This briefing from trendwatching.com is targeted to business professionals. We thought that in the current economic climate it would be of interest to know what they are thinking.

Generation G: That would be G for ‘Generosity’, not G for ‘Greed’

Has it ever been important for corporations to ditch the greed and embrace generosity? It’s something that countless individuals have already started doing, of course: giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving. And yes, we do realize that this month’s Trend Briefing is massive, but in this business climate, can you really afford not to spend some time figuring out how to get a little closer to your customers?

Sometimes big events and ongoing trends clash in a beautiful way, only to converge soon after. Consider the following:

Generation G – “Captures the growing importance of ‘generosity’ as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers are disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy—and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for institutions that care—the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers.

In fact, for many, sharing a passion and receiving recognition have replaced ‘taking’ as the new status symbol. Businesses should follow this societal/behavioral shift, however much it may oppose their decades-old devotion to me, myself and I.”

about: trendwatching.com is an independent and opinionated consumer trends firm, relying on a global network of 8,000 spotters. Our trends, examples and insights are delivered to business professionals in more than 120 countries.