I’m a big fan the Zeitgeist report and video that Google releases at the end of every year. It serves as an informative look back at notable events and people—things that defined the world’s conversations throughout the year. Although the report leads me to personally reflect on how my perspective has been impacted by events going on around me, it can also serve as a tool for marketing professionals.

 

It’s important to stay up to date on the things that matter. It seems like Americans’ attention spans are shorter than ever before, and what was cool yesterday can be irrelevant today. Stakeholders better receive a company’s messaging, outreach, and social media activities if they perceive the company has a good pulse on reality, a pulse on the things that matter to them.

 

Am I suggesting your news releases feature viral videos from the likes of Korean pop sensation PSY? Not exactly. But you should stay up to date about what’s hot using a site such as Google Trends and look for opportunities to correlate your news with what others are talking about.

 

So what did people search for in 2012? Here’s Google’s list of the top 10 searches worldwide:

 

1. Whitney Houston

2. Gangnam Style

3. Hurricane Sandy

4. iPad 3

5. Diablo 3

6. Kate Middleton

7. Olympics 2012

8. Amanda Todd

9. Michael Clarke Duncan

10. BBB12

 

What will be big in 2013? We’ll just have to wait and see.