Interface: Marian Salzman

Consumers are a fickle and utterly unpredictable species. How can operators better understand their behavior?

By Derek Gale, Associate Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 2/1/2007

Marian Salzman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at advertising firm JWT Worldwide in New York City, is a leading trendspotter and author of several books about trends, buzz and consumers. Known for popularizing such words as "wigger" (white suburban hip-hop fans) and "metrosexual," Salzman’s latest work (with Ira Matathia), "Next Now: Trends for the Future" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), looks at social forces that shape this era while examining trends and concepts that could take hold in the next four years.

Q. What makes a trend a trend?

A. Positive momentum. You see what I’m doing, adapt and modify it yourself. It then becomes part of you: You see it as something you’ve adopted and embraced. It’s something I copy from you, you from me, and the next person copies from both of us, and we keep personalizing.

Q. Which consumers should be watched most closely?

A. Muslims. I think they’ll wield increasing influence in the marketplace. I don’t think they have been or that we have realized they have been, but they will start to going forward. There’s a lot more interest in halal food, thanks to the size and vibrancy of the Muslim community in the United States. Five to seven percent of all Americans are Muslim. That’s half the size of the Latino population, and look at the emphasis we’ve been placing on the Latino population for a decade.

Q. What’s next in eating? Which consumer trends will have the greatest impact on the foodservice industry in the next few years?

A. The first thing you’re going to see is a rise in the number of people who retain foodservice companies to provide them with in-home cuisine. I think the whole category is hitting a tipping point. I live in southern Connecticut, and for $31, I can have three meals and two snacks delivered to me daily. For $25 per person, per day, I can get three meals, premade, that I just heat up. A number of people do this because it’s healthful, but also convenient.

Also, more and more people will be turning to breakfast as a meal eaten out of the home, as a place to socialize, because it’s cheaper, and also because it’s a very talkable meal.

Q. What else is on the horizon?

A. I also see a push back against excessive consumption of alcohol. We’ll see more socializing over "breaking bread," while cocktails will become more premium: a less-is-more idea, like sharing a wonderful bottle of wine versus having four cocktails.

We’ll see single-person dining as a trend for restaurants—welcoming the single person into that environment. We’re becoming more comfortable with going out on our own: We’re a more antisocial, more mobile society. And almost a third of the adult population is not partnered. Restaurants and chains need to recognize that. So you may see the Bennigan’s of the world really embracing that.

New forms of ethnic foods will take off. Indian food is going to be explosive. And there’s a lot more curiosity about Africa than ever before, so maybe Ethiopian food as well.

Q. What food item is the next sushi, and will it be relevant for consumers of all classes?

A. Tandoori. I think you’re going to see Indian food circulate across society, and you’ll see people comfortable with that experience.

Q. What foodservice brands are well positioned for the present and future?

A. Subway. Not because it is "fresh" at all—I think the fresh message is lost. They are touting that, but people still remember the calories message. They still remember Jared—he is the unsung hero who taught us fast food could be healthful. And it’s tasty: People don’t have a bad experience [at Subway].

Brands such as Panera Bread also are going to have an interesting run, now that we’re off Atkins and back to trusting bread again.

Q. Knowing what you know about consumers, if you could start any type of business, what would it be?

A. A personal security company. I think people are increasingly nervous and worried. They want an expert to consult to ensure whatever they are doing is safe—from the route their child uses walking to school, to the route they choose for their commute, to a safer way to prepare meat.