Subject areaPersuasion
Also known asspirit of the age
Zeitgeist is a German word meaning «spirit of the age»: the set of ideas, tastes and sensibilities that characterise an era.
Johann Gottfried Herder was among the first to use it, in 1769, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's philosophy of history made it central, holding that each era has its own spirit, expressed in culture, art and institutions.
For marketing, catching the zeitgeist means reading early a sensibility that is taking shape, before it becomes a declared trend: campaigns that manage it seem to speak about the present better than others.
An example
A food company understands a few years in advance that consumers are starting to distrust long ingredient lists, and rewrites its labels before the demand becomes explicit.
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
Spotted an inaccuracy or something that needs updating? Write to info@enricogiubertoni.com and help make this glossary a better place.
What are your business challenges?
Tell us about your priorities and the objectives you want to reach.
You will receive a free, targeted answer within one working day.