Trends For 2012: Media Pioneer On Making It Short & Sexy

To support a new initiative from Intel aimed at uncovering and supporting young Innovators, PSFK has tapped some of the world’s established innovative minds to share some insights into what young entrepreneurs should be on the lookout for in 2012.

Over the last few years a host of new technologies have become available that provide scalable, affordable services for flexible businesses. Serial entrepreneur, media pioneer and sustainability guru Graham Hill believes that there are key services that entrepreneurs can leverage to become hyper-efficient in their business. The founder of Treehugger.com, LifeEdited and We Are Happy To Serve You gave us three trends that start-ups should take advantage of in 2012:

1. Video Chat. The “we gotta get everyone around the table” approach just doesn’t make as much sense as it used to. Video chat can be extremely effective in making for good communication through the combination of seeing the other person, screensharing and simultaneous instant messaging. Why? Save a lot of money, lower your footprint (a single flight will generally emit 5-20% of your yearly carbon emissions) and avoid travel exhaustion by incorporating more Skype video into your life.

2. Sharing Systems. Leverage them for your business or start one! In 15 years, in many categories, ownership will be for suckers. Zipcar, Netflix, Airbnb, Toygaroo, Rent the Runway…these are just the beginning. Why? Access, as opposed to ownership will save you money, give you more options and space as well as reduce your carbon footprint.

3. Short+Sexy. Figure out the core of what you are trying to say and do it in an extremely short and compelling manner. Why? If we can learn one thing from twitter and viral videos, it’s that in a world of distraction and short attention spans, you need to keep it tight and make it memorable.

Thanks Graham!

Sponsor note: PSFK has partnered with Intel to bring you insights and trend predictions from some of the world’s established innovators. But 2012 is a new year, and Intel is on the lookout for the next great Innovator. Intel’s expert panel will award one Innovator $50,000 and one Fan will win the right to determine which Innovator gets another $50,000, the proceeds of which will be used by the Innovators to bring to their great idea to life. If you think you are the next big thing, PSFK encourages you to submit your thoughts on Intel’s Facebook page.