Authenticity remains a key desire today, with the proliferation of fake news, concocted media personalities and exposed misdemeanours across the board. Just take the #metoo movement, which recently rocked the foundations of Hollywood and continues to cause shockwaves in the public and corporate worlds globally.

Our appreciation of physical involvement in product and process grows as a result of wanting to be closer to the things we consume; tales of happy farmers and age-old processes are no longer enough as technology allows us to enter new worlds, bringing new meaning to ‘origins’ and ‘craft’. We value the specialist knowledge we can acquire and the skills we can build via these new channels, within cultures that increasingly value connection over possession.

In this new paradigm, it becomes increasingly essential for brands to do one of two things: to live as people with human voices, drawing you into their world - or to strip right back to a functional offer which provides real value to consumers without distracting branding. Either way, honesty and single-mindedness are critical, as we look to products and services that know our needs and celebrate our uniqueness. As we realise the true potential of instant connectivity, the power increasingly lies with the small, even solo, players who can interact with consumers on a more personal level.