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Something very interesting is happening with trends. Once they were dictated to consumers, and no one knew whether they would be embraced or ignored was a matter of time. In terms of fantastic flops, remember the brief 1985 existence of New Coke? And in terms of successes, recall how Titanic dominated our culture for months in the wake of the 1997 film release? (It may even experience a second wave when it’s re-released in 3-D and IMAX this month.)

Those sink-or-swim days may soon be relics of the past, however, as consumers now play an active role in trend formation. To ignore their desires is done at a brand’s own risk. And major players are responding. A New York Times article reported that, “The Omnicom Group, the world’s second-largest advertising company, is helping to start an agency to identify emerging trends in popular culture and take advantage of them by creating and distributing content sponsored by brands and products.”

The article described the formation of the New York agency, called Sparks and Honey, as a reflection of “the forces that are remaking the advertising industry as the relationship between consumers and marketers evolves from monologue to conversation. Digital and social media are making it easier to monitor what consumers like and dislike as well as to spot actors, songs, fashions, movies, TV shows and cultural ideas on the cusp of breakout popularity.”

One of its two clients is Clinique, owned by Estée Lauder. Clinique’s goal is “a timely dialog,” Lynne Greene, global president for the Clinique, Origins and Ojon brands at the Estée Lauder Companies was quoted, because “in the world of color, in the world of beauty, you often see trends, and if you’re not up to the minute you can absolutely miss the entire trend.”

Chief Executive Terry Young was quoted agreeing that social media “is allowing us to do things we couldn’t three, four, five years ago. We have the opportunity to identify and see pop culture trends when they’re starting and incorporate our brands early in the process.”

But you don’t have to hire a pricey agency to get in on this game. In fact, you may already be a player, whether or not you have a Pinterest page, for traditionally, cutting-edge trends arise from the most obscure corners in the industry, which are often populated by its most creative minds.

So look around you, and look sharp, whether you are walking the rows of the National Stationery Show (NSS) or browsing the “Everything: Design” page of Pinterest. You never know when something is going to speak to you and reflect your brand – and ultimately engage your customers.