All you demographics watchers out there, add a new term to your vocabulary: "hiving."
Sounds odd, doesn't it? Read on. Yankelovich, a marketing consultancy that tracks consumer attitudes, has
identified a new trend in American living.
Borrowing from the metaphor of a beehive, abuzz with activity, hiving represents engagement, interaction and connection with the outside environment.
Although Americans have indicated increased anxiety and uncertainty about the future, they seek comfort and connection with others. And more so than ever, this begins in the home.
"A hive is a home
designed to open out and facilitate connection," said J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich. "Since 9/11, there has been a lot of publicity about the return to home. It has been described as the
new cocooning. But the return to home pre-dated 9/11 and cocooning is not the appropriate metaphor for characterizing the ways in which people are returning home."
Unlike cocooning, a term used to
describe how Americans retreated to their homes to disconnect from the rest of the world in the late 1980s, the hiving phenomenon engages and connects people. The Yankelovich MONITOR shows a renewed
and rising interest in connecting. Across all generations, family is more important than ever. People see more value in community. Through hiving, home is the best place to reestablish relationships
and reconnect with others. Home is command central for this new lifestyle, Smith said.
Trends that demonstrate hiving and Americans' need for greater connection through the home:
Popularity of
Trading Spaces, Trading Spaces Family, HGTV and other programs that offer tips and ideas for making home a more inviting, stylish living space Rising interest in neighborhood watches and
neighborhood traffic control Wireless phone companies selling 'family plans' to keep family members connected Stricter policing of work/life boundaries Popularity of board games and ping
pong tables Development of lifestyle villages Increase in DVD sales and rentals Any thoughts on where the Web fits into the hive?