Generating Ideas
How do you identify the next big thing for consumer products or services? The following are some recommended starting points which enable you to keep on top of trends, ideas, language, buzzwords, etc.
Read daily and weekly newspapers and popular business magazines in print, in the Canaccord Learning Commons
Online trade magazines and newspapers will also help you get ideas, for example:
- Canadian BusinessPresents articles dealing with all aspects of business, management and industry in Canada.
- EntrepreneurArticles, interviews, business profiles, financing, marketing, advertising and legislative news of note aimed at the small business owner or those planning to start a new or additional business.
- ForbesFor corporate officers and other major executives in business interested in developing management insight through review of the nation's largest corporations.
- Globe & Mail Report on BusinessCanada's authoritative source for breaking business news and in-depth analysis.
- Inc.Presents articles on financial & personnel management, marketing, administration, sales and operations for executives & managers of small to mid-sized companies.
- International Business TimesAn online global business newspaper that provides news, analysis and editorial commentary on business and business-related stories.
- JSTOR DailyJSTOR Daily stories provide background—historical, scientific, literary, political, and otherwise—for understanding today’s often-confusing world. Articles are published based on fact and careful research.
- MarketWatchA subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company, MarketWatch is a a financial information website that provides business news, analysis, and stock market data.
- ProfitProvides management information and ideas, covers entrepreneurial successes and failures, profiles Canada's fastest-growing companies and explores political and social issues as they affect Canadian business.
Article databases allow structured searching of concepts or ideas (e.g. viral marketing, green business) to find current and geographically specific information.
Other Sources of Innovations and Trends
- CB Insights This link opens in a new windowThe CB Insights tech market intelligence platform analyzes millions of data points on venture capital, startups, patents, partnerships and news mentions to predict emerging technologies and trends.
- eMarketer This link opens in a new windowMarket research and trend analysis on Internet, e-business, online marketing, media and emerging technologies.
- Passport GMID This link opens in a new windowInternational statistical and market research reports for over 200 countries, covering consumer products and services, demographic and lifestyle reports and economic data.
- Warc : World Advertising Research Center This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles, reports and case studies on advertising. Includes advertising expenditure data. Can search by brand, advertiser, and agency.
- Canadian Patents Database (CIPO)Canadian patent records, 1869 to present; full-text documents starting with 1920 to present.
- Pew ResearchProvides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world.
- Population Reference BureauProvides U.S. and world data on population, health, and the environment.
- trendwatching.com. Trend Briefings.Tracks and summarizes consumer trends on a monthly basis.