As strange as it may seem, we are remarkably old-fashioned when it comes to trends. And contrary to many in the trends business who offer slick websites, provocative claims, customized jargon and dynamic speakers with garish clothes, our trends work is decidedly more humble. We prefer to make informed inferences - not predictions - based on a solid understanding of the past.

Only by truly understanding where consumers have come from, can we then begin to speculate as to where they are now, or where they are headed in the future.

So we rely on trained social scientists to study past consumer behavior in its cultural setting before moving on to inferences about the future.

Our trends work isn't designed to be sexy for the sake of entertainment and we don't waste time inventing new-fangled words to make ourselves look cool. Instead, our work has the unique advantage of being grounded in a deep understanding of the past with a foundation for knowing what will succeed into the future.