Apparently sales of fountain pens are on the rise. For instance, according to Amazon, sales have doubled this year compared to last and are up 400% on 2010. But why?

I suspect the reason is that this is a counter-trend. Things have swung too far in the direction of email and texts and people want something more tactile and ‘special’.

A tweet or text saying “Sorry for your loss ;-( ” doesn’t carry the same weight as a handwritten note. As they say (well, as I sometimes say), ideas come and go, but often they come and stay. The serious point here is that very strong trends tend to create weaker counter-trends moving in the opposite direction. These are either growth opportunities or risks depending on your orientation.

More on this from the BBC here.