Strategic Marketing Consultant

“We should try to be the parents of our future rather than the offspring of our past.”

- Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936), Spanish essayist, novelist, poet playwright, and philosopher

“One individual with one good idea can trump an entire network of thousands who don’t have an idea”

- Dan Wieden, Founder Wieden + Kennedy

Futurist Consultant & Keynote Speaker

David Houle

I am a futurist consultant and keynote speaker on the future and global trends.  I am asked, in this time of incredibly rapid change, to provide strategic consulting, to suggest ways that companies can adapt and adjust to the changes confronting them today and in the years and decades ahead.  Companies often bring me in periodically to spend a day or two to lead discussion with top management regarding how best to take advantage of the forces and trends that are reshaping markets and the world.

I call this process "futuring".  Together with top management we look at where the company is today, the future trends that will reshape the world, how they will affect the marketplace and then how the company might better face this future. I have helped companies completely rebrand and redirect to better face  the future and rapidly changing marketplaces.

In this process I strive to be a catalyst to reach a breakthrough idea or strategy. One that might in the short term of months to years or long term of decades, create great value for individuals and companies alike.

Predictions
As a futurist I am often asked about predictions or forecasts I have made that proved to be accurate.  That is a fair question.  Here are some forecasts and predictions I have made, and the dates when I made them.

Prediction                                                                        Date made
-Oil would reach $125 a barrel in 2008                        April 2006

-With this increase in oil price GM would put Hummer
 up for sale and sales of SUVs would plummet            April 2006

- Major city newspapers would start to go out of           June  2006
   business within 3-4 years, smaller city papers
   would do well

-Barack Obama will be the next President                    November 2007

-Obama would win with 53% of the vote and the
 Democrats would win 60% of both the Senate
 and the House                                                                  July 2008

-The sub-prime problem would show that the
  financial marketplace was now global and the
  problems would become global                                    August 2007

-The "Big 3" U.S. car companies would be the
  Big 2 or even 1                                                                May 2008

-After the Beijing Olympics, China will face a couple
 of years of economic and social disruption                   August 2008

-Future Economic Forecast - The Next 24 Months       October 2008

-Thrift will become the new cool in America. It will be   October 2008
  hip to be thrifty.  Thrift will replace extravagance for
  the next two years at least.

-Complete genetic mapping for individuals will cost
  $1,000 by 2012                                                                September 2008

-Netbooks will be the fastest growing segment of
 computer market and will reach at least 25% of laptop
 sales in 2010                                                                     September 2008

-There will most likely be deflation in the U.S. for the      November 2008
  next six months

-In 2009 some 3,000 - 5,000 car dealerships in the       November 2008
 U.S. will close

-The financial decline of professional sports 2008-2012  December 2008

-Unemployment in U.S. will top out at 9-11% in second
 half of 2009                                                                           January 2009