Topics to Watch in the United States for August 2016
Discover “the next big thing” to inspire product and creative development.
CONTENTS
Many of this month’s Topics to Watch celebrate cultural diversity in the US—particularly in the diversity of its cuisine. With foodies getting creative and street food entering home kitchens, we’re seeing exotic staples grow up or take a turn to the experimental. So we’re excited about this month’s mouth-watering search for the next big thing in creative and product development, as passion for international foods takes hold over feeds (and feeding).
Adobada
With the continued rise of Mexican fine dining and the recent popularity of Mexican celebrity and reality TV chefs, it's not surprising that appreciation of Mexican cuisine has blown past the days of Taco Tuesday into lesserknown dishes. Enter Adobada (or Adovada), a common preparation in Mexico that typically refers to pork marinated in a spicy red sauce and made with a blend of chillies, spices, vinegar and herbs. Like shawarma, versatility has fueled its growth—we're seeing preparations with lamb, shrimp and quinoa (of course!).
Associated Topics: Avocados, Burritos, Drinks, Enchiladas, Potatoes, Spicy Food, Tacos, Tomales
Conversation Volume
Who's Driving the Conversation
Documentary photography
Documentary photography—which captures real life, from landscapes to world events to the everyday— is now part of public consciousness. In the past year, many photography organizations have hosted contests, workshops and fellowships highlighting human causes, maybe explaining why attention has turned to Middle East war photographer Thomas Dworzak. Meanwhile, the National Park Service announced a job hunt for a photography position once held by iconic landscape photographer, Ansel Adams. All point to a desire for boldness, humanity and honesty in art, even in wedding photography.
Associated Topics: Black and White photography, "Boston, Massachusetts", Chicago, Illinois Fine Arts, Michael Manning, "Seattle, Washington", The Ansel Adams Gallery, Thomas Dworzak, Weddings
Conversation Volume
Who's Driving the Conversation
Who's Driving the Conversation
Dosa
America's love affair with Indian culture in film, TV and comedy has extended to food. Case in point: dosas. Similar to a crepe, but with a more complex flavor from fermented batter, a dosa can range from the length of a plate to the length of an arm. While dosas are a staple of the often vegetarian South Indian diet, US cities are embracing their own local heroes, such as NYC's highly publicized Washington Square Park street vendor. Given that the classic style is gluten-free, we believe this is a food item with staying power!
Associated Topics: Chinese Food Indian Food Mumbai, India Mysore, Karnatake Pancakes, Recipes, Restaurants, Spicy Food, Vegetables
Conversation Volume
Who's Driving the Conversation
Who's Driving the Conversation
Mompreneur
Embraced by many and rejected by others, the term “mompreneur” refers to business owners balancing the role of mom with the role of entrepreneur, often from home; the term can also refer to moms who have built businesses around market gaps they identified while raising their kids. Despite controversy over the term, support for mompreneurs is growing, and we see that happening via brand sponsorships, features on VC-funding reality shows and an onslaught of local support groups and meetups around the US.
Associated Topics: "Atlanta, Georgia", Black Girls Rock! Inc., Children Cupcakes Entrepreneur, Internet Marketing, "Las Vegas, Nevada", Makeup, "Miami, Florida", Social Networking
Conversation Volume
Who's Driving the Conversation
Who's Driving the Conversation
Shawarma
The word "shawarma," derived from the Turkish word for "turning," can conjure images of a rotating block of meat on a vertical spit. One shaved, thinly sliced meat is heaped into a wrap with tangy condiments. Today, the versatility of shawarma meat seems to have propelled shawarma from its long-held status in the US as, hall we say, a "late night" street food to a feature in the home cook's repertoire. We've picked up on tons of chicken-based recipes and growing experimentation, like shawarma egg rolls and pizza. Purists beware!
Associated Topics: "Bucharest, Romania", Chickpea, Cucumbers, Hamburgers, Olives, Recipes, Restaurants, Spicy Food, Vegetables, Yoghurt
Conversation Volume
Who's Driving the Conversation
Who's Driving the Conversation
Yin Yoga
Yoga lovers may have uncovered the perfect antidote to today;s fast-paced, always-on-the-go mentality. Yin yoga is a slow practice with poses (asanas) held for five minutes or longer for a more meditative experience. Founded by martial arts expert Paulie Sink in the '70s, yin yoga (like Forrest yoga) is being practiced today as a counter balance to more rigorous, fast-paced practices, like vinyasa yoga. Houston has its practices, like vinyasa yoga. Houston has its fair share of offerings, including one on a paddleboard, while Seattle hosted a class with real, live bunnies.
Associated Topics: Chakras, Dancing, Energy Healing, Forrest Yoga, "Houston, Texas", Massages, Paulie Zink, "Seattle, Washington", Tai chi chaun
Conversation Volume
Who's Driving the Conversation
Who's Driving the Conversation
Source: Based on Facebook internal data, US only, August 2015-2016.
About Topics to Watch
Topics to Watch are conversation topics that have shown early growth patterns similar to previous topics with long-term growth (such as kale). Because the conversations around Topics to Watch mirror the volume, variance and measures of past conversations that have shown long-term growth, we predict Topics to Watch will continue to grow in the future.
Based on early testing, we found that 8 of the 10 topics we identified in the past grew as predicted.