Toronto office all the way to the Costa Rican home of legendary Trend Hunter GoingLikeSixty. GoingLikeSixty, or "60" as he is affectionately referred to here at Trend Hunter HQ, wrote a true-to-form witty, refreshingly honesty and truly heartfelt post about this milestone on his blog that day; he is one of the few Hunters who has been with us since the very beginning.
Though I have yet to formally meet 60, online or otherwise, I have sent him a few nerve-wracking emails about his always-amazing trends in my early days as an Editor. The reason for my nervousness, of course, was his reputation as an icon here at Trend Hunter. GoingLikeSixty -- or Mark Van Patten -- puts the "boom" in Baby Boomer. Mark turned 60 in late 2007 after a solid year of writing for Trend Hunter. For those who know the history of Trend Hunter, 60 joined at a time when TH had a grand total of two employees: Jeremy Gutsche and Bianca Bartz. He rocked the Trend Hunter world with tons of articles on anything from Niche Nightclubs to Fashion LEGO Sculptures.
From then til now, 60 has amassed a massive portfolio of over 2,800 articles, gaining upwards of 16,000,000 views -- a huge step from his 1,000-view mark, which he was the first Hunter to hit. He still ranks in the top 10 Trend Hunters of all time and continues to write with the same hilariousness and sharp wit on his blog, aptly named GoingLikeSixty, as he did all those years for Trend Hunter.
Check out GoingLikeSixty's post on his Trend Hunter experience and huge contribution to our billion views here.
Trend Hunter Honors GoingLikeSixty
This Veteran Talks our Billion-View Mark, the Early Days of TH
Trend Themes
1. Baby Boomer Trendsetters - Opportunity to target and serve the growing market of Baby Boomers who have a strong influence on trends and consumer behavior.
2. Blogging as a Marketing Strategy - Opportunity for businesses to leverage blogging as a powerful tool to connect with their target audience and build brand loyalty.
3. Longevity in Digital Publishing - Opportunity for digital publishers to thrive and grow in the ever-evolving landscape of online content consumption.
Industry Implications
1. Marketing and Advertising - Disruptive innovation opportunities in leveraging Baby Boomer influencers and utilizing blogging as a marketing strategy.
2. Media and Publishing - Disruptive innovation opportunities in long-term digital publishing strategies and creating engaging content for the Baby Boomer demographic.
3. Technology and Software - Disruptive innovation opportunities in developing tools and platforms to enhance blogging functionality and analytics for businesses.