Mike Berland

Mike Berland is nuts… or at least that’s what I thought when I first hosted him on this very show years ago. He claimed to have developed a tool that analyzes what has cultural momentum, and therefore what the future likely looks like. But after he kept predicting trends using his “M Factor” analysis, I knew he was onto something. (It was also a bit creepy!) I ask him what 2023 has in store for us.

 

 

Mike Berland, Penta Group

Berland is the founder of Decode_M, recently acquired by Penta Group. Formerly a heavy hitter in the political arena he has lead strategy and polling for President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Mike Bloomberg, and others. In 2012, he became CEO of Edleman Berland (now named Edleman) and later founded Decode_M.

 

The M-Factor

Deocde_M, now a part of Penta Group, applies physics to culture. Mass X Velocity = Momentum. Their proprietary algorithm uses this idea to generate an “M-Factor” for any culture idea or brand. They do this by analyzing all publicly available information from social media, blogs, news, and publicly accessible data looking for 5 main drivers that determine the score. Disruption, Innovation, Polarization, Sticky-Issue, and Social Impact.

 

What has momentum going into 2023?

Berland explains why 7-Eleven will be the surprising brand winner of 2023 and ideas that have momentum you can tap into. He tapped into ____ big ideas that will drive your brand to be successful in 2023 in a time of run-away inflation.

• Help customers save money for your products instead of using credit.
• Move from whimsy to clear function. Demonstrate clear value.
• Get your brand ready for the stakeholder economy.