In a recent discussion on BNN Headline, innovation speaker Jeremy Gutsche gave a wrap-up of the most promising trends in marketing from 2012—and weighs in on what he thinks will be big in the year to come.  As the founder of Trendhunter.com, one of the world's largest trend spotting websites, Gutsche is constantly evaluating the most popular innovations. He then uses the crowd-sourced data he acquires from his site to predict what will be big in the future. One of the most important changes in marketing, according to Gutsche, is that brands are realizing that they are more than just a company. In a new digital age, he argues that brands are media.

He says that engaging the customer is becoming increasingly more important in marketing and a brand has to go beyond simply presenting the product to their clientelle. "One of the biggest trends in adverstising is a real push toward conversational media," he explains, "and actually finding ways for brands to engage with the actual audience through content." It then becomes a two-way value exchange, the Exploiting Chaos author explains in the interview. Rather than being presented with an ad asking the customer to buy a product, brands need to reach out and create real relationships with their customers by offering value in exchange for brand loyalty. Whether on television, his website, or on stage, Gutsche is one of today's most trusted guides for finding the next big thing.