LSN : News : Thought-starter: Why is this Nordic brand banking on ‘not chocolate’?

Nike uses live data to stock its new store

Nike Live, Los Angeles

Nike Live personalises the in-store experience through the use of consumer data profiles.

Nike Live, Los Angeles

Los Angeles – Nike’s new concept store uses the real-time data of local shoppers to adapt its merchandise.

Nike Live by Melrose, situated on Melrose Avenue in west Los Angeles, will offer a selection of styles that are determined by locals’ digital commerce data. The store will change its stock on a bi-weekly basis to reflect the preferences of local NikePlus members, while bestsellers will be stocked all year around. The brand anticipates that the store will offer a range of running products in bright colourways, such as its Cortez trainers, due to the area’s ‘sport and style obsessed’ consumers.

Customer can receive advice on lifestyle and performance footwear at the store’s sneaker bar, while the vending machine-style Unlock Box will allow NikePlus users to scan their membership pass every two weeks for free Nike products.‘As well as being the first Nike Live destination, we will also test services that can then roll out to other Nike stores, combining digital features with a unique physical environment to create the future of Nike retail,’ says Heidi O'Neill, president of Nike Direct.

Globally, brands are reconsidering the purpose of bricks-and-mortar stores, combining physical touchpoints and digital technology to make the retail experience more intuitive, meaningful and compelling. Discover more about the future store with our Storefront Salvation macrotrend.

Aerie’s new campaign celebrates real women

Aerie Real campaign, photography by Andrew Buda and Alex Albeck

US – Continuing its #AerieREAL movement, the lingerie retailer is championing inclusivity with its latest campaign, Aerie Bras Make You Feel Good.

Featuring 57 women of diverse backgrounds, ages and body shapes, Aerie crowdsourced the models through its social media channels. After receiving over 2,000 responses, the final campaign images include individuals with hidden disabilities and health conditions such as type 1 diabetes and alopecia, alongside the brand’s ambassadors, model Iskra Lawrence and gymnast Aly Raisman.

With fashion brands continuing to run campaigns that highlight women’s physical characteristics, such as scarring and stretch marks, some have questioned whether the movement is inspirational or tokenistic. For more, read our opinion piece here.

The Overwatch League will air on major TV networks

US – As the market for eSports continues to grow, Activision Blizzard has recently announced that the Overwatch League playoffs will be aired on US channels EPSN and Disney XD.

With more than 30 million players globally, Overwatch is part of Blizzard Entertainment’sportfolio of games that includes World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft and Heroes of the Storm. The Overwatch League, which mimics the structure of traditional sporting leagues, recently launched in Asia and America.

‘The Overwatch League Grand Finals is by far our most comprehensive television distribution for an eSports event over a single weekend: 10 total hours over four networks and three days,’ says Justin Connolly, EVP of affiliate sales and marketing at Disney and ESPN.‘This overall collaboration represents our continued commitment to eSports, and we look forward to providing marquee Overwatch League coverage across our television platforms for fans.’

Overwatch League by Blizzard Entertainment

Proletariat.ai explores the future of automated recruitment

Proletariat.ai by Eirini Malliaraki

London - Proletariat.ai is a conceptual project that explores how machine learning could impact the future process of recruitment.

With over 15,000 traits that can be used to identify top performers in the workplace – including choice of language, vocabulary, eye contact and level of stress in the voice – the project demonstrates how machine learning algorithms could be used to predict employee suitability.

Proletariat.ai interprets the technology through a hypothetical chatbot that analyses an individual’s responses based on tone, emotion and personality. The project aims to brings awareness to the automated hiring processes and helps users understand how they are being filtered through recruiting systems.

In our Brand Culture 2020 report, we explore not only the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the workplace but also how employees will be affected by this. For more ideas and innovations that will help shape the future workplace, read our Workplace Far Futures series.

Consumers are comfortable with voice assistants in the bathroom

A recent report by Walker Sands Communications found that consumers are keen to have voice assistant devices in locations beyond their kitchen or living area. A sizeable number of respondents (19%) liked the idea of hands-free voice assistant access in the shower, while another 13% were interested access to voice-controlled devices while on the toilet.

As smart home technology continues to develop, brands are considering how voice assistants can improve consumer experiences throughout the house, not just within its social spaces. We examine more on the future of voice assistants in our dedicated Future of Voice Assistants market.

Thought-starter: Why is this Nordic brand banking on ‘not chocolate’?

Kaakao bars are sweetened with date powder instead of sugar and therefore cannot be called chocolate. We spoke to their creator Stephanie Seege about challenging EU food labelling laws and responding to changing consumer tastes.

‘Having travelled to major food trade fairs, I realised powdered dates were a possible sugar replacement in chocolate. All the factories that we spoke to said it was impossible. But we persevered, created a product prototype that was good enough to be brought to production, and found a factory willing to make it. However, because the EU considers chocolate to be a combination of cocoa and sugar, and they don't classify dates as sugar, we can’t call our product ‘chocolate’, says Seege.

With the tagline ‘indulgence is your birthright’, Stephanie discusses how the concept of indulgence is evolving in an era of alternative foods. ‘We’re born with the desire to enjoy life and to try amazing things, whether it’s food or experiences. With evolution in mind, I feel the food industry is moving towards quality over quantity. That’s what we’ve tried to show with our bars. They’re 40 grammes and six pieces and they’re something to savour, rather than gulping down without any of the enjoyment.’

Read the full interview here.