More than ever before, our clients task us with the challenge of understanding what motivates consumers in very different worlds: Europe vs the BRICs; on-line vs off-line; social media vs old media; thriving elites versus struggling “middle englanders”.

These themes are picked up here by our Ipsos MORI experts.

Our latest technology trends chart the rise of the smartphone and the move to mobile applications dominating web use.

This leads to big questions about how much we know (or think we know) about communicating with consumers in an environment which is moving more quickly than ever, as supply chains get shorter and innovation faster.