Everyone has a hero in their lives – and if lucky, they have multiple heroes from around the world. What did the world search for in 2019? Well, besides our usual searches for love, the meaning of life, and how to vote, the citizens of the world used Google’s search engine to keep current on topics including sports, celebrities, world events, food, entertainment, and more.
Google tracks searches on an individual country basis as well as globally. Lists are based on search terms that had the highest spike this year as compared to the previous year. Globally, some of the most searched for topics included the Notre Dame Fire, ICC Cricket World Cup, Rugby World Cup, Sri Lanka, Area 51, and Greta Thunberg.
Top searches in the U.S. also included the Baby Yoda, Baby shark, and the royal baby (plus other babies of famous folks). Canada’s top queries included the Toronto Raptors (and the players), plus plant-based diets, and Game of Thrones. Australia was interested in Cricket Australia, Rugby World Cup, as well as how to watch Game of Thrones.
Google processes two-out-of-three Internet queries made each day. These queries give marketers a good snapshot of trends around the world. This research gives us a good idea of what people are thinking, and what they like and need. Often, past trends can also be predictors of future trends.
Take a look – which of these topics did you search for in 2019?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Before showing the Google results, poll students as to what they think the top searches were in 2019. Why those topics?
- Next, show the Google site: https://trends.google.com/trends/yis/2019/GLOBAL/
- Discuss the importance of market research. What are sources that can be used? Why is tracking trends important?
- Divide students into teams and have each team examine a different Top 10 List topic. What are the trends from that topic?
- How can these trends be used to develop new products?
- Debrief the exercise by listing the ideas from each team.
Source: Google Trends. Year in search 2019.
