In the world of popular music, certain entrepreneurs have a track record for recognizing local acts with the potential to become something that resonates far and wide—people such as Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, Chris Blackwell and Dr Dre. In sports, great talent scouts and managers spot young, raw talent on the block and can see its potential impact in the bigger game. Tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, for example, discovered and developed the talents of a stable of stars, including Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova.

Trendspotters are much like those talent scouts: They need a thorough, intimate understanding of their field; a worm's-eye, detailed feel for what's happening on the ground; and a bird's-eye understanding of the big picture. Just as important, they need to be tuned in to the mood and the energy of their field—sensitive antennae equip them to sense those subtle cues that are the early rumblings of something much bigger.

Great trendspotters are not merely passive, academic observers who pronounce, “This could be big,” then sit back and observe. Great trendspotters are part of the process. By crystallizing an insight and highlighting its potential, they make it more significant; they alert others to its significance, drawing attention to it. If the insight has identified a trend with real potential, the process becomes self-reinforcing. It becomes self-fulfilling.

In marketing, trendspotting is a relatively recent phenomenon. There have been great theorists of marketing, such as Edward Bernays and David Ogilvy, but they focused on the underlying structures of markets and persuasion rather than the dynamic flows of markets. Marian Salzman is one of trendspotting's most high-profile and consistent luminaries.

“My mission as a trendspotter is to join up the dots, to get people to notice what's there and get them talking about it purposefully,” explains Salzman. “And of course to help my clients factor the trends into their business.”