Rengen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer--and What It Means to Your Business »

Patricia Martin is president of LitLamp Communications Group and one of the nation's foremost authorities on the rising marketplace created by the convergence of art, entertainment, education, and business. Her clients include Discovery Channel, BankNorth, Unisys, MCI, Sun Microsystems, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the New York Philharmonic. In 1994, she partnered with the Microsoft Corporation to build the blueprint for what is now the Gates Library Foundation. Martin has been featured for innovative work in marketing in the Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Reporter, Harvard Business Review, and BrandWeek magazine. Seth Godin named her a Purple Cow-an expert who helps clients be exceptional. She lives in Chicago.

The good news: America is on the brink of a new renaissance.

The bad news: Many companies, the media, and even the general population still see America as an intellectual and cultural wasteland defined by reality television and fast food.

In this groundbreaking book, cultural specialist Patricia Martin challenges that presumption and argues that we are on the precipice of a major cultural renaissance. Who we are and what we care about is shifting-and a new set of imperatives, products, behaviors, and ambitions is emerging.

RenGen looks at the factors giving rise to this huge economic, social, and cultural shift, including:

• A growing desire to express new ideas and concepts aesthetically
• The renewed interest in learning fueled by the Internet
• A longing to find a new order amongst endless complexity
• Rising interest in enlightenment, evangelism, and reinventing oneself
• Increased concern about political, social, and environmental issues

Based on extensive research with cultural experts/resources-including 1,400 marketing executives, major foundations including the Wallace Foundation, cultural institutions such as the New York Philharmonic, and "culture scouts" in major cities-RenGen provides a lens through which you can recognize and leverage the sea change occurring in your city, community, and the marketplace at large.

Acknowledgments     vi
Introduction     ix
Preconditions for a Rebirth     1
Seeds of Change-How a Renaissance Begins     13
The Beautiful Mind     23
The Creative Personality     35
The Economics of the RenGen     53
The Mind's Eye-Meet the RenGen Aesthetic     83
Youth Culture     95
RenGen Spirituality     107
The Collaborative Context-How the RenGen Gets Things Done     117
The RenGen Company     123
The Catalytic People of a Renaissance     145
Second Cities of the Renaissance     163
What Will Rule in a RenGen?     189
The RenGen at a Glance     207
A Renaissance Timeline     209
Research Report: Are Marketing Executives Responding to the Rise of the Cultural Consumer?     213
Bibliography     223
Index     237