The Manhattan-based founder/CEO of StrawberryFrog, Scott Goodson, joins MiC‘s parade of Look Back/Look Ahead year-end pundits, offering his ‘pessioptimistic’ view of what’s coming up.

MiC: What are you spying on the horizon in ’09?

Obama marketing strategies. Brands can identify a movement. A brand can spark a movement. It can curate and crystallize a movement. It can even speed up a movement’s rise toward dominance.

MiC: What worried you the most during the past year?

The flood to value propositions in the wake of the financial crisis.

MiC: What’s the next big opportunity?

By nature, I am a glass-half-full person. I am a little pessioptimistic. What’s needed today are faster, smarter approaches. A harder-working idea, a harder-working communications plan. There is no room for fat or waste.

MiC: What’s the next big looming threat?

1. Real-time marketing. Clients are unprepared and they need to start thinking of themselves as the Jack Bauer of marketing, dealing with multiple disciplines and issues 24/7 on a widening array of media. You need to be well-rehearsed and have a more focused brand idea to be able to react intelligently.

2. The true effects of the economic downturn will not be felt until the first and second quarters of ’09.

MiC: What trends or issues are you spying for ’09?

1. The rise of Canadian brands looking to globalize and take advantage of the market conditions. What a great time for a Canadian brand with a home market to maximize new growth opportunities in Brazil, India, Eastern Europe or the US! There is less competition, less noise, less advertising. This is the time to make that move into new markets. The barriers to success are incredibly low.

2. The rise of challenger brands from India, Brazil, Russia, China and other new markets that will challenge the famous marques that grace the lists of Interbrand.

MiC: What ’08 happening did you particularly applaud?

The decision of Mahindra and Mahindra of India to award their US car launch to StrawberryFrog.

MiC: Any other observation or hot industry trend that you would like to bring to our attention?

One observation is that with millions of people between jobs, one marketing challenge will be to figure out how to market to a significant portion of the population that will be jobless.