If there is one thing to be said about the passing years, it’s that they eventually become the framework of life. However, the beginning of each new cycle it is difficult to detach from some feeling of uncertainty of what is to come.
And even when we are optimistic about what is to come, sometimes perspectives can limit our enthusiasm. By playing at futurism and divination, without the intention of making concrete predictions, I would like to dismantle any angst towards the unknown by addressing the good and the bad that we almost surely being seeing throughout this year of 2018:
Official measures to counteract the American Tax Reform. In the next few days we will begin to see the official reactions of the Mexican government, to face the reduction of taxation for companies in the United States that could lead to a return of capital to that country and a drop in imports. The bad: Mexico is their second commercial partner, only behind China. The good: It is an opportunity to rethink economic policy, to consider other markets, etc.
Greater concern for the development and implementation of green technologies and energy efficiency. There are few who continue to doubt climate change given the demonstrations we have witnessed, and this will be a motive for more and more companies to start offering green alternatives to their products and services and to promote environmental conservation actions. The bad: An extra point for the thought police. The good: Without a doubt it is the right moment to begin those projects pertaining to environmental responsibility that you have been thinking about, because they could differentiate you from your competition; or you could get a good price for a personal domestic project.
Political spots, political spots and more political spots. As we already know 2018 is a year in which presidential elections will be held. In addition, senators, federal deputies and multiple local authorities will be elected. And the propaganda has not been left waiting, to the extent that a few weeks before the beginning of the pre-campaigns the media is already saturated … and there are still almost 6 months to go before the process ends! The bad: Surely we will see the escalation of tone, transforming into a dirty, dramatic he-said-she-said, which will filter to social media networks and it will be easy to find virtual political fights on virtually every thread. The good: The humorists will have cloth to cut from, it will be shown once again why Buñuel loved making movies in Mexico; but above all, it is time to express our will at the polls – hopefully in a reflective and conscious way.
Achievements of artificial intelligence in unsuspected fields. In 2018, we will surely see the application of artificial intelligence and deep learning in new fields that will extend the frontiers of our understanding as a species. The bad: The growing paranoia for the loss of human control, and substitutions in tasks that contribute greatly to unemployment. The good: Sudden advances and improvements in the quality of life and company processes.
This is just an outline of what this year could present to us and the message is to always remember that each coin has two sides. The fundamental thing is to observe from a distance, size things out and try to do the best we can.
That is part of our philosophy at Mijo! Brands: study things and find the best solution. We serve different clients, with different interests and different goals. Our purpose is to apply what we know and study what we do not know so that we can always obtain the best result; supported always by our multidisciplinary professional team.
Luis Estrada is a Web Editor at Mijo! Brands, a leading creative digital marketing agency with offices in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. Visit us at www.mijobrands.com or contact us here.