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The New York Times:

"Unrelentingly fascinating ... a diligently researched tome chock-full of counterintuitive facts and findings that may radically alter the way you see the present, the future, and your places in both ... Microtrends is the perfect bible for a game of not-so-trivial pursuits concerning the hidden sociological truths of modern times."

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Business Week:

"Delightful and fast-paced ... Penn's central premise is that the Internet, changing lifestyles, and other factors now sliver the world into hundreds, if not thousands, of groups. A breezy, entertaining consideration of niche groups within America."

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Financial Times:

"Riveting ... imaginative ... Penn is as much a business consultant as he is a political junkie―a symbiosis that helps explain why so much of his book is so original. Penn's thesis is that change in today's world is driven by small trends that are started below the radar and which creep up on us unexpectedly. The era of megatrends belonged to the Ford economy, which offered mass produce and limited choice. Today's world is characterised by Starbucks which offers hundreds of potential combinations to its finicky customers."

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"The ideas in this book will help you see the world in a new way." - Bill Clinton

"Penn has a keen mind and a fascinating sense of what makes America and the world tick, and you see it n every page." - Bill Gates

"It's not often that I read a book and every page is money! This book may have more ideas about what is going to be big in the next ten years than any I have ever read. You ought to get it." - Jim Cramer

Bill Gates, Tony Blair and President Clinton are among those who have listened closely to Mark Penn's analysis. In Microtrends, you'll understand why so many influential leaders have sought Mark Penn's counsel.

Penn argues that the biggest trends in America are the microtrends, the smaller trends that go unnoticed or ignored. One million people can create new markets for a business, spark a social movement, or effect political change.

In 1996, a microtrend identified by Penn ("soccer moms") was crucial in re-electing President Clinton. With years of experience as one of world's most highly regarded pollsters, Mark Penn identifies the new microtrends sweeping the world:

Impressionable Elites:

Wealthy, educated people who are more interested in personality than issues when it comes to electing our President. It's regular Americans who are watching the issues – in fact, the eggheads have become jugheads, and the jugheads have become eggheads.

Office Romancers:

Almost 60% of U.S. employees have had an office romance, up from just 47% in 2003. The office is the new singles bar. This has huge implications not only for people's social lives, but for workplace policies and the evolution of work and family.

Southpaws Unbound:

The number of left-handed people in America has doubled in two generations. This certainly means new business opportunities for the makers of everything from Blackberrys to can openers, but it also says something profound about the new liberal trend in American parenting.

Video Game Grown-ups:

Moms over 45 are one of the fastest growing group of computer game players. Do video game packagers know who they're dealing with?

Mark Penn highlights everything from religion to politics, from leisure pursuits to relationships. Microtrends will take the reader deep into the worlds of polling, targeting, and psychographic analysis, reaching tantalizing conclusions through engaging analysis.

About the Authors

Mark Penn was dubbed "the most powerful man in Washington you've never heard of" by The Washington Post. Mark Penn is the worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller. He was pollster to President Clinton in his 1996 re-election campaign, and has been an adviser to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, numerous corporations, and 25 foreign heads of state.

E. Kinney Zalesne has served as a White House Fellow, Counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, and Executive Vice President and President of two national social-change organizations.