News 13.11.2024

Need to Know

Dispatch from Web Summit 2024, Pix Moving unveils Robo-EV, and British brand Haeckels relaunched with a new identity.

Web Summit 2024: Pharrell Williams, industrial forests and immersive influencing

Web Summit 2024 at the MEO Arena in Lisbon. Photography by Harry Murphy, Portugal

Portugal – Lisbon, the European Capital of Innovation since 2023, is once again hosting Web Summit, a four-day event that draws over 70,000 attendees and the companies reshaping the tech industry. LS:N Global is reporting live from the summit, providing daily takeaways on the most innovative and thought-provoking ideas showcased at the event.

Pharrell Williams’ vision for culture and commerce: The headliner on opening night, musician, entrepreneur and Louis Vuitton creative director Pharrell Williams joined Visa’s chief marketing officer Frank Cooper to explore how commerce and culture influence each other.

When asked why hip-hop artists are now seen as cultural trend-setters, Pharrell explained that this is hardly new: ‘If you look at the influence of African Americans since we arrived as captives, we have influenced the market. We all know why Wall Street is called Wall Street. The first commodity traded in America had to stand against it. Our ancestors have always had an influence. We’re used to this as a culture; we look at what’s left, and that becomes the soup… You are the culture. When you look in the mirror, you are the culture, the change, the inspiration. The fire is in you.’

Transforming CO2 into jet fuel: Etosha Cave, co-founder and chief science officer at Twelve – a carbon transformation company creating everyday products from air rather than oil – shared her vision of a future when her technology could revolutionise travel. Her start-up, which raised £504m ($645m, €607.5m) in September 2024, produces sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from liquid ethanol and hydropower, compatible with current aircraft engines to reduce aviation pollution.

Inspired by natural processes, Twelve mimics photosynthesis to create fuel efficiently, using significantly less land and water than traditional biofuels. The company’s first commercial plant, known as an ‘industrial forest’, in Washington, aims to produce enough fuel for 100 cross-country flights annually, with plans to scale up to more than 10,000 flights per year. Looking ahead, Cave suggested Twelve’s technology could support Mars colonisation by using CO2 and water on the planet to autonomously create materials and rocket fuel.

Ride or die: engaging a community of 32m: In a captivating demonstration, Infinite Reality CEO John Acunto and digital content beauty creator Mariale Marrero showcased an immersive digital world that Marrero designed for her 32m followers. Similar to Roblox, users can interact with each other and Marrero while virtually exploring her home – from her living room to her kitchen, where they can view her recipe videos, to her dressing room, where they can try on clothes. The aim is for creators to own all data collected in these immersive worlds and provide direct one-to-one access to advertisers, ensuring transparency and control over their data.

For more insights on Roblox, e-commerce and immersive experience, head to our analysis of X-tended Retail.

Strategic opportunity

Implementing a data ownership model for all virtual world visitors gives creators and users control. Consider how to explore blockchain or decentralised platforms that allow users to have transparency and ownership over their data, enhancing trust and engagement

PIX Moving launches AI-enhanced Robo-EV

Robo-EV by PIX Moving, Switzerland Robo-EV by PIX Moving, Switzerland
Robo-EV by PIX Moving, Switzerland Robo-EV by PIX Moving, Switzerland

Global – Robotics company PIX Moving has introduced Robo-EV, a 3D-printed micro-metal car featuring an AI-powered personal assistant designed to assess and respond to the driver’s mood. Using advanced large language model technology, the AI system can offer emotional support through conversational interaction, enhancing the driving experience beyond mere functionality. This mood-detecting feature is integrated into Robo-EV’s voice system, acting as a personal assistant to help with both practical and emotional needs.

The Robo-EV’s modular design allows for versatile configurations that can be adapted for use as a cargo vehicle, delivery service or even for ride-sharing. Created entirely from 3D-printed metal, the vehicle’s skeletal frame provides a futuristic aesthetic while maximising structural integrity by minimising assembly points. Through real-time manufacturing processes, PIX Moving eliminates traditional moulds, offering easy customisation and paving the way for personalised, resilient micro-vehicles – making EVs more appealing to Gen Z, as explored in Not Your Parents’ Car.

Strategic opportunity

Use modular design and AI-driven personalisation to create adaptable products that enhance the user experience and emotional engagement, catering for changing consumer demands for versatility

British skincare brand Haeckels relaunched with a new identity

UK – Haeckels, the British skincare and fragrance brand, is rebranding as Formerly Known As Haeckels (FKAH), distancing itself from the controversial German zoologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel, whose scientific racism tainted the brand’s inspiration.

Backed by fresh investment, FKAH is revising its product range, paring down from 64 to 44 items, increasing prices by an average of 8%, switching to compostable packaging materials such as vivomer and mycelium, and focusing on direct-to-consumer channels. The brand’s commitment to transparency includes a new online initiative sharing how much each product costs, while its physical packaging shifts to minimalism, visually embracing natural decay.

Founder Dom Bridges has rejoined as innovation lead to drive this transformation, with plans to stabilise FKAH over the next year before expanding into US and European markets. Customers will help choose a permanent name over the next 12 months, emphasising FKAH’s community focus.

Our Hæckels Brand Innovation Debrief previously highlighted the Margate-based brand’s bio-positive innovations and purpose-led initiatives.

Haeckels London store. Photography by Louise Melchior, UK

Strategic opportunity

Integrate customer feedback directly into your brand’s growth strategy to strengthen brand loyalty and ensure you’re aligned with evolving values. Empower your audience as active collaborators, creating meaningful connections that drive lasting trust

Stat: UK study shows sharp decline in reading for pleasure among children

Photography by Anastasia Shuraeva, Global Photography by Anastasia Shuraeva, Global

UK – A new UK survey by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) reveals a ‘shocking and dispiriting’ decline in children’s enjoyment of reading. Only 34.6% of 8–18-year-olds say they read for pleasure in their spare time, the lowest level recorded in nearly two decades. This marks a significant drop from 43.4% in 2023 and continues a troubling downward trend since 2016, when nearly two-thirds of children reported enjoying reading. 

 The decline is mirrored by a decrease in reading frequency, with only 20.5% of children reading daily in their free time, down from 28% in 2023. Notably, there is also a widening gender gap: 40.5% of girls enjoy reading, compared to just 28.2% of boys. 

Children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce commented: ‘We know that children who read for pleasure gain all kinds of benefits… But today’s survey shows that too often as a nation we are withholding those benefits from our children.’ 

The study highlights that children who read regularly report feeling happier, more relaxed and more open to new ideas. 

In our Browsing The Future of Bookshops report we explore how bookshops must re-invent themselves to remain relevant in this fast-paced, digital age.

Strategic opportunity

Brands in media, publishing and entertainment should invest in creating content that inspires children to read for pleasure. This could be through innovative tech tools such as augmented reality (AR) books or adaptive learning tools 

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