CULTURE INDUSTRY
While most of today's market scientists have taken to scenarios and computer models to manufacture hits, EPM Communications president Ira Mayer and business licensing authority Karen Raugust forsook simulacra for historical analysis. The result, "The EPM Fad Study," fetches a princely US$295 and charts the life span of Pet Rocks, Rubik's Cubes, Nehru jackets, the Macarena, even mah-jongg. A good deal of the study is tautological, but it's not without its insights - including the four patterns described below.
For those hoping to kickstart a new craze, Mayer has unwavering advice: "Never set out to start a fad. A fad is something that starts out with grassroots appeal. You can cultivate it once it starts, but if you set out to start a fad, you'll minimize its appeal and even kill it before it happens."
True Fad Life Span: One year or less Top Sources: Toy/novelty, TV, dance/music, fashion Demographics: All Example: Pet Rock Cyclical Fad Life Span: One year or less at each spike Top Sources: Toy/novelty Demographics: All Example: Yo-yos Fad-to-Franchise Life Span: One to five years Top Sources: Toy/novelty, publishing, movies Demographics: All Example: Barbies Generational Fad Life Span: One year or less at each spike Top Sources: Toy/novelty Demographics: Children and nostalgic adults Example: Trolls
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