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Originally printed in USA Today 2/18/13
Thanks to always-on wireless Internet connectivity and bigger, better TVs that reproduce pixel-perfect high-definition video, cocooning is entering a new evolutionary stage. Consumers are staying home more, watching movies delivered via cable, satellite, Internet or disc, eating in and transforming their apartments and houses into a shelter from the daily social storm.
This new level of super-cocooning is affecting Hollywood, professional sports and restaurants across the U.S. “Everybody is nervous, really nervous,” says trend forecaster Faith Popcorn, who coined the term “cocooning” in 1981. “I think we are looking for protection. Almost like the Jetsons, we want to walk around in a little bubble. We are moving toward that.”
Cocooning is not a new behavior. Born out of a mix of fear and fun, it became a trend identified with Cold War unease that led to stay-at-home entertainment such as the first home video game systems, rec rooms and the adoption of home swimming pools and trampolines.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a refocus on cocooning occurred. Homeowners lined their nests with media rooms and remodeled kitchens meant for entertaining. And in the last 12 months, with the July 20 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., and the Dec. 14 school shootings in Newtown, Conn., many have a heightened sense of unease. “We don’t feel too safe, and people are getting more and more nervous about being vulnerable,” Popcorn says. “Cocooning is going strong in 2013.”
An indication of super-cocooning comes from a recent JPMorgan Chase analysis of credit card spending. Consumers with Chase Freedom credit cards spent significantly more (65%) on electronics such as TVs and tablets during the last three months of 2012 than during the same period the year before, the firm found.
Overall, consumers spent 2% more during the fourth quarter of 2012 than a year before, but spent less on hotels (-21%), car rentals (-26%), restaurants (-16%) and tolls (-8%). “It does appear that consumers are staying closer to home,” says Phil Christian, general manager for Chase Freedom.
That trend is buttressed by the slowed growth in travel and tourism spending, from about 5% growth in the first three months of 2012 to 2.2% and 0.6% in the second and third quarters, reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in December.
On the plus side, movie theaters set a box office record of $10.8 billion in 2012. but overall attendance remained flat, according to Nielsen.
That’s in part because Hollywood is increasingly catering to consumers by getting films from theaters into homes more quickly via on-demand or pay-TV services. Among those who stay close to home, a subset of about 7% of U.S. homes with Internet access are inhabited by “heavy home entertainment cocooners,” says consulting and research firm Frank N. Magid Associates. They spend nearly $300 each month on pay TV, Internet service, video games, on-demand video, music, books, newspapers and magazines, says Magid.
These heavy cocooners are an affluent, racially diverse group: More than one-third (35%) make $75,000 or more annually. Whites make up 57%, Hispanics 22%, blacks 14% and Asians 7%, according to Magid. The firm conducted the nationally representative survey of 2,540 digital consumers in March 2012.
Even a large portion of digital consumers in the $35,000-$50,000 annual-income bracket identified themselves as heavy cocooners.
“The emerging cocoon of home entertainment is being led by a new, technologically sophisticated and more culturally diverse American consumer,” says Andrew Hare, senior analyst for Magid.
While pay-TV bills have risen about 6% annually, The NPD Group says, more homes are opting for higher-cost packages. About 23% of homes pay more than $100 monthly for cable-delivered pay TV, up from 19% in 2008, Magid found. Homes paying more than $100 for satellite pay-TV service rose to 14% from 10%.
But in other ways, the price of becoming a super-cocooner is falling. As the average price for an HDTV has plummeted, now about 88% of homes have one, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. And bigger TVs, those larger than 55 inches, cost on average $1,400, about 10% less than a year ago, The NPD Group says.
Consumers bought slightly more TVs last year than in 2011, with many upgrading to bigger displays, says NPD analyst Ben Arnold. “The move toward big screen is part of that (cocooning) story. You’ve got tons of content options. You’ve got TVs that connect directly to the Internet, so you don’t even have to get a DVD; you can call up Netflix or Amazon video services directly on your TV.”
There’s more HD content available, too, he says. “There are a lot of reasons to stay home and either watch movies or sports on TV. Picture quality has become better and better. Actually being able to see the event or see the game, one might argue that it’s a better experience than in person.”
Among recent TV buyers is Kornel Lelea of Hawthorne, Calif., who bought a new 70-inch Sharp HDTV before his annual Super Bowl party. Three other screens also had the game on, but the new set was the star attraction. “The technology is so much better. It has 3-D capability, the color saturation,” he says. “It is just beautiful.”
The 46-year-old L.A. housing inspector watches a lot of sports, movies, as well as the Discovery Channel. “With the (new) 70-inch now, it’s better than a movie theater,” he says.
And it’s safer, even for a guy who’s 6 foot, 2 inches. “I’m a big Dodgers fan, but the last time I was at a game someone was actually trying to get stupid with me,” he says. “I’m a fan, but I’m not going to lose my career or my life over a game, either, you know.”
Recent assaults at sports events have caught the attention of the public and fueled cocooning. A post-game stabbing occurred at the NFC Championship game in Atlanta last month. And in 2011, national attention was turned on Los Angeles after a San Francisco Giants fan was beaten at Dodger Stadium. The National Football League in 2008 enacted a Fan Code of Conduct; last season it toughened the rule by requiring fans kicked out of a stadium to take an online behavior-management course before returning.
While convenience, cost and quality of home theater were the biggest factors cited for staying at home, security was a concern for several others who responded to USA TODAY about the subject on Twitter and Facebook. “Why leave the comfort of my lazy boy (sic) when I can see/watch a HD football game?” wrote Nathan Tameling.
Said Dave Majewski of Columbus, Ohio, “It’s cheaper and more comfortable and safer.”
That is a growing consumer sentiment, says Tom Campbell of retailer Video & Audio Center in Los Angeles. He was surprised at the rate at which consumers began snapping up new $17,000, 84-inch Ultra HD televisions after LG Electronics began shipping them in late October.
“We called some of them back to ask, ‘Why did you buy it?’ We found out that with the ever-increasing violence at sports events people are becoming concerned about their safety,” said Campbell, who called several dozen customers. The three-store chain has sold more than 100 Ultra HD displays.
Other retailers also report an uptick in sales of larger-screen TVs, he says: “It’s beyond the cocooning we saw in the Jimmy Carter years.”
Sales of Sony’s first Ultra HD 4K TV, a $25,000 84-inch model that it began shipping in early December, have been “exceeding expectations,” says Sony Electronics Vice President Brian Siegel. “Over the last few years, consumers have been spending more time at home, and their expectations are increasing” for TV quality, he says.
Super-cocooning is making us less social, says analyst Michael Greeson of The Diffusion Group, a media research group.
Technology makes it possible for us to avoid leaving our homes — whether seeing a movie or getting food delivered — and, he says, it can lessen our connections with others.
“With all the information and entertainment at arm’s reach at home, why get out and meet up with a friend when you can chat on Facebook? Why go shopping for a book at Barnes & Noble when you can search through a virtually unlimited bookstore like Amazon and never leave your couch?”
Trend analyst Popcorn doesn’t see an end in sight for super-cocooning.
If anything, we will line our cocoons with more technology like the IllumiRoom that Microsoft showed off at the Consumer Electronics Show last month. Using a Kinect camera controller and projector, the IllumiRoom turns your entire room into a 3-D movie or game environment.
“You can see the evolution,” she says. “But it all comes out of the same thing: We’re people getting more and more nervous about being vulnerable.”
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She's the only person to receive an award from John Podesta's Center for American Progress, and a Liberty Medal for Lifetime Achievement from Rupert Murdoch's: New York Post. Fast Company Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business, The New York Times described her as The Green Power Broker and the Ashoka Foundation's Changemakers.org recently dubbed Majora Carter: "The Prophet of Local".
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Visit Peter Rojas' personal site, blog and work sitepersonal site
Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve will lift you into your Best Future.
Through Applied Futurism, we chart the Trends that will shape your business over the next two decades. We then weave the Future into the very fiber of your Brand’s DNA. Our unique approach enables us to Future-position brands by unearthing new customer segmentations and innovation adjacencies, inventing on-trend products, and forging powerfully Future-focused corporate strategies.
You can find Faith Popcorn's publications on Amazon.com. Just click the links below to order.
From Publishers Weekly
Marketing consultant Popcorn is in the business of spotting commercially significant social trends to offer appropriate product and policy recommendations to blue-chip clients like AT & T, IBM and Coca-Cola (she told the latter that New Coke wouldn't work). Here she organizes 17 years of brainstorming in quick and easy takes, concluding with the projection of a totally altered American affluence for the ' 90s. Under the business name of BrainReserve and backed up by such consultants as adman Jerry Della Femina, editor Grace Mirabella and farmer Frank Perdue, Popcorn and staff have developed refreshingly original concepts and a language of their own: Down-Aging, Egonomics. Popcorn's predictions include electronic shopping from home by "cocooned" shoppers and a children's crusade to force industry and government to restore the environment. "Anticipating a new reality is the beginning of the process of creating it," writes the ever upbeat Popcorn, whose book is a great place to start that process. Fortune Book Club main selection; BOMC and QPB alternates.
From Amazon.com Review
Heralded as "the Nostradamus of marketing" by Fortune magazine, Faith Popcorn is the premier trend guru; her national bestseller The Popcorn Report identified the business and personal trends that took off in the early 90's, from "cocooning" to "cashing out." Nobody has been more accurate in demonstrating how to profit from tracking the trends, and in Clicking, Popcorn describes how to CLICK into more recently identified trends to future-fit themselves professionally and personally. Clicking is an invaluable road map to the newest lifestyle trends. It's about possibilities, taking chances, and taking charge of the future -- now.
From Publisher's Weekly
Popcorn's futurist pronouncements on consumer trends are always newsworthy; her previous books The Popcorn Report and Clicking have drawn audiences far beyond those for most business guides because of her knack for predicting social trends such as "cocooning." Spiced with canny, sound-bite delivery, proprietary terms like "BrainTrust" and marketing savvy, Popcorn's latest will surely capture the same buzz. Her BrainReserve, a consulting firm that works with major corporations, now urges clients to cater to female consumers, who have unprecedented earning power and often make household purchasing decisions. Arguing that women shop differently from menAthat is, they respond to different stimuli and employ different standards in decision makingAPopcorn anticipates the need for many small shifts in corporate advertising. Among other things, she advises marketers to imbue their brands with emotional content, to cater to women's multiple roles, to anticipate their needs and to enlist their opinions about product design. Popcorn and coauthor Marigold illustrate their ideas with examples of new marketing strategies for major clients like Nabisco Snack Well's and Kitchen Aid, as well as with examples from other entrepreneurial ventures. Readers may be bemused by the book's self-referential tone: the BrainReserve lingo and the firm's strategic dress code give the impression of a private women's club. Despite the autohrs' rambling presentation and imposing tone (they tend to weight their pronouncements with upper-case descriptions, i.e., Anticipate, Everything Matters), readers who want to be tuned in to trends will find this a valuable source. Agent, Amanda Urban, ICM. 4-city author tour; national TV satellite tour; national radio satellite tour.
From Library Journal
Popcorn (EVEolution) is a prognosticator and marketing analyst whose Manhattan consulting firm, BrainReserve, advises companies like Campbell Soup and Eastman Kodak on trends in consumer interest. Among her claims to fame were predicting the failure of New Coke and naming the late-Eighties trend of staying at home "cocooning." Here, Popcorn and Hanft, who works in marketing and advertising and has contributed to Worth and Civilization magazines, gather about 1500 words and phrases that describe late-breaking phenomena and trendy concepts. The words and phrases are either gleaned from the press, TV, business, science, technology, and academia or fall under the heading "Dictionary of the Future Predicts," created by the authors to articulate realities not yet expressed in the language. Organized into 35 topical chapters such as "Computers," "Health & Medicine," "New Behaviors," and "Technology" are such future terms as "adulescent," which refers to the trend of baby boomer adults acting more like children; "ego surfing," looking yourself up on the Internet; and "food macho," meaning eating food others find objectionable.
Faith Popcorn hosts evenings of Future-focused discussion and debate with clients and commanding members of the FPBR TalentBank to propel companies to Future-proof their brands and develop new lines of business. Recent Salon themes included:
Our bespoke reports explore the Trends and Cultural currents both supporting and threatening your business. FPBR strategists host BrainBursts with client teams to develop action plans based on the knowledge and insights they discover. We focus on forces that:
These trend missives assess forces that are reshaping the Culture and opening opportunities for your brand. They not only explain what’s coming, they offer customized strategies for navigating emerging currents . FutureVision topics have included:
We introduce clients to inspiring and disruptive currents in the Culture by guiding them on trips to cutting-edge locations actually and virtually. Through TrendTreks, we are often the first to connect brands with Future-focused services, products, packaging, and personalities that inspire tectonic innovation. We’ve led Treks all over the planet, from China, Japan, Russia, and the UAE, to France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Recent TrendTrek themes included:
Contact us today to start planning your TrendTrek.
Few things will energize an organization like a talk from Faith Popcorn. She’s been to the Future and back and traveled the world to share her vision with the Fortune 200. Click the follow links to watch videos of some of Faith’s most recent TrendView talks.
Here are a few clips of Faith delivering her famous TrendView Speeches:
We use our innovative social networking platform, Voice of the Culture, to gain Future-focused insights from consumers across the globe. Participants can login any time and share anything text, photo, audio, or video. As a result, V.O.C. discussions are more candid and authentic, particularly during cocktail hour and after midnight, than you’ll get from traditional focus groups. We MC the proceedings and facilitate client engagement with the community. We analyze the results through the lens of our TrendBank to translate insights into strategy and action.
FPBR inspires and enables Brands to realize their Best Future today. We focus on brand positioning, strategy as well as innovation planning and execution across the marketing mix. By analyzing the competitive, consumer, and cultural landscapes through the lens of the FPBR Trends, we identify arenas where our clients can play to win. Our work will electrify your brand and amplify its opportunities.
If you knew everything about the Future, what would you do differently today? FutureScapes provide brands with trenchant insight into tomorrow’s Culture by analyzing Trends that reveal the FutureView of their category, industry, or products. We draw customized road maps that reveal new opportunities for growth and lead brands past their competitors to reach the Future first.
Culture is the new media. The road to Cultural relevance is one that every brand must travel, today and in the Future.
It is only through the Cultural space that marketers will reach consumers in the ad-less Future. FPBR’s proprietary InCulture Model allows our clients weave the DNA of their Brand into the DNA of their consumer's Culture.
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It's not too soon to create your InCulture Plan.The Future is always closer than it appears. Click here to view InCulture in action: the Gold Effie award winning Tylenol case study.
We’ve assembled a whip-smart coterie of more than 10,000 Cultural mavens, trend watchers, inventors, and innovators spanning virtually every profession. We engage these creative Futuristas to deepen our insights and whet our predictive practice. Sixty percent of the TalentBank is female, making it one of our most powerful sources for EVEolutionary insight.
Faith Popcorn, best-selling author of The Popcorn Report, Clicking, EVEolution, Dictionary of the Future, and upcoming, Popcorn Report 2020: A Leap of Faith. She is founder and CEO of Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, the futurist marketing consultancy she established in 1974. The New York Times has called her “The Trend Oracle," Fortune Magazine named her, “The Nostradamus of Marketing," and she is recognized as America’s foremost Trend expert. She has identified such sweeping societal movements as “Cocooning," “AtmosFear," “Anchoring," “99 Lives," “Icon Toppling" and “Vigilante Consumer."
As key strategist for Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, Faith applies her insight into cultural and business Trends to help FPBR clients reposition established brands/companies, develop new models and innovate. She is a trusted advisor to the CEOs of The Fortune 500 including such companies as American Express, Calvert Group, Campbell's Soup, Citigroup, Discovery Communications, Dunkin’ Donuts, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, KFC, Mars, SC Johnson and Tylenol.
With a documented 95% accuracy rate, Faith predicted the demand for fresh foods and four-wheel drives, as well as the spiritual tenor of the millennium with Cocooning. She was the first to anticipate the explosive growth of home delivery, home businesses and home shopping. Additionally, she predicted the rise of Social Media and has a significant following on Facebook and Twitter. Her FutureView, which focuses on how Trends are affecting consumer lifestyles and purchasing behavior, has been presented to thousands of audiences across the globe.
Heralded for her extraordinary ability to forecast emerging consumer patterns, Faith is frequently interviewed and cited in the media in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, “The Today Show," “Face the Nation," and CNN. Faith was raised in Shanghai, China, is a fifth generation New Yorker, and a graduate of New York University and New York’s High School of Performing Arts. She is a single mother and has two Chinese daughters, gg 14 and cc 7.
At FPBR, Ted has engaged his extensive branding and marketing experience across many critically challenging client assignments. Each has benefited from deft leadership, insightful judgment and unwavering commitment to A++ success. These include J&J’s LifeScan Division (Blood Glucose Meter Innovation); the turn-around of CitiBank; the re-positioning of SC Johnson from “A Family Company” to “A Company for Families”; Business and Brand transformation for Humana and WellPoint; The Future of Marketing for Procter & Gamble; Kellogg Corporation’s Global Corporate Brand Positioning; the development of ABInBev’s Global Trend Framework; Global Innovation for PepsiCo Foods; Business Transformation for WellPoint and Humana and the Bel Group’s (Laughing Cow Cheese) Global Positioning Platform.
Ted joined Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve from Gotham Incorporated, a leading New York advertising agency, where for 14 years he was Chief Marketing Officer. At Gotham he launched WebMD and E*TRADE, repositioned Priceline.com and grew agency gross revenues from $26 Million to more than $650 Million.
Prior to Gotham, Ted was a Partner, EVP and Director of Client Services at New York advertising agency Berenter Greenhouse & Webster. Here he launched category killer Bed Bath & Beyond and invented the Bailey’s Dream Shake, driving Bailey’s Irish Cream sales to over 1 million cases.
His clients have also included Digene Corporation (The HPV Test), Fidelity Investments, Frito-Lay, IMS Health, Liberty Media, MEDCO Health Solutions, Nabisco, Video Technology Industries and Yellowbook.com.
Ted began his advertising career as a copywriter. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Laura and 15 year-old son, Devin. His daughter, Danielle, is a Junior at Brandeis University majoring in pre-med/health science and public policy.
Nyla Mabro has been a senior strategist at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve for ten years, providing strategic analysis and creative problem solving for clients such as Coca-Cola, Mars Inc, Johnson & Johnson, Visa, Colgate, Wellpoint, Tom’s of Maine, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Tyson Foods and KFC.
Nyla started her career in advertising, working as an account director at D’Arcy London. Her experience ranges from packaged goods and frozen food to financial services and government recruitment. Nyla provided integrated marketing solutions for clients such as Procter & Gamble, McCain Foods & Capital One.
Nyla received her MA at Cambridge University, with a major in history. She lives in New York with her playwright husband Alex and delicious daughter Amalia.
Tiana brings her intellectual curiosity and passion for innovation to all of her endeavors. She prides herself in helping clients not only see the future, but also apply it to their business today. She has led key projects for FPBR in the Consumer space, including Johnson & Johnson—Future of Wellness; Quaker—Future of Breakfast and Dinner; Campbell’s—Future of the Good Corporation; Kraft—Future of Convenience, Future of Sustainability, Future of Challenger Brands; American Express—Emerging Model of Motherhood; PepsiCo—Crashing the Culture Trends, TrendCatalyst; RadioShack—FutureScape, Vision, Store of the Future; Splenda—Segmentation, Positioning, InCulture Marketing Plan; Longaberger—Segmentation, Vision.
She serves as a key FPBR moderator, leading discussions to draw out Future needs, desires and opportunities. These engagements have included topics such as, expert roundtables on Art or Commerce—the role for Brands in society, Beyond Green—the next movement in sustainability; and online communities about The Bank of the Future—how to connect with the next generation of Consumers, The Dark Side of Motherhood—the secret truths Moms never tell. She has also been a featured speaker at the Harvard Business School, J&J Pediatrics EVEolution Workshop and both Frito Lay’s Marketing and Colgate’s Global Innovation days.
Prior to FPBR, Tiana joined the WPP network through their MBA Marketing Fellowship program, starting with Ogilvy & Mather Planning in New York. On Kodak, she developed the framework for the Customer Journey™ from film to digital and helped create the 360° Brand Stewardship Toolkit, Ogilvy’s strategic approach to branding across consumer touchpoints. She then joined WPP’s Hill & Knowlton as Senior Manager of Special Projects. Her initiatives included managing the Global Cool Hunt, an anthropologic study of seven worldwide themes driving youth trends and leading the national roll-out of TribeSpeak™, H&K’s methodology for niche marketing. Tiana completed the Fellowship with Young & Rubicam’s BRANDBUZZ as a Director of Integrated Marketing, where she led the Burt’s Bees account to develop brand positioning and creative executions to launch a new marketing communication plan of community marketing, retail branding, print, radio, events and digital assets.
Before business school, Tiana worked with THINK New Ideas as an e-Marketing Strategist to build consistent brand identities across online and offline media for clients such as Yahoo!, Coca-Cola and TBS. However, she learned the marketing fundamentals with Procter & Gamble in a number of marketing roles including Customer Brand Marketing and Business Development. She focused her efforts on a wide range of brands such as Folgers, Sunny Delight, Tide and Pantene.
Tiana completed her MBA at Harvard Business School. She also graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School BBA program in Marketing / Information Technology and a minor in African-American studies. In her other interests, she is a former professional dancer / choreographer / costume designer and currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Michael and son, Maxson.
Ira brings to bear his more than 25 years in advertising agency management, as well as entrepreneurial experience, to his role as Principal at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve.
Ira began his career on the Procter & Gamble business at Grey Advertising and became the youngest Management Supervisor in the agency’s history.
He joined Chiat/Day’s fledgling New York office in 1984. In 1990 he became President of Chiat/Day’s Canadian operation. In three years he more than doubled the billings of the office and saw it named Strategy magazine’s Agency of the Year in 1991 and 92. Ira returned to New York as President of Chiat/Day in 1994. During his tenure, Ira helped realize Jay Chiat's vision of the “virtual office,” transitioning the agency to this revolutionary work style in 1995. He also made his first foray into the Trends space, with the formation of Chiat/Day’s Department of the Future (DOF), partnered with noted Trendspotter Marian Salzman.
In 1996 Ira became Chairman of TBWA Italia (merged with Chiat/Day under the Omnicom Group banner). By the end of 1996, he assumed full-time responsibility as CEO of the DOF, splitting his time between the European base and establishing a North American presence. Their book, “Next: Trends for the Near Future”, has been published in 14 different versions and nine languages. It was followed by three additional books, Buzz (2003), The Future of Men (2005) and Next:Now in 2007.
Ira holds a BA in Communication Theory and Media, and graduate work toward a Master’s Degree from The City University of New York (where he was also a Graduate teaching assistant). A newly minted empty-nester, he lives in Connecticut with his wife, two dogs, and the occasional (and much appreciated) drop in from his kids, now domiciled in Austin, Boston, and Ann Arbor.
Kathleen joined Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve in a support role in 1998. Currently, as Chief of Staff, her role is to serve as the primary strategic “liaison” for the CEO in gathering and synthesizing information from the leaders of all functional areas of the business (i.e., Consulting, Strategy, Trend, New Business Development, Finance/HR, Office/Administrative/Facilities Management) to insure and enhance effectiveness and communication throughout the firm.
She is a key player in organizational planning, policy development, change management and problem resolution. Kathleen serves as the “go to” person to gain insight on and access to Faith Popcorn’s interpretation of the firm’s mission, values, priorities and preferences in carrying out the day-to-day business operations of the company.
Originally from Massachusetts, Kathleen earned her BFA at the Boston Conservatory with an emphasis in Musical Theater. New York was a natural next step, and for Kathleen, leaving the whirlwind world of musical theater and joining the whirlwind world of BrainReserve was the next natural step. Married to husband Peter, mother of Cole and Sadie, she and her family now live in Verona, New Jersey.
Billie is FPBR's Director of Client Services and plays a critical role in the planning and coordination of all client assignments. In her quest to create a high-quality experience for clients, she works closely with all FPBR divisions to ensure consulting assignments are staffed appropriately and managed with a high level of detail and accuracy. Billie has worked on a range of client engagements, including: Avon, Calvert Investments, Citigroup, Cola-Cola, Campbell’s, Dial, Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, Mars, MasterCard, SC Johnson and Tyson.
Prior to joining FPBR, Billie was the Operations Director for Comstock, an international stock photography agency based in New York. She was instrumental in growing the company from a four person office to an international agency with over 150 employees with satellite locations in London, Paris, Berlin and Toronto. Billie first began in photo research and sales; managed all telecommunications and was promoted to Operations Director managing all day-to-day business for HQ.
Billie originally hails from Toronto, Canada but, bitten by the acting bug, moved to New York City and now feeds her passion for acting and singing in off-Broadway Theatre.
Angel is the Trend Director at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve. As Trend Director, Angel manages FPBR’s Trend Department and ensures that cultural insight and future thinking is at the core of all client deliverables. Throughout his tenure with FPBR, Angel has worked with clients such as PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson, Campbell’s Soup, Citibank and Frito-Lay.
Previously, Angel was a Senior Strategic Consultant at The Futures Company where he managed global qualitative projects, brand strategy, scenario planning and trend activation programs for clients such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark and Time Magazine.
Angel has a Master’s degree in Media Studies with a concentration in Visual Culture from The New School University and a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from The Fashion Institute of Technology.
In her role as Director, Business Development, Mary Kay is responsible for new business development, public relations and maintaining branding synergy between the BrainReserve consulting business and Popcorn Products, the licensing and new media arm of the company.
Mary Kay joined BrainReserve in 1986 as Faith Popcorn’s assistant. In that position, Mary Kay coordinated existing and new business and developed and managed Ms. Popcorn’s internationally acclaimed seminar on the trends affecting our future. She also assisted with public relations and the writing and publication of Ms. Popcorn’s three books, The Popcorn Report, Clicking and EVEolution.
Originally from Oregon and a graduate of Oregon State University, Mary Kay is married to Robert, mother of Max and Madison, and lives in Ludlow Park, New York.
Marc Kozlow is a Trend Analyst at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve where he is responsible for delivering valuable cultural information, critical analysis, and pertinent research for the client based projects and strategic deliverables. He acts as the company’s Culture Officer, managing and developing the Trends, Currents, and Manifestations utilized in FPBR’s strategic thinking.
Marc came to FPBR from Thrillist.com’s Events Division, where he worked as an Event Planning Assistant. Before Thrillist.com, Marc spent years developing DIY viral and street marketing plans for the Soundvine Collective, an Orlando collaborative group of artists, and his own music projects.
Marc graduated from UCF with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance. He moved to New York City shortly after graduating and resides in Bushwick.
Michele is the CFO at Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve and has been with the company since 1985. Under the direction of the CEO, Michele plans, monitors, coordinates and administers all functional activities and policies related to treasury and finance. She has seen the company go through quite a few changes and has played an integral role in shaping it into the company that it is today.
She lives at home with her two children, Tatianna and Justin and her 5 dogs, Bloomie, Chad, Maxie, Princess and Rusty.
She is an avid photographer and hiker.
Kirk is an accomplished writer and entrepreneur with extensive experience in digital content strategy, social networking, marketing and brand narrative definition.
After receiving his MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU, Kirk helped launch and run the video magazine FilmCatcher.com, serving as Editor and Chief as well as Community Evangelist. In 2008 he worked with Retailer Networks as a Digital and User Interface Strategist.
In 2009 Kirk was hired on as Director of Operations for the site Shustir.com, a social network aimed at small business owners. He oversaw content production, marketing campaigns and technical development of the site and accompanying mobile applications.
Kirk is a published writer, produced screenwriter and working stand-up comedian in New York City.
Lisa Parrish is the TalentBank Director at Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, where she provides strategic vision and direction for the global TalentBank of over 10,000 experts. In her role at FPBR, she effectively harnesses expert perspectives and opinions via interviews and round-table panels, and develops expert opinion analyses and cultural insights for client projects, consulting assignments, business development, press and speeches.
Surrounded by marketing and advertising as a child in Ohio (her father a marketer at IBM and mother, owner of an advertising agency where Lisa worked summers since she was 15), Lisa moved to San Francisco immediately after college where she worked at Foote, Cone and Belding. She spent two years there working primarily on Clorox and Levi’s. She then made her way to Los Angeles where she spent 5 years freelancing between Team One Advertising and Grey Advertising. At Team One, she was in charge of the Lexus Car Account and at Grey Advertising her main responsibilities were Edison, California Lottery, and Litton Industries. She also spent time at BBDO to fine tune their L.A. Cellular campaign.
In 2001, Lisa moved to New York where she co-founded and co-created a website called FinderGuy.com, an on-line finding service for Manhattan shoppers. All of her experience in advertising and marketing along with having her own business led her to FPBR where she focuses on seeking out (and interviewing) visionaries worldwide to join our goldmine of experts which is our TalentBank.
Lisa graduated from Duke University with a degree in both Sociology and Spanish, completing her Spanish Major through Duke University's Foreign Language School, Center for International Studies in Madrid, Spain. Lisa is proud of her years playing striker for Duke's Varsity Women's Soccer Team. Lisa continues to compete in soccer playing in the New York City co-ed league on their FC United team.
Stephanie is the FPBR human computer. She not only helped to build the company’s management systems, but also oversees analysis on client engagements. She leads resource utilization monitoring/projections, client contract administration and accounts receivable.
Stephanie is also the soul of the community organizing FPBR partnership with Big City Little Kitty animal rescue, baking vegan treats and mentoring first time tri-athletes.
She is currently studying Nutrition and Food Science at CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College.
Steven serves as the Personal Assistant to Faith, which, when you think of the schedule Faith keeps, is quite a job! Steven comes from a background of event coordination which he did for Intrepid Air & Space. There he oversaw sourcing and product services as well as coordinated everything from transportation to supply management. He has served as the personal assistant to a few other big names, but due to confidentiality agreements he can't tell us who!
Steven lives in Hoboken, New Jersey with his wife and son.
Robert Mertz is a writer and strategist at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, where he crafts compelling narratives to communicate the firm’s insights and develops creative solutions to position brands for success.
Robert was a senior editor at McKinsey & Company for more than a decade. In that time, he wrote for the McKinsey Quarterly and edited journals on sustainability and microfinance. He also worked with a range of practices—from electric power and insurance to organization and marketing—to develop publishing and content strategies and build the firm’s reputation.
Robert received a BA from the University of Michigan and a PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, both in American Literature.
Andy is the Executive Director of Brand & Product at Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve where he is overseeing a new business unit dedicated to creating a lasting legacy for Faith’s ‘Applied Futurism’ methodologies.
A kick-starter with over fifteen years at all levels of senior executive management, seven of which were in the top seat of creative and innovative start-ups within the technology, entertainment and sports industries, Andy has worked with everyone from musical artists such as John Mayer and Norah Jones to the biggest players in the NFL. He is known for his passionate leadership approach to building strong loyal teams and his ability to steer them to accomplish excruciating deliverables that WOW clients!
Andy is known affectionately as the 'PIXEL NAZI' for his obsessive attention to detail and beauty while bringing order and stability to fast-growth companies. He’s cataloged experience in every aspect of the product development process, from ideation to execution to branding to design to entry to market.
Motivated by insanity and always open to challenging himself beyond human capacity, BrainReserve is the premiere testing ground for seeing just how far Andy can go!
Originally from Brighton, UK, he moved to the states in ’93 and is the proud father of his cat Meg (17)
Jess Kimball began her career as a strategist and project lead for Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve and is very excited to be back home! Throughout her career, she has worked for clients including Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, Nestle/Stouffer's, Quaker Foods, Kraft Foods, Spotify, Oscar de la Renta, Delta Airlines and The Home Shopping Network.
Prior to re-joining the FPBR team, most recently Jess was recruited to open the New York office of the "anti-consulting" firm Takeout. Jess made Takeout known in the US for recruiting the luminaries of the entrepreneurial, artistic, academic, and journalist set to collaborate with clients on projects. Talent involved with such Fortune 500 client projects included Craig Newmark, Founder of craigslist; Naveen Selvadurai, Co-Founder of Foursquare; Clive Thompson of Wired and The New York Times; Soraya Darabi, Co-Founder of Foodspotting (and Fast Company’s “Most Creative Person in Business”); Paul Birch Founder of the $800M-exited Bebo (sold to AOL); Drew Patterson of Gilt Groupe and Jetsetter; Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker; Rafat Ali, Founder of PaidContent; Mike Geer, Co-Founder of Badoo; Noah Brier, CEO and Founder of Percolate, and many more.
In 2012 Takeout had a banner year, landing lengthy strategy assignments for clients as high profile at Prime Minister David Cameron (whom Jess and team created a social media strategy for), Thomson Reuters, and Samsung Electronics. Takeout also opened additional offices in Toronto, Berlin, and Paris. TechCrunch, Wired, and the BBC were among the media outlets to profile the up-and-coming company's 2012 successes.
Jess's thinking has been featured in a variety of print publications and is a social media guru; in 2012 Jess was quoted or profiled in Crain's, The Guardian, The New York Observer and The Huffington Post.
In her spare time Jess enjoys composing music and as an accomplished pianist, most recently scoring the documentary An Omar Broadway Film that was released by HBO in 2011. Jess also loves to buy different kinds of cell phones, stalk other people's golden retrievers and pat them, and draw superheroes with her stepson, Beckett.
Kate Newlin is a Principal at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve.
Kate Newlin is the author of Shopportunity! How to Be a Retail Revolutionary (Collins,) and Passion Brands (Prometheus Books, 2009). Shopportunity! was an ‘Oprah Selects’ and a Harvard Business Review recommended ‘book to read’ that year.
From 1995 to 2001 Kate served as president of Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve. With more than 25 years of business strategy and marketing experience, Kate has worked with a broad cross-section of Fortune 500 businesses, including McDonald’s, Pennzoil-Quaker State, Kraft, Hasbro, Cigna, GE Capital, Procter & Gamble, S.C. Johnson, LensCrafters, Waldenbooks (Kmart), Quaker, Hershey, Pfizer, Church & Dwight, Pepsi, Coke and many more.
She is credited with having developed the business strategy and product concepts behind the launch of Nabisco’s 100-Calorie Packs, resulting in a category-wide reinvention of portion controlled snacking and a $400 billion trademark. She also was integrally involved in the development of Bliss chocolates from Hershey’s, the regional expansion of Cheerwine soft drinks (one of the last family-owned and operated soft drink companies in the country) and the re-launch of South Beach Diet brand snacks.
Kate is a frequent speaker at retail and luxury marketing meetings and is often interviewed by trade and national media for her perspectives on the emerging marketspace.
Olga Bartnicki is a senior consultant for Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, where she collaborates with major corporations to develop brand and portfolio strategy, corporate visioning, and organizational and process design. She helps ensure that the unique “future proof” solutions FPBR creates have a clear, implementable path that links them with today’s business realities.
Olga is an entrepreneur with a solid operational background and passion for growing enterprise value through creative problem solving, and efficient operations. Ms. Bartnicki was Co-Founder and CEO of LiveLOOK, an online live help company.
Prior to LiveLOOK, Ms. Bartnicki served as CEO of MusicICON, an online music startup, which she took through Series A financing. Prior to MusicICON, Ms. Bartnicki served as COO of SafeScript, a division of an e-prescribing and call center company. In this capacity Ms. Bartnicki launched retail pharmacy and in-bound call center, and ran operations. Prior to SafeScript, Ms. Bartnicki served as Vice President at Allen & Company, a media & entertainment investment bank where she executed mergers & acquisitions, and performed due diligence on private equity investments.
Prior to Allen & Co, Ms. Bartnicki served as New Business Development Manager for a major European media & entertainment conglomerate where she launched new lines of business and turned around underperforming operations.
Olga earned an MS in Telecommunications from University of Colorado at Boulder, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
