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Airsign’s future-facing vision of vacuuming

Airsign. Identity by High Tide, US

US – While the home appliance sector remains largely conventional, vacuum and appliance company Airsign is undergoing a brand refresh to align with Millennial home aesthetics. Its new identity by creative agency High Tide takes inspiration from themes such as 1980s futurism, European car design and Japanese minimalism.

As part of the rebranding, High Tide is positioning Airsign’s products as tools for modern living. In this way, the brand is offering both products and communication that reject the staid identities that are common to the sector. As Danny Miller, founder and creative director of High Tide, explains: ‘Vacuums have seen little to no innovation over the years and the industry was begging to be improved, not just in their design but how they were communicating their value to users and the world.’

By offering new directions in the home appliance space, Airsign aligns with the shift towards more experimental home care marketing that taps into pop cultural references, while also beginning to challenge staid design cues.

Strategic opportunity

How can your company disrupt traditional design aesthetics to make everyday products more exciting and relevant for next-generation audiences? Consider how new materials, size and scale can be played with

Sunscreen made from upcycled rose petals

Rose From Above by Everyday Humans, US

Everyday Humans, US

Los Angeles – Clean skincare brand Everyday Humans is releasing a sustainable mineral sunscreen using 'exhausted rose petals' that would otherwise go to waste in the manufacturing process. Its Rose from Above SPF35 sunscreen also contains upcycled rose oil, made from flower industry by-products.

As the beauty sector works to be more ecologically sound, more companies are upcycling from other industries to make positive use of discarded or unwanted materials. As the founder of Everyday Humans, Charlotte Chen Pienaar, explains: 'Upcycling is increasingly being recognised as an innovative way to lessen waste and reduce energy consumption, both in the beauty sector and beyond.' The sunscreen also contains a special blend of plant squalene, ceramides and antioxidants that help to strengthen the skin barrier and keep outside aggressors at bay.

In the past, we have seen moisturisers and other skincare products embrace the era of By-product Beauty, with innovation now shifting into the sunscreen market.

Strategic opportunity

Brands should explore cross-sector collaborations with other industries to create products using discarded ingredients from the manufacturing process, reducing waste in the process

Mintus offers fractional ownership of famed artworks

UK – With growing consumer interest in alternative investments, nascent art investment platform Mintus wants to provide hopeful art owners with an accessible route into the industry.

Focusing on fractional ownership, Mintus enables shared ownership of high-value art by holding shares in companies that purchase artworks.

Initially offering fractional investments in iconic paintings by Andy Warhol and George Condo, Mintus plans to add more artists – established and emerging – to its platform throughout 2022. While we’ve been tracking the rise of digital investments and the burgeoning non-fungible token (NFT) market, this concept demonstrates how alternative investments are also gaining traction for physical products.

‘Over recent years, we’ve seen investors increasingly seek alternative investment strategies to generate risk-adjusted returns,’ says Mintus in a press release. ‘We’re excited to provide them with a new way to access a passion-fuelled asset class.’ Considering this growth of passion-fuelled investments, discover the Streetwear Brokerages that are repositioning fashion garments as tradable assets.

Mintus, UK

Strategic opportunity

Consider how offering fractionalised ownership could benefit your business and expand your services to broader audiences. At the same time, reflect on how you can create community spaces for owners with shared values

Stat: US consumers sniff out gender-neutral perfumes

Mood perfume by Tamburins

After being popularised in the 1990s, unisex scents are making a comeback. According to beauty data experts Spate, searches for gender-neutral perfume have surged by 43.5% in the US compared to a year ago.

In the region, the phrase 'unisex perfume' now receives about 3,000 monthly web searches. Although this figure may appear small in comparison to other perfume products or related search terms, it represents a significant increase from just a year ago. Indeed, Spate reports that sales of Calvin Klein CK One – the perfume that originally ignited the trend for gender-natural perfumes – are up 6% year on year. Further, the search for gender-neutral fragrance has led to a rise of perfumes that have earthy tones and woody notes, with Spate reporting growth of 33.1% for sandalwood perfumes in the past year, too.

As consumers abandon rigid gender expectations and roles, it’s only natural that unisex beauty products are becoming more popular. Discover the innovators taking fresh approaches to beauty in Five Beauty Disruptors On The Rise.

Strategic opportunity

Beauty consumers are becoming exploratory when it comes to fragrance. Consider how your brand can collaborate with chefs or mixologists to produce unusual scent profiles