If you interview “mainstream” consumers about an idea that isn’t yet pervasive in their world, you’re probably going to see a bunch of scrunched-up noses. You could be asking about an innovative new product or an area for concept development – whatever it is, true mainstream consumers are rarely able to think ahead to what they might like in the future. “That’s weird,” they’ll say. “I don’t know anyone who likes that.”

Ask a “trendsetter” about these issues, on the other hand, and you’ll get a plethora of ideas and predictions. “Awesome!” they’ll say. “You know what I would like even more…?”

This is because trendsetters are hungry for what’s next, and are on the forefront of what’s coming. As a result, trendsetter research reduces the risk of rejecting a good idea.

In a full custom study, we try to talk to both trendsetters and then, later, the mainstream. Armed with the plethora of predictions we’ve collected from the trendsetters, we conduct a different kind of interview with the mainstream consumers, listening carefully for “whispers” of the same ideas that may have been “shouted” by the trendsetters.

Specifically, we are probing for underlying motives that will lead these mainstream consumers to adopt – or reject – the more forward trends. After all, not everything we hear from trendsetters will become a mainstream reality. The key to accurate prediction is understanding the mainstream’s barriers: do they reject the trend because of a soft barrier that could weaken over time? (Soft barrier example: “I don’t like to spend a lot on things like that.”) Or is the barrier deeply ingrained in their identity, suggesting they will never absorb the trend? (Hard barrier example: “Nobody will respect me if I do that.”)

By mining the trendsetters for ideas and then exploring the mainstream barriers, we are able to make accurate predictions about specific trends, innovation ideas, mindset changes, and more. The process works because it’s thorough and intelligent, rooted in essential truths about human behavior.