Is this the biggest marketing megatrend of the decade?

I’ve been thinking a lot about relevance lately. When you get down to it, having a great career, company, or brand gets down to one thing: fighting to be relentlessly relevant.

This means being keenly aware of what’s happening in the world and adjusting to “surf” the waves of change constantly crashing around you (see in my recent TEDx talk on this subject).

I’ve become a collector of shifts. I have a whole passel* of them.

*Passel. such a good word.

But there’s one new marketing megatrend that is so big, so important … dare I say overwhelming … that it will transform business and marketing in profound and unexpected ways for years to come.

And once I tell you what it is, I predict you’ll start seeing it everywhere. Ready? Here we go.

The whacked-out world.

Here are a few headlines ripped from the recent news:

• Doctors recommend that children over the age of eight get tested for anxiety.
• It’s nearly impossible to get a psychological counseling appointment in most cities. Appointments are booked out for months.
• An NBA player insisted on having mental health breaks included in his new contract.