Marketers need to constantly be scanning the environment, particularly how consumers behavior; their wants, needs, and habits are critical to effective marketing. Consumer insights give marketers information such as product reviews, recommendations, complaints, competition, and many more valuable data points.
Even a year-in-review gives us insights and information about behavior. One great source is, of course, Google. Google processes two-out-of-three Internet queries made each day for an average of 3.5 billion search queries per day. These queries give marketers a snapshot of trends around the world and the research gives us a good idea of what people are thinking and wondering about.
People search for many things in life – we search for love, happiness, health, and search for answers to the questions of our times. We all wonder WHY. What did the world wonder “why?” about in the year 2021? In 2021 we searched about “how to heal.”
Trend categories:
- Together again.
- Entertainment, evolved.
- Powering Potential.
- Big moves.
- Life calculus.
- Sustainable living.
- Redefining normal.
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 in 2021 included doomscrolling, COVID-19, affirmations, sea shanties, mittens (remember Bernie Sanders at the inauguration?), body positivity, poet, vaccination, juneteenth, and much more.
What did you search for in 2021? And, what will you search for this year?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Before showing the Google results, poll students as to what they think the top searches were in 2021. Why those topics? Is this the same for different countries?
- Next, show the Google site and video of the top searches: https://about.google/stories/year-in-search/
- Monthly list of top searches is fascinating: https://about.google/stories/year-in-search-2021/
- 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 topic. What are the trends from that topic?
- How can these trends be used to develop new products and services?
- Debrief the exercise by listing the ideas from each team.
Source: Think with Google. Year in search 2021.
