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A meme-inspired healthcare campaign for Chinese youths

999 Cold Remedy

Beijing – The cold and flu medicine brand 999 Cold Remedy has released a digital and print campaign to refresh its old-fashioned image.

Created in partnership with advertising agency Serviceplan, the campaign taps into the Chinese tradition of wearing leggings in winter to prevent colds, which young people are snubbing in favour of fashion. To encourage this generation to wear leggings and stay warm, the brand has reimagined the garments as high fashion items that offer tongue-in-cheek styles emblazoned with large logos.

999 Cold Remedy is the top selling cold and flu medicine in China and its classic green and white packaging has made it a household brand. The campaign, which represents the brand’s first change in visual identity since its launch in 1991, aims to rejuvenate the brand for a younger, meme-savvy audience. According to Serviceplan, the campaign has already garnered more than 430m online impressions.

For more on why China’s youth population are engaging with brands that see beyond their heritage and tap into internet culture, read our Emerging Youth: China report.

Bru’s Social Plates aim to curb ‘foodstagramming’

Bru Social Plates, Brussels

Brussels – Mineral water brand Bru is urging diners to be more mindful with its series of specially designed dinner plates.

The brand collaborated with Happiness Brussels and ceramic designer Martine Keirsebilck to create the Social Plates. The handmade plates feature an intricate pattern with a hidden QR code. When diners photograph their meal, a message appears within the camera screen of their smartphone reminding them to enjoy each other’s company.

Furthering the brand’s efforts to reduce smartphone usage at the table, the Social Plates are part of Bru’s wider Table Mode campaign, which launched in 2018. In October, the campaign saw Bru partner with chef Tom van Lysebettens to create an 8-course menu that was plated on the back of diners’ phones. Other brands are taking similar measures to encourage more quality time between consumers. Ikea’s recent Connect to Disconnect campaign aimed to inspire families to spend more time conversing at the dinner table.

Samsung unveils vertical TV for the social media age

Seoul – The latest addition to Samsung’s TV range is a vertical television optimised for viewing mobile and social media content.

The Sero is a sleek, 43-inch flat screen that is designed to rotate 90 degrees, allowing for vertical or horizontal viewing experiences. Once the screen is in vertical mode, users will be able to synchronise the screens of their smartphones and mirror content by pairing it over near field communication (NFC). In horizontal mode, the Sero acts as a conventional TV.

According to the brand, the vertical format targets Millennials and reflects the way that most mobile content is consumed. Launching in South Korea at the end of May, the Sero is part of three new Samsung televisions designed to reflect the changing lifestyles of consumers. ‘Samsung will continue introducing screens that respect personal consumer tastes,’ says display president Han Jong-hee.

Vertical viewing is also inspiring new storytelling formats, with filmmaking collective Pickpocket recently releasing their vertical short film, Pocket.

The Sero, Samsung

Quinn is a women’s platform for non-visual porn

Quinn

US – Quinn aims to provide women with a safe online space for arousal without being faced with imagery created for the male gaze.

Launched last month by 22-year-old Caroline Spiegel, the website is described as a ‘turn-on community of anonymous people’ that allows users to approach fantasies with a more open mind: ‘’We find that [videos are] extremely limiting in terms of your imagination,’ Spiegel tells Elite Daily.

Quinn is split into three sections: Tell, Read and Listen. With Tell, users can get creative and submit their own content. Read is dedicated to erotic fantasy stories and Listen is a space for audio porn.

Keep an eye on our Youth sector for an upcoming microtrend that will explore how Generation Z are approaching sexuality through a digital lens.

Stat: Flexible workers are moving closer to co-working spaces

Flexible workers are moving closer to co-working spaces, according to WeWork’s 2019 Global Impact Report. Although an average of 70% of WeWork members in London did not work in the neighbourhood prior to joining WeWork, 1 in 10 have moved closer to their WeWork location since becoming a member.

WeWork members also spend locally, the report finds. In both Manchester and London, 39% of members visit local neighbourhood restaurants, cafes, and businesses daily. This has a significant impact on the local economy and high streets, with members’ neighbourhood spending on local businesses totalling £75m ($97.7m, €87.4m) per year.

In our Co-economy Childcare microtrend, we explore how the role of co-working spaces is evolving as the sharing economy continues to disrupt many of the pillars of adult life.

Thought-starter: How will aquaponics change the food industry?

Jason Green, CEO of aquaculture pioneer Edenworks, examines how fish waste and plant microbiomes are revolutionising agri-tech produce.

Edenworks specialises in vertical aquaponic farming. ‘At present, we’re growing Atlantic salmon, striped bass and shrimp. We use all of the waste from those fish, which we process through a natural microbiome, to create an organic fertiliser that we feed to all of the plants [which] we also grow,’ says Green. ‘Our approach is to grow whole eco-systems that invest in the microbiome.’

The company is the first and only indoor farm that is microbiome-optimised. ‘The reason we farm fish and use their waste to fertilise plants – a technology that we refer to as aquaponics – is because the fish waste produces the healthiest microbiome possible for both plants and human consumers,’ Green continues. ‘We have fully eliminated E. coli from the production environment.’

‘Broadly, through indoor agriculture you’re getting freshness. You’re cutting out that long supply chain and you’re getting products on the shelf in days instead of a week or more. That is the main benefit for consumer in terms of quality, nutrition and the price that they’re paying for products as opposed to food miles.’

Read the full Q&A here.