The Dream Economy—designing for success in the 21st century

Abstract

After the eras of the Commodity Economy, the Manufacturing Economy, the Service Economy and the Information Economy, we have now entered the era of the Dream Economy. In the Dream Economy, success in the marketplace is not only about meeting people's practical needs, but also about meeting their aspirations and providing a positive emotional experience. The key to success is an in-depth and holistic understanding of people—their needs, their hopes, their fears, their aspirations, their dreams. This paper gives an overview of the Dream Economy and includes a series of case studies illustrating companies who have succeeded through a deep understanding of consumers and the delivery of an offer that meets their needs and desires at a deeper level. An anthropological framework for in-depth understanding of people is given and eight trends are identified, describing issues that are influencing their requirements both now and in the future.

Keywords:

• Four pleasures
• Lifestyle trends
• Experience
• Strategy