In our blog, we track global events and interpret their implications for brands and organizations through sociocultural insights. We stay ahead of the curve, focusing on what’s new and what’s next.
The paradox of online dating In an era where digital connectivity is at an all-time high, loneliness is paradoxically high, especially in early adulthood
On January 30, the Platform for Innovation in Marketing (PIM) celebrated TrendFest 2025. In honor of two decades of marketing insights, TrendsActive was asked
The recruitment agency YoungCapital launched its ‘Boost Your Boomer’ campaign, which imagines young workers donating their bodily fluids to create an energy drink that
According to psychology, loneliness peaks in young adulthood and late life, following a U-shaped pattern. The factors leading to social isolation differ significantly between
A bi-weekly newsletter in which we keep track of what’s going on in the world and translate based on our sociocultural knowledge, what this means to brands.
Kim Pillen
Consultant
Before Kim Pillen started as a trend consultant at TrendsActive, she worked for four years as a creative strategist at Dept. For brands such as Philips, bol.com, Beiersdorf, JBL, and the Consumers’ Association, she built (online) campaign, brand, and social media strategies. After four years, she decided that she wanted to better understand people and society in order to advise brands more effectively. That’s how she ended up at TrendsActive. Here, she can do what she loves most: digging into people’s needs and then working with brands to see how and where they can be relevant and meaningful.
Douwe Knijff
Researcher
Douwe is fascinated by how people work. With a background in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (Bachelor) and Psychology (Master) and an analytical mind he tries figure out how societal shifts manifest themselves through social culture and human behaviour.
Aljan De Boer
Keynote speaker
Aljan has been widely recognized as an inspiring professional speaker on the critical trends that will shape society in the decades to come. He works as the Head of Inspiration at TrendsActive, a trend consultancy from the Netherlands using social science to human-proof business decision for brands like
Disney
Vodafone
Hugo Boss
ASR
Rabobank
Next to his role at TrendsActive he is the Community Director at the Institute for Real Growth where he inspires and connects a global community of +400 CMOs.
He has been on the board of the Dutch Platform of Innovative Marketing for almost a decade. Regular speaker and moderator for the Dutch Marketing Awards and 3 times winner of the best of MIE.
Kees Elands
Founder & Strategist
Kees his purpose is to help ambitious leaders and brands to human-proof their business. In 2003 he founded TrendsActive, a trend consultancy enabling brands to become more human centric.
Kees consults global brands like
Disney
The Coca-Cola Company
Asics
Discovery Channel
Swiss Life
Vodafone
and many more.
Next to being the founder of TrendsActive, he is also initiator of the first academic trend master for executives at the University of Utrecht and is initiator of various trend studies and white papers on subjects like trust, meaning, visual culture & generations.