LSN : News : Anaori brings Japan's cooking prowess to the masses

Pernod Ricard flips the script on responsible drinking

Be Responsible, Drink More by Pernod Ricard

Paris – Responding to the recent relaxation of pandemic restrictions in some regions, alcohol brand Pernod Ricard aims to deter young adults from unhealthy drinking habits. Driven by Anti-authenticity-style messaging, its Be Responsible, Drink More campaign uses irony to promote a more mindful return to partying. By showing drinkers in unfortunate scenarios due to excessive alcohol consumption, its digital and print communications all highlight the importance of drinking water alongside alcohol on future nights out.

Pernod Ricard is recognising the likelihood that younger audiences will return to hedonistic behaviours when it comes to socialising, and speaks to this audience by being realistic about their messier experiences. Buzzman, the creative agency behind the campaign, says: ‘We’ve all seen that one guy blacked out in a corner at a party with drawings all over his face… or the guy who falls asleep at the bar… Don’t want to be that guy? Drink more… water.’

While the brand is careful not to suggest complete avoidance of alcohol, its campaign messaging echoes some of the initiatives we’ve been tracking from non-alcoholic brands that are targeting more conscious hedonists.

Strategic opportunity

Drinks brands must take responsibility for the impact of their products, making sure to strike a balance between having fun and being sensible. Take cues from Pernod Ricard and reach audiences through resonant, anti-authenticity marketing

Anaori brings Japan's cooking prowess to the masses

Anaori Kakugama, Paris

Japan – Anaori is bringing Japanese culinary expertise to global audiences with its multi-purpose cooking tool. The Anaori Kakugama, which recently became available directly to consumers, uses carbon graphite technology to simulate ideal conditions to grill, simmer, poach, fry and steam food with umami flavours.

Available in two sizes, the tool is aimed at both professional chefs and at-home cooks. To promote the various culinary uses of the new technology, the brand is also hosting a global Naturality tour, partnering with international chefs across 24 cities in just six months. Appliances such as the Anaori Kakugama reflect the rise in Anti-intuitive Cooking, as more people seek tools and appliances that enable them to create restaurant-grade gourmet food at home.

Elsewhere in the sector, we’ve explored the ways that technology is bolstering people’s flavour experiences from the comfort of their own kitchens – leading to a generation of Countertop Connoisseurs.

Strategic opportunity

Premium food and drink providers have an opportunity to repackage their expertise to target budding at-home cooks. Innovate through convenient, multi-purpose solutions that elevate conventional cooking experiences

Real Nifty decarbonises NFTs through reforestation

Global – As non-fungible tokens (NFTs) continue to gain traction, there is ongoing concern about the environmental impact of such data-heavy assets. To combat this, NFT platform Real Nifty is launching a climate-positive token called The Ultimate Green NFT. Working with bespoke reforestation company TBN Atlantic Rainforest, the project allows NFT buyers to contribute to planting, growing and maintaining of native species in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil.

NFT holders will have a plot of forest land named after them as a way of solidifying their climate efforts, making carbon offsetting an accessible and tangible solution for consumers. ‘This collaboration allows the cryptocurrency technology not only to offset but also reverse its harm to the environment so that the net impact is positive for everyone,’ explains Shi Wen Li, CEO of Real Nifty.

By turning the intangible problems associated with cryptocurrency into real-world planetary action, this project sets an example for how digital platforms can better support our environment. Not long ago, we saw how Aerial allowed users to track and offset the carbon associated with their NFT investments.

Reforestation by Marian Kroell

Strategic opportunity

Across sectors, brands can experiment with apps and services that enable their audiences to actively track and offset carbon footprints. When doing this, aim to create easy-to-understand initiatives that ensure mass accessibility

Stat: Privacy-first youth are over ringtones

Deutsche Telekom in collaboration with Saatchi & Saatchi and Billie Eillish, Germany

Once associated with the height of cool, today's youth are no longer interested in mobile phone ringtones. Data from Sensor Tower shows a decline in ringtone-related app downloads in recent years as young people increasingly prefer to keep their phones in silent mode.

The research shows that installations of ringtones in the UK fell by a fifth (20%) between 2016 and 2020, from 4.6m to 3.7m. Although ringtones became a popular way for mobile users to personalise their phones and social identity in the early 2000s, their decline comes as young people opt for more private ways of communicating.

With many young people feeling distracted and overwhelmed by digital notifications, they are scaling back their reliance on technology. To see how privacy has formed part of Generation Z's identity, read our macrotrend Paradox Personas.

Strategic opportunity

Instead of opting for sound-based notifications, there is an opportunity to engage users through subtle visual cues or haptic feedback. Consider also the ways you can keep young people informed without causing information overload