LSN : News : Max Space and SpaceX unveil inflatable habitats for space exploration

Monzo’s surreal new ad champions positive financial thinking

Monzo, UK

UK – British online bank Monzo is challenging the negative emotions typically associated with money management in its latest campaign, Money Never Felt Like Monzo.

Created in collaboration with advertising agency Uncommon, the campaign’s hero film shows stressful scenarios transformed into empowering moments, as the word ‘money’ becomes ‘Monzo’. These moments include nails scraping across a blackboard transitioning into hands strumming a harp and a spider on the head becoming a relaxing head massage.

Marking the bank’s first above-the-line campaign in five years, a series of billboards showing comparative images – such as a toilet becoming a birdbath – will accompany the video, in addition to a print and digital wrap of The Financial Times in the company’s trademark coral pink.

Our Gen Z Now and Next: From Vision to Contradiction report explored how Gen Z are hesitant to set up long-term goals, overwhelmed by personal finances and wishfully dreaming of home ownership. Monzo’s light-hearted campaign speaks to this generation while encouraging a healthier relationship with money management and promoting positivity amid a tough financial period.

Strategic opportunity

Use humour and creativity to inject joy into advertising campaigns, capturing the attention of consumers and forming positive associations with your brand

Max Space and SpaceX unveil inflatable habitats for space exploration

Max Space, US

US – As part of the Space Symposium in April 2024 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Aaron Kemmer and Maxim de Jong of Max Space revealed their plan to launch inflatable habitats into space by 2026, in partnership with SpaceX.

The stadium-sized inflatable pressure vessels will be tightly packed on the rocket before being deployed in space. Once air flows in, they will become stable and solid structures, allowing humans to live, work, manufacture products, and even host entertainment shows – ultimately boosting space tourism.

Max Space spent about 25 years researching inflatable habitats in space. But the team suggested that a similar project, the International Space Station’s Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, took more than 40 test flights and cost more than £79bn ($100bn, €92bn) to build.

Aaron Kemmer said: ‘The problem with space today is there isn’t enough habitable space in space. Unless we make usable space in space a lot less expensive and much larger, humanity’s future in space will remain limited.’ We previously tracked the growing number of space travel innovations in our Innovation Debrief 2023–2024 report.

Strategic opportunity

How can your business capitalise on the growing space market? Products and experiences inspired by space will become desirable as consumers seek to emulate the aesthetics and feeling of outer space

Equinox launches new luxurious longevity scheme

Bathhouse Flatiron. Photography by Adrian Gaut, US

US – Equinox Fitness, renowned for its luxury wellness gyms and premium pricing, has introduced Optimize by Equinox, a personalised longevity programme priced at £31,595 ($40,000, €36,815) annually. Recognising members’ desire for tailored fitness and nutrition guidance, Equinox partnered with Function Health, a health lab offering over 100 lab tests and personalised coaching led by Dr Mark Hyman.

Julia Klim, Equinox’s vice-president of strategic partnerships and business development, told Fortune that the company ‘has always been known to anticipate consumer needs and to come up with programs to support them’. Optimize by Equinox aims to redefine fitness by delving into internal health markers, mirroring the approach of elite athletes who prioritise comprehensive performance optimisation.

Launching initially in New York and Texas, the programme offers extensive assessments, including diagnostics on movement, nutrition and sleep. Members receive personalised training with Equinox’s top coaches, nutritional and sleep coaching, as well as massage therapy, for £2,370 ($3,000, €2,760) per month with a six-month commitment.

Equinox’s initiative signifies a shift towards holistic wellness, reflecting a growing demand for tailored health solutions beyond traditional fitness offerings, a topic we explored further in our Longevity Lifestyles macrotrend report. The programme’s comprehensive approach and high-end amenities cater for affluent consumers seeking optimal wellbeing.

Strategic opportunity

As seen in Accredited Beauty, consider collaborating with health experts and professionals to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of beauty and wellness programmes

Stat: Consumers are searching for ‘quiet life travel’ destinations

Habitas, AlUla, Saudi Arabia

Global – The Pinterest Summer 2024 Travel Report has revealed that consumers are looking to swap the hustle and bustle of daily life for serene landscapes and digital detoxes this year; searches for ‘quiet life’ rose by 530% on the social media platform between February 2023 and February 2024.

Comparing internal search data from February and March 2023 with the same period in 2024, the report revealed that searches for ‘quiet places’ and ‘calm places’ increased by 50% and 42%, respectively, with Okinawa in Japan and the English countryside trending as peaceful destinations.

According to Pinterest, demand for ‘quiet life travel’ is driving interest in ‘solo travel’ too, with searches for the term up by 35% on the previous year. Searches for ‘cabin in the mountains’ also rose by 180%, while searches for ‘national park’ were up by 250% and those for ‘glamping aesthetic’ increased by 260%.

Overwhelmed by the polycrisis, consumers are searching for off-grid escapes to turn down the volume on everyday life. In our Quiet Mode microtrend report, we identified how technology companies have introduced noise-cancellation features to help consumers protect their mental health. Now, travel companies must look to build quiet modes into their holiday offerings too, facilitating intentional introversion for maximum relaxation.

Strategic opportunity

Develop solo travel packages tailored specifically to quiet life-seekers, offering an itinerary of activities such as silent retreats, rural hikes and yoga workshops with off-grid accommodation to match