CUTTING EDGE RECON

Exploring the bleeding edges of cultural and technological change

STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE REQUIRES ONGOING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS THAT ARE DRIVING CHANGE

SCOPE OF WORK

This project aims to sense change well before it’s in the news.

Through exposure to the cutting edges of cultural and technological change, we can amplify our ability to identify important shifts that will take place in U.S. society and culture in the future, and thereby influence how Mercedes-Benz adapts to those evolutions.

PROJECT ACRTIVITIES

• Social media listening

• Avant Garde interviews; ongoing interviews with culture & tech experts

• Research immersions in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York City

• Culture Vanguard meetings; on-site interviews with people moving tech and culture forward

• Futures Forum roundtables in SF/NY/LA to discuss and evaluate insights with local culture & tech experts

PROJECT OUTCOMES

• Robust documentation of research outcomes.

• Assessment of what these Future Signals reveal about changing attitudes or values within American culture.

• Description of insights in terms of specific implications / actionable opportunities for Mercedes-Benz

• Specification of how key topics will inform the global research roadmap for the following year.