The Blogs: Yuval Raphael’s ESC Success Is No Coincidence

1. Hope

Ironically, I published a post about this trend at the end of September 2023 – right before Yom Kippur. In that post, I quoted Li Edelkoort (a design futurist) who said, “Disasters are known as powerful triggers for radically changing business practices.”
I argue that the October 7th disaster added more fuel to the public’s longing for sparks of hope, reflected in the song New Day Will Rise – a symbol of new hope emerging from the great rupture that was created.
For those interested – link to the post in the Tectonic Shift Facebook group (feel free to join for more trends updates and insights).

2. Mental Health

The story of Yuval’s survival at the Nova party paints her performance with deeper shades of healing and mental strength.

3. Empathy

Similar to Eurovision 2021, when Italy won, I argued that, subconsciously, the heavy losses Italy suffered during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic earned it the audience’s empathy, which translated into points and ultimately brought it to the final.
Here too, the empathy for the singer and for Israel contributed to reaching the final.

4. Escapism

The stage design looked magical. Personally, it made me think of the Empress’s Castle from The Never Ending Story – a fantasy detached from reality, beautiful and intriguing.
That leads me to think about the last trend:

5. Minimalism

The “Empress’s Castle” was minimalist (a silhouette), as were the outfit, the colors – black and white, and the clean stage.
In contrast to other competitors, especially those who “used” the nostalgia trend, where the stage was much busier with costumes, people, props, colors, and so on.
The minimalism on stage and in the design created a sort of clean, distilled world – almost dreamlike, allowing the viewer to escape the overwhelming reality and dive into fantasy.
It’s like an effect of “forgetting everything” – no distractions, no unnecessary visual noise. The mind focuses on the experience itself, on her voice, and on her presence, amplifying the escapist feeling.
The stage was almost like a blank canvas where a dream could be painted – and it worked in her favor.

And what does it mean for business leaders?

The trends that emerged on Yuval Raphael’s stage are not just musical – they reflect deeper sentiments within the public.
Hope, Mental Health, Empathy, Escapism, and Minimalism are not just buzzwords; they are keys for brands that want to connect with their customers’ deepest emotions.
Smart managers know how to spot these waves and ride them – to offer products and services that answer the need for hope, for escape, and for clean simplicity in a chaotic world.

Eurovision is a giant stage that illustrates how emotions and trends move the masses – the question is, how do you translate that into business action?

If you’re interested in turning these powerful trends into real business success, feel free to reach out.

Hila

About the Author

Hila is a trendologist (future trends forecaster) @ Tectonic Shift & a social entrepreneur. In parallel to building her own venture, she's helping b2b companies, governments, and organizations with their biz dev and creative marketing strategies, using trends and content, and has a great specialization on the German market.