Need to Know   28 : 05 : 18

Need to Know
28 : 05 : 18

Swirl rethinks mental health communication, adidas combines sustainability efforts with data-driven design, Instagram interrupts zombie scrolling.

1. New zine takes an artistic approach to mental health 2. Adidas combines technology with sustainability 3. Instagram tames excessive newsfeed scrolling 4. Global events inspire creative tasting 5. Alibaba demonstrates progress in counterfeit fight 6. Thought-starter: How are Nigeria’s youth transforming the country?

1. New zine takes an artistic approach to mental health

Swirl Zine by Andy Walton, UK
Swirl Zine by Andy Walton, UK
Swirl Zine by Andy Walton, UK

UK – Launched by community nurse Andy Walton, Swirl is a new zine tackling the taboo of mental health.

With mental health problems increasingly prevalent, the publication offers straightforward self-help advice from industry professionals. To differentiate from traditional self-help publications, the zine re-imagines the visual identity often associated with mental health literature to empower those who struggle with motivation and concentration.

‘We wanted to empower and engage through striking communications that showed how mental health is a spectrum of thoughts, feelings and emotions, not the grey usually associated with the subject,’ says Andy Walton, founder of Swirl.

As we examine in our related market, brands need to rethink the messaging around mental health and explore how to provide people with better access to support.

2. Adidas combines technology with sustainability

Adidas AM4LA, Germany Adidas AM4LA, Germany
Adidas AM4LA, Germany Adidas AM4LA, Germany

Germany – The sports brand has unveiled its latest product to be made with Parley Ocean Plastic.

After announcing a collaboration with the NGO in 2015, adidas is continuing to incorporate the eco-alternative material into its products. The new AM4LA high-performance trainer marks the integration of Parley Ocean Plastic into the brand’s Speedfactory production, combining its sustainability efforts with data-driven design.

‘The AM4LA shoe demonstrates the potential and flexibility of adidas Speedfactory to evolve and integrate new materials and technology that deliver progress towards solutions to current and new challenges,’ says Ben Herath, vice-president of design for adidas running.

3. Instagram tames excessive newsfeed scrolling

Global – The social platform has announced it is testing a new feature that aims to combat compulsive ‘zombie’ scrolling.

The tool is designed to alert users after they have viewed all of their newsfeed posts from the past 48 hours. Since the launch of the new algorithm that replaced the chronological feed, users are concerned that they are missing posts. The new tool indicates when ‘You’re All Caught Up’, ensuring users are up to date with posts as well as promoting a more controlled use of Instagram.

As digital addictions reach the point of psychological dependency, users are increasingly presenting subconscious behaviour such as zombie scrolling and phone walking. As such, brands must consider how to engage with consumers in an age of distraction, but also to encourage responsible consumption.

Instagram zombie scrolling

4. Global events inspire creative tasting

Taste Tuesday by Diageo and Taste Festivals, Global Taste Tuesday by Diageo and Taste Festivals, Global

London – Diageo, best known for its portfolio of alcoholic drinks brands including Smirnoff and Guinness, has joined forces with Taste Festivals to create immersive food and drink experiences around the globe.

The collaboration will bring together leading chefs and mixologists to present Taste Tuesdays, a monthly event series in which guests can learn how to pair cocktails and food dishes to enhance flavour profiles, as well as Taste Residences, which will offer exclusive chef’s table experiences.

‘[We’ve] increasingly seen people from across the world demand more from their food and drink,’ explains Cristina Diezhandino, Scotch category director and managing director of Diageo Reserve. ‘They want to know what their ingredients are and where they have come from. They want to know how their food and drink has been prepared, learn how to do it at home and overall, be offered a more immersive experience.’

Brands such as Diageo and Banzarbar are satisfying a growing consumer interest in flavour profiling through new menus and methods that explore pairing spirits with meals.

5. Alibaba demonstrates progress in counterfeit fight

After announcing new measures to monitor counterfeit goods in 2016, Alibaba has highlighted its current success during the IPR Protection Summit in Seattle. The latest figures show 95% of takedown requests were processed within 24 hours in 2017, which is a 68% reduction in processing time compared to 2016.

‘Mutual trust and collaboration are keys to the success of IP protection. As an industry leader, Alibaba wants to collaborate with all stakeholders –whether they’re rights holders, agencies, trade associations or law enforcement – to keep leading the best practice in IP protection,’ explains Jessie Zheng, group chief platform governance officer at Alibaba.

For more on how brands are fighting fakes, see our Countering Counterfeits microtrend.

6. Thought-starter: How are Nigeria’s youth transforming the country?

Misrepresented by politicians, young Nigerians are reclaiming a sense of national pride through movements that will drive the future of their country.

In April 2018, Nigeria’s young people took to social media to protest about the comments of their president Muhammadu Buhari, who accused Nigerian youth of being lazy and expecting free housing, healthcare and education. Creating the hashtag #LazyNigerianYouths, the country’s netizens took the opportunity to share their stories of individual achievement with the rest of the world, highlighting the societal challenges they face growing up in the country.

Nigerian citizens are also re-evaluating the importance of their cultural heritage, turning their focus to driving positive definitions of Nigerian national identity. Young creatives who have spent time in the West are returning to their homeland armed with new skills to share. Dafe Oboro, a Lagos-born film-maker and photojournalist, studied in the UK before returning to Nigeria to document the country’s untold stories. They’re also using creative outputs to challenge traditional expectations of masculinity in Nigeria. Daniel Obasi addresses this through the medium of fashion film, exploring the tension between traditional Nigeria and the promise of a gender-fluid future in his work, Illegal.

For more on the future Nigerian consumer, read our Emerging Youth market.

Illegal by Daniel Obasi
Discover More News
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