Redefine: Stylus Innovation Forum

A flurry of new approaches to innovation emerged from Insights & Influences: Redefine, the Stylus Innovation Forum held at the Soho Hotel in London this week (April 24).

The forum, which explored the influences redefining the consumer lifestyle, consumer product and consumer engagement industries, brought together senior members of the Stylus team and high-profile speakers from a range of industries, including British designer Christopher Jenner and Stephen Barber, co-founder of Futurebrand Labs, part of global branding firm Futurebrand.

Recurring themes included the rise of a bold and entrepreneurial teen generation, which has grown up with technology as a mother tongue, and the need for quiet, contemplative spaces and uncomplicated objects in design. 

David Birch, director of UK-based IT management consultancy Consult Hyperion, considered the future of mobile payments by tracking the evolution of embedded and attached payment systems such as the Barclaycard Paytag, a credit card sticker that converts a mobile phone into a contactless payment method. Birch stressed the importance of integrated payments, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and “smart pipes” to drive growth.

Meanwhile, Helen Job – director of fashion and lifestyle trends at District MTV, a digital platform for pop style – presented key insights into engaging Millennials through music. Time now for brands to harness the social power of live music and enable curation and collaboration, Job argued. 

A second Stylus Innovation Forum is due to take place at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City on 1 May. For more on the global forces impacting consumer lifestyle, product and engagement, see our new cross-sector Industry Trend Redefine.