News 17.02.2023

Need to Know

Huawei engineers a hybrid smartwatch, Armani merges haute couture exhibition with fragrance pop-up and renewable energy to take the lead by 2025.

Huawei engineers a hybrid smartwatch with in-built earbuds

Huawei Watch Buds, China
Huawei Watch Buds, China
Huawei Watch Buds, China

Europe, UK – Huawei has rolled out a new kind of tech wearable consisting of a smartwatch with concealed earbuds under the screen.

Boasting a sleek and traditional design, Huawei’s Watch Buds are well hidden in a very James Bond-esque way. The smartwatch’s glass screen doubles as a lid under which are nested two compact earbuds. Made possible thanks to a 'zero space' construction, this is the first hybrid wearable device of its kind. The two-in-one functionality of the Watch Buds assuage some consumer pain points – from leaving earbuds at home to forgetting to charge the case. Further enhancing convenience, the earbuds are completely identical, which makes them interchangeable and removes the need to identify the left from the right.

The smartwatch itself doesn’t compromise on performance and has advanced heath tracking capabilities. With consumers increasingly committing to self-optimisation, there is a large market opportunity for upgraded wearables like Huawei’s two-in-one watch.

Strategic opportunity

Don’t make consumers have to choose between performance, convenience and aesthetics. Like Huawei’s two-in-one Watch Buds, consider how smart products can boost convenience and cost-efficiency for users

Armani matches haute couture exhibition with fragrances

L’Exposition by Armani, Shanghai L’Exposition by Armani, Shanghai
A guided tour of L’Exposition Armani led by Austin Li which was broadcast on Armani Beauty’s Tmall official store, Shanghai A guided tour of L’Exposition Armani led by Austin Li which was broadcast on Armani Beauty’s Tmall official store, Shanghai

China – Armani Beauty is taking fashion exhibitions further with the olfactory experience L’Exposition set at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre until 26 February.

All visitors can access different spaces built around the scent of distinctive Armani Privé fragrances. Haute couture looks and oversized versions of perfume bottles accompany four of the perfumes presented. Other rooms include a garden of plants and flowers sculpted from Armani-scented paper and a mystical desert scene inspired by Middle Eastern odours. The experience is free, with the possibility to buy a bottle from the collection in the Olfactory Discovery Room within the exhibition.

With the global commercial success of fashion exhibitions, museums have surprisingly turned into haute couture enthusiasts in the past few years. Armani and Yves Saint Laurent have their own museums in Milan and Paris, respectively, but the next step could include flying their archives around the world for local activations resembling L’Exposition.

In Synaesthesia Scents, we’ve also highlighted how olfactory-meets-auditory experiences are providing people with the kind of physical and psychological grounding that is inaccessible online.

Strategic opportunities

: Building an archive and setting up exhibitions that aim to grow awareness of a brand’s history through experience does not require a museum’s stamp

: Olfactive experiences have a unique selling point as an antidote to digital burn-out

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, LS:N Global’s deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings shares the reads, Twitter must-follows and books on his radar.

: Keanu Reeves (the real one, not the famous deep fake impersonator from TikTok) is predicting AI will change art for ever and for the worse. ‘The people who are paying you for your art would rather not pay you. They’re actively seeking a way around you, because artists are tricky’

: Food-scented candles are joining the grotesque trend with new smells, including pasta water, butter and sun-warmed Roma tomato

: Are overconsumption and a trust crisis slowly killing beauty influencers? Dazed suggests their end is near as we enter the age of deinfluencing. Perhaps the quest for Euro-centric aspirational beauty is losing its momentum, as explained by Anita Bhagwandas in her new book, Ugly: Giving Us Back Our Beauty Standards

: Best of Dying Twitter is the daily dose of cynicism any Twitter-obsessed person needs as we live through the platform’s demise in real time

Zünc Studio for The Future Laboratory, UK

Quote of the Week

‘Raising a young Black man is one of the scariest responsibilities in life’

Rihanna, in British Vogue

Stat: Renewable energy to take the lead by 2025

The Energy Show at Het Nieuwe Instituut, The Netherlands The Energy Show at Het Nieuwe Instituut, The Netherlands

A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) is cause for cautious optimistic on the environment. The IEA’s Electricity Market Report suggests that as the need for electricity grows globally, renewable energy sources will surpass coal in meeting demand.

Demand for electricity is high and the IEA expects a surge of 9% between now and 2025, mostly from China, India and Southeast Asia, due to infrastructure projects and increasing electrification in the regions. The report expects that 90% of this new demand will be covered by clean energy sources like wind and solar power as well as nuclear energy. At present, coal is the world’s number one source of electricity, followed by renewables (29%), gas (23%) and nuclear (9%). But the IEA expects renewable energy to account for 35% of the world’s electricity generation by 2025, with coal providing 33%.

Every step towards a healthier planet is valuable and important to take note of as consumers are increasingly tired of pessimistic environmental news. In our Sustainability Series we gather insights that inspire our clients to respond creatively and effectively to environmental issues.

Strategic opportunity

Consumers expect the industry to take the lead in keeping the planet healthy. Businesses and brands should be actively committed to sustainability and that commitment should be visible in your products, processes and marketing.

Previous News Articles
Burberry revives archival outerwear for National Geographic documentary

News

Burberry revives archival outerwear for National Geographic documentary

Burberry’s latest archival display at its London Regent Street store celebrates Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary 1914 Antarctic expedition.
Luxury : Pop-culture & Media : Fashion
Gob launches mycelium-based earplugs

News

Gob launches mycelium-based earplugs

Gob is revolutionising the earplug market with a mycelium-based alternative that promises to eliminate the environmental impact of traditional disp...
Sustainability : Health & Wellness : Design
Brenda Lee’s holiday classic enters the AI era with Spanish re-release

News

Brenda Lee’s holiday classic enters the AI era with Spanish re-release

Brenda Lee’s iconic holiday song, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, has been re-imagined as Noche Buena y Navidad in a Spanish-language release po...
Technology : Pop-culture & Media : Society
Stat: US Gen Z are the most likely to hide their voting choices

News

Stat: US Gen Z are the most likely to hide their voting choices

An October 2024 Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll reveals that nearly half of Gen Z voters (48%) in the US have lied about their voting prefere...
Society : Youth : Politics
Camdom is the world’s first digital condom for safer intimacy

News

Camdom is the world’s first digital condom for safer intimacy

This Sexual Health Awareness Month, condom brand Billy Boy and creative agency Innocean Berlin unveiled Camdom, an app that acts as a digital condo...
Health & Wellness : Technology : Pop-culture & Media
Resting Reef memorialises pets as eco-friendly marine reefs

News

Resting Reef memorialises pets as eco-friendly marine reefs

Eco-friendly funeral company Resting Reef has launched a pet memorial service that blends pet ashes with crushed shells to create eco-friendly unde...
Design : Health & Wellness : Sustainability
Netflix new unveils Moments feature to save and share scenes

News

Netflix new unveils Moments feature to save and share scenes

Netflix has launched a new feature called Moments, allowing subscribers to bookmark, save and share their favourite scenes from shows and movies.
Technology : Pop-culture & Media : Society
Stat: Mars’ study reveals strong pet devotion

News

Stat: Mars’ study reveals strong pet devotion

Mars has unveiled ‘the largest global pet parent study to date’ of more than 20,000 pet owners across 20 countries.
Pets : Society : Retail
Samsonite’s new durable suitcase can survive travelling to the edge of space

News

Samsonite’s new durable suitcase can survive travelling to the edge of space

Samsonite has unveiled its latest innovation, the Proxis Space collection, setting new standards in travel gear with sustainability and advanced te...
Luxury : Travel & Hospitality : Design
The Saudi Investment Bank celebrates national identity with bespoke typeface

News

The Saudi Investment Bank celebrates national identity with bespoke typeface

The Saudi Investment Bank and creative agency Impact BBDO have launched I am Saudi, a campaign celebrating national heritage with a bespoke typeface.
Design : Advertising & Branding : Finance
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN