Societal needs, driven by ever-evolving social, economic and political climates, affect new product demand and acceptance. A quick glance at even the recent past yields myriad examples of gathering trends and transformations that were missed early on by most marketers. For example, the growing concern around obesity was evident as early as 1996 if an examination of news articles alone had occurred. In fact, academics were sounding the alarm in the early 1990's.¹ It was not until five years later that the first announcement was made by the U.S. Surgeon General that obesity had become a national epidemic. These needs, in turn, have already affected the types of products and services that are available to us, who provides them, and where they are delivered.

• Concern for health and wellness and questions about what constitutes "health care" have given rise to everything from legislation against certain foods in school lunchrooms, to rising demand for organically grown products, to in-store medical clinics.
• Popularity of hand-held technologies, coupled with advances in digital media and storage, extends the use of cell phones and portable music players. The result is a vast array of mobile products and services, delivered to a "mobile class" that is unfettered by time or geographic constraints when it comes to the enjoyment of music, the consumption of news, or staying in touch with family, friends or work.
• Attitudinal shifts regarding the social contract between employers and employees continue as a result of high profile business struggles and failures. At the same time, debate regarding the role and relevance of government in retirement planning abounds, not to mention skepticism as to whether promises of the past can be kept. Entrepreneurial capitalism responds, tapping into a deep-seated do-it-yourself movement, driving development of new financial products, delivery methods and levels of service once reserved only for "the rich". The result is an "investor class" that suddenly comprises a majority of U.S. households.

So, new market and product opportunities abound and are waiting to be discovered using new ways of listening to the public in the context of the society in which they live.

In keeping with this marketplace dynamism, Knowledge Networks uniquely meets both the behavioral and attitudinal information needs of companies across a broad array of vertical industries, supporting information requirements at virtually every step of the new product development cycle.

¹ Lawrence, Regina G. 2004. Framing Obesity: The Evolution of News Discourse on a Public Health Issue. Press / Politics, 9(3) Summer 2004. Available on the World Wide Web.