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Will 2020 See the Return of the Roaring Twenties?

Bospar, the boutique PR firm that puts tech companies on the map, wanted to know: how will the year 2020 be branded?  Historians claim the original “Roaring Twenties” got its name somewhere between 1925 to 1930, as an allusion to a roaring economy set against the background of celebrating the end of World War I while also embracing jazz, radio, and non-traditional thinking and mores.

Will 2020 kickoff a reboot of the “Roaring Twenties?”

One out every ten American thinks that the 2020’s will also be dubbed the “Roaring 20’s.”  But twice as many (22.2 percent) believe the decade will be known as the 2020’s.  A third of Americans (31.6 percent) meanwhile it’s too early to prognosticate.

An even larger group of Americans (32.3 percent) believe this New Year will be bigger than before since “2020” has a nice ring to it.  Nearly one in five (17.6 percent) believe it will be smaller due to concerns over an economic slowdown. Nearly half (43 percent) believe it will be the same as last year while only 7.1 percent think it will be overshadowed by impeachment news.

When it comes to PR in 2020, the biggest expectation Americans have is that it will be tied to news about related to President Trump, followed by more fake news, and more election news.  Americans already named President Trump the biggest PR winner of 2019… and it’s biggest loser.

Most Americans said the impeachment proceedings would not distract them from their holiday spirit, shopping, or drinking.  When asked how much they planned to drink alcohol this holiday season a majority (51.9 percent) said they would drink the same, while 15.6 percent said more and 32.6 percent said less.

But most importantly Bospar wanted to know this: how much should you tip your waiter – especially if you go out for a New Year’s meal?  The number one choice by nearly a third of Americans (28.9 percent) was a twenty percent tip.  A slightly smaller percentage (27.2 percent) said they tipped fifteen percent.  A smaller group (15.8 percent) said they gave ten percent and about one in ten Americans (11.5 percent) only gives five percent tip.  A smaller group (10.9 percent) gives a twenty-five percent tip while only 2.2 percent of Americans admitted to giving no tip at all.

“Branding a decade is one of the most enduring PR exercises,” said Curtis Sparrer, a principal of Bospar.  “While we are hoping that this ‘20” roars as much as the last one, we are hoping it doesn’t end as badly.  And while we’re at it, tip your waiter – no matter what.  It will bring you good luck in the years to come.”

By Daedalus Howell

I explore the creative life as a storyteller, artist, and entrepreneur. I’m the writer-director of Pill Head and the forthcoming feature film Wolf Story. I’m also the author, most recently, of the novel Quantum Deadline, and am active in media (Bohemian, Pacific Sun). Click to subscribe to my Substack!

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