Disney just released Tangled, its 50^th animated film. The film is also Disney’s latest animated feature that follows the fairy tale tradition and/or features a princess character. However, this could be the last of a long and storied line of such Disney films, as the company ponders a reinvention of sorts. Disney is now hinting that it is ready to deviate from “princess” films, fairy tales and musicals – and move more emphatically in a different direction, a direction that is tailored more toward action themes, masculine characters and boys’ preferences. This shift in thinking may be due (at least in part) to a desire to directly compete with the wave of highly profitable live-action blockbusters that have captivated both kids and adults alike in recent years.

About ten years ago, Disney launched its Disney Princess franchise. Disney Princess has been extremely successful from a commercial standpoint and has grown into a huge consumer products and experiences franchise. So, taken in a vacuum, it certainly appears that Disney is capitalizing on the power of traditional girl appeal.  It should then follow that any counter-movement from the company would seem almost wholly counter-intuitive. However, we always caution our clients and readers to consider possible counter-trends that may occur in response to (or in spite of) established trends. In this case, we may be seeing the underpinnings of a newly-emerging trend toward a not-so-subtle masculinization of girls, whereby boys’ preferences with respect to certain media or product categories are considered paramount and more universally appealing – and thus more lucrative.

Several media, game and toy companies will likely follow suit, and may already be doing so. If this dynamic were envisioned as a Venn diagram, it might look something like this:

Marketers may identify the most profitable segment with real critical mass as the segment where boy-oriented products overlap with products that have universal appeal. In essence, the assumption is that girls are far likelier to engage in male-oriented themes (action, sports, etc.) than boys are to engage in female-oriented themes, which traditionally include softer characters like princesses. So, the first marketing consideration would be the desire to avoid alienating the boy market with any new releases. Add to this that girls as young as young as 5 or 6 are increasingly placing more importance on their appearance and social status – and thus not viewing things like princesses as “cool” – and you have a profound undercurrent of social change brewing.

Other Topics to Consider:

The far-reaching effects that title IX legislation has had on gender balance in collegiate athletics is also relevant here. Proponents suggest that such legislation has simply expanded opportunities for females in competitive athletics over the last four decades. However, opponents argue that those new opportunities have arisen at the expense of funding male athletic programs where there is more inherent participation and interest. Regardless of where one stands on the issue, it is clear that more women are encouraged and able to participate in activities that were once deemed as predominantly “male.” Girls once considered “tomboys” for playing sports are now considered to be just as feminine as their counterparts. Thus, widespread social acceptance of girls liking “boy” activities, products and media could be an important consideration.

Also consider that many boys who once relied on athletics as a vehicle for releasing aggressive energy are now being forced to harness those energies – often unsuccessfully – in academia where they are increasingly failing, dropping out and/or being diagnosed with myriad behavioral disorders.

As a separate (but similarly relevant) consideration, recent research indicates that women are primed to be more attracted to strong, aggressive, typically-“masculine” men when selecting a casual mate or dating partner – yet they become more attracted to sensitive, intuitive men when choosing a long-term mate or father to their children. Within this area of research is an intriguing study that examined how women are more immediately attracted to men who display “masculine” scars, but that they view those same men less favorably when selecting marriage partners. Will a potential increase in androgynous characteristics among members of both genders affect these long-engrained principles of attraction?

Broader Implications:

What are the long-term repercussions of all of this? For the last several years, observers have asserted that male culture – particularly urban male culture – in the U.S. is becoming increasingly “metrosexual” (i.e., adult males – and sometimes even adolescent males – are spending much more time focusing on their appearance, fashion and beauty than ever before), and therefore more feminized. Will both of the aforementioned trends (feminization of many male adults; masculinization of many female children) continue? And if they do continue, would they truly constitute opposite trends, or are they actually signaling the same dynamic? Perhaps, similar to the centrist movement we often see with political ideology, greater percentages of those that encompass both genders are moving from the extremes (i.e., displaying traditionally strong gender tendencies) toward a more amorphous middle. It will be interesting to consider whether much of this is being driven directly by marketers who have a financial stake in shaping these markets and behaviors – or whether this is more the result of an organic evolution borne out of the reinforced behaviors in today’s social environment.

In a recent Working Paper, Jared Weiner highlighted the evolution of  several personal, professional and sociopolitical venting outlets.  From all of our research, we have seen several factors leading to what we call “the reinvention of venting.”  The reinvention of venting is profoundly changing social, political and cultural expression.  What it means to express oneself or share opinions in an open forum is shifting dramatically – thanks in part to the enormous growth of social media.

This trend is putting a spotlight on the realization that consumers (or people in any context) will be resourceful in finding ways to channel built-up energies into any readily available outlets.   Look, for instance, at the newly-popular YouTube video entitled “Target Ain’t People” by the group MoveOn.  Angry at Target’s donation of over $150K to a conservative candidate for Governor of Minnesota, a flash mob descended on the big box retailer and … sang!

In the end, the real story is that organizations and individuals have no place left to hide. They are made visible in the new wave of documentaries, like Michael Moore’s “Roger and Me” and “Sicko,” to Robert Kenner’s “Food, Inc.,” or in demonstrations like the rise of the Tea Party, or in the countless websites that comment, expose and attack. Venting is being totally reinvented, and that will change everything from human resource management, politics, law, international relations, board governance, marketing and business practices to individual and organizational reputation.

Storytelling is as old as human history.  Traditionally, we have thought of all stories as having a beginning, a middle and an end.  But it appears that the non-linear approach is becoming more common in the world today.  The popular filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, exemplifies this approach in his movies.  Back in 2000, his film Memento told the story of a man whose memory does not exist.  The film’s events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives – one in color, and the other in black and white. The black and white sections are told in chronological order, and the color sequences are told in reverse chronological order.  In Nolan’s most recent film, Inception, non-linear storytelling forces the audience on a journey through a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through many levels of dream invasion.

But this trend is not only true in storytelling and movies.  The idea that there are definitive beginning, middle and end stages to an individual’s life is also shifting.  People are now more likely to quit work and go back to school or retire and then take up a new career than ever before.  As we have seen over and over again, life is less and less likely to follow a linear path.  This will only become more common as the average life span grows longer. The move away from a linear life path for younger people is partially reflective of their expectations that you can invent your own story, choose your own endings, and not wait until the end for rewards.

It is possible that in the networked world in which we now live, and in which connections are now made in a web-like pattern as opposed to a straight line, we will continue to move away from linear narratives in many aspects of our lives.  As children and youth, with their more malleable brains, develop in an increasingly networked world, it does not seem unreasonable to assume that they will be comfortable creating and functioning in a culture where non-linear narratives are the norm.  If young brains start out processing information in a non-linear fashion, then it may be possible that growing up in a networked world will encourage the brain to stay with that sort of processing.

An increasingly non-linear path in the life cycle will add to the difficulty of raising a family, which is already increasing as a result of the incredibly dynamic culture in which we live.  Individuals, lacking a norm or standard to compare themselves to at various times in their lives, will question if they are doing the right thing at the right time.  In the workplace, boredom is likely to increase for those who can’t stick with a linear narrative.  The gamer generation will require the re-framing of tasks so as to inspire them and allay their boredom and disinterest.  This will present a challenge to managers unable to adapt to the non-linear approach.  Schools, too, must make changes – the old methods of teaching do not reach, or prepare, students living in an increasingly web-structured world.

And just as all of us may be increasingly confused in the world in which we now live, confusion reigns in the lives of the young.  But what is also confusing is the way in which we define “youth” in the coming economy. Up through the last half of the 20th century, adolescence was viewed as an important life stage that marked the transition years between childhood and adulthood.  The modern life cycle came to contain multiple phases of youth:  infancy, toddler, childhood, adolescence, late teens and early adulthood.  What is emerging in the early years of the 21st century is a blending of these phases, and an extension of youth into what we might have considered full adulthood.

As the lines become increasingly blurred, absolute demarcations between populations and generations will no longer exist.  Demographic variables will be increasingly hard to quantify – lines become more nebulous.  Tangible definitions of household, income level, age, gender, race and ethnicity, employment status, religious affiliation, location, educational attainment, mobility, marital status, will all be inadequate for the nonlinear world into which we are moving.

Last summer, WEB authored an important working paper called The Transposition of East & West. Based on some relevant recent happenings, now is a great time to revisit the theme.

Issue Summary:

Currently,  we are seeing a two-way transposition of not only traditional Western values, traits, and characteristics on Eastern cultures (via “Westernization,” or “Americanization”) – but traditionally Eastern values, traits, and characteristics on Western cultures to an extent perhaps unforeseen in recent times. This bilateral shift is happening in profound ways. Indeed, not only is the world’s economic influence shifting, but core values – as they pertain to civil liberties, religion, education, and technology – are also in flux. Eastern cultures traditionally perceived as more conservative are opening up, while Western cultures traditionally viewed as more progressive are becoming more restrictive.

Putting a macro-lens on the economic portion of this theme, a 2008 report by the National Intelligence Council states among several relative certainties that between now and 2025, the unprecedented shift in relative wealth and economic power from West to East will continue. The report also states that the U.S. will remain the most powerful country in the world, but will be less dominant.

Recent Developments:

Updating this paper, we see that even the core Western tenet that is freedom of expression has been somewhat turned on its head with some important recent developments:

• Here in the U.S, there has been much attention given to the blurred issue of free-speech (or potential lack thereof) in the mass media with the recent South Park furor. There is also the recent resurfacing of the free speech issue — specifically within social media — among those serving in the military as it pertains to criticism of the government.

• Abroad, we have seen some surprising developments in the Middle East, where free speech (particularly as it pertains to religion) has often been quite restrictive. Hissa Hilal, a Saudi Arabian woman recently blasted Muslim clerics on live TV on a program called “Million’s Poet” — an Arabic reality TV program similar to “American Idol,” but instead based in expression through poetry. Hilal has obviously become a very polarizing figure from those who either applaud her bravery or criticize her outspokenness. Regardless, this type of issue would have been virtually unheard of in an Arabic country only a few years ago.

Consider Some Implications…

Implications of this theme are manifold. For example, in our original paper we discussed how many of the world’s largest consumer goods firms have begun adopting the process of “trickle-up innovation.” This entails creating entry-level goods for emerging markets and then repackaging them quickly and cheaply for sale in rich nations, where customers are increasingly hungry for bargains. While this concept is not all that new, it should be reemphasized in the context of this theme. Will execs at global companies fight to retain the more ingrained status quo, or will they embrace trickle-up innovation strategies?

Companies and organizations that operate globally will now have to navigate a new landscape when managing cultural norms within the global workforce, with global professionals, and among the global consumer market. Norms, values, and expectations have shifted. The terms “free market,” “civil liberties,” “innovation” and “gender equality” will be among the many that will no longer conjure up stereotypes of governments, populations, corporations or regions. East/West mixes of management, policymakers, board directors, committee members and marketers, designers and product developers will become extremely beneficial if any significant-sized entity wants to remain nimble and viable as it navigates through this transposition.